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Help us monitor these most wanted plants!

Black mangrove (Avicennia germinans)

Older trees are distinguished by their dark, scaly bark, hence the name "Black Mangrove." The thick, leathery leaves secrete salt and the underside of the leaf is a lighter shade of green. The small, white flowers are fragrant and provide a great source of nectar for honeybees. Many root projections (pneumatophores) surround the tree.

See the Phenophase Field Guide.

Blackbead (Pithecellobium guadalupense)

Leaves of this small tree have 4 leaflets, in pairs. The fragrant flowers are cream or pink colored, about 1 inch diameter on stalks. Seed pods are twisted with black seeds with bright red fruit-like attachments.

See the Phenophase Field Guide.

Gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba)

The reddish-brown peeling papery bark on the trunk earned this tree the nickname "the tourist tree." Flowers are small and greenish white.

See the Phenophase Field Guide.

Jamaica dogwood (Piscidia piscipula)

A tall tree, the Jamaica dogwoods leaves are compound, with 5 to 7, 1.5 to 4 inch long leaflets. The flowers have lavender or pink petals that hang in long clusters. Historically the tree roots, bark, and leaves were used to stun fish.

See the Phenophase Field Guide.

Locust berry (Byrsonima lucida)

Nicknamed "the Buzzing Tree" because of its importance to native bees. This shrub has small, 1.5 inch long, oval leaves. The small, clustered flowers start off white, but turn pink and red. It is the host and nectar plant for the Florida Duskywing and many animals eat the berries. It flowers throughout the year, but peaks in the spring/summer.

See the Phenophase Field Guide.

Poisonwood (Metopium toxiferum)

Poisonwood belongs to the same family as poison ivy, so be careful. The small white flowers occur in clusters. The ripe fruit is eaten by the white-crowned pigeon, a rare species that nests in the Florida Keys.

See the Phenophase Field Guide.

Sea grape (Coccoloba uvifera)

The leaves are evergreen, almost round in shape. The flowers can be hard to see, yellowish-green to white on slender stalks. The ripe fruit is edible to birds, humans, and other animals.

See the Phenophase Field Guide.

Sea ox-eye daisy (Borrichia frutescens )

This salt-tolerant aster typically colonizes coastal habitats and transitional ecotones. The shrub-like perennial grows about three feet tall and has fleshy green leaves. The bright yellow, daisy-like flower provides nectar for many pollinator species and the plant provides cover for animals like the Lower Keys marsh rabbit.

See the Phenophase Field Guide.

Sea rosemary (Argusia gnaphalodes)

This rare dune shrub grows 3 to 6 feet high and has a rounded top. The leaves are plump, hairy and silvery green. The clustered flowers grow on one-sided spikes and are white to lavender. It blooms all year and peaks in the winter.

See the Phenophase Field Guide.

Spider lily (Hymenocallis latifolia)

This coastal species has leathery leaf blades that often grow 2.5 feet in length. Its spectacular flower extends beyond the leaves and is fragrant, white, with six thin 5-inch long petals.

See the Phenophase Field Guide.


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National Key Deer Refuge
The National Key Deer Refuge was established in 1957 to protect and preserve Key deer and other wildlife resources in the Florida Keys. The refuge consists of approximately 9,200 acres of land that includes pine rockland forests, tropical hardwood hammocks, freshwater wetlands, salt marsh wetlands, and mangrove forests. These natural communities are critical habitat for hundreds of endemic and migratory species including 17 federally-listed species.

Explore more about National Key Deer Refuge on their website and find out how you can make a difference by volunteering and visiting the Refuge.


Climate Change at this Refuge
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Climate Change at this Refuge
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Project Budburst is co-managed by NEON and the Chicago Botanic Garden
© 2012 National Ecological Observatory Network. All rights reserved.