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Native plants · Florida

Native plants of St. Lucie County

222 plant species are recorded as native to Florida in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in St. Lucie County by USDA PLANTS. 102 of them have growing records you can filter by light, moisture, height and estimated cold hardiness. 3 more species are listed as both native and introduced and kept in a separate section.

County summary · USDA PLANTS and Kew WCVP

St. Lucie County, Florida

Native species
222 Typical Florida county: 385 (median of 67 counties)
Garden-ready natives
102 Typical Florida county: 170
Share by type (all 222 native species)
Percent of the 222 native species in each growth type
Tree 12% (27)
Shrub 5% (12)
Wildflower (forb) 44% (98)
Grass or grass-like 28% (62)
Vine 8% (17)
Fern 3% (6)

Wildflowers make up the largest share of the native list (44%), followed by grasses and grass-like plants (28%).

Recorded native ranges can include long-established populations that spread from gardens; check your state’s native plant society list for local guidance. How native status is decided.

ZIP codes mainly in this county fall in USDA hardiness zone 10a (2023 map).

The native plant list

Cold hardiness is estimated from each plant’s PLANTS minimum temperature. How we estimate it.

Garden-ready natives 102

Native species with PLANTS growing records (height, light, moisture, minimum temperature). “—” means PLANTS has no value.

Garden-ready native plants of St. Lucie County, Florida
PlantType HeightLight Water useHardy to
aloe yucca Yucca aloifolia Tree 15 ft Sun–part shade — Zone 7a
American beautyberry Callicarpa americana Shrub 6 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 6b
American cupscale Sacciolepis striata Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Low Zone 5b
American pokeweed Phytolacca americana Wildflower (forb) 7.3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
bayhops Ipomoea pes-caprae Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 9a
bighead rush Juncus megacephalus Grass or grass-like 3.1 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8b
bitter panicgrass Panicum amarum Grass or grass-like 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
black mangrove Avicennia germinans Tree 30 ft Sun High Zone 8a
blackeyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta Wildflower (forb) 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 5a
blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3b
broomsedge bluestem Andropogon virginicus Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
bushy bluestem Andropogon glomeratus Grass or grass-like 6.3 ft Sun High Zone 5a
bushy seaside tansy Borrichia frutescens Shrub 2.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 9a
butterfly milkweed Asclepias tuberosa Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun Low Zone 4a
cabbage palmetto Sabal palmetto Tree 90 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 9a
Canada germander Teucrium canadense Wildflower (forb) 3.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 3a
Canadian horseweed Conyza canadensis Wildflower (forb) 5 ft Sun Medium Zone 12b
Carolina redroot Lachnanthes caroliana Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 8b
cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea Fern 4.9 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
climbing hempvine Mikania scandens Vine 1 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 3b
coastal plain willow Salix caroliniana Tree 33 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 7b
common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis Tree 15 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 4a
common rush Juncus effusus Grass or grass-like 6.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 3b
common threesquare Schoenoplectus pungens Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun High Zone 3b
cucumberleaf sunflower Helianthus debilis Wildflower (forb) 6 in Sun Medium Zone 9b
dahoon Ilex cassine Tree 26 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8b
deerberry Vaccinium stamineum Shrub 16 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5a
dense blazing star Liatris spicata Wildflower (forb) 4.5 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b
dotted smartweed Polygonum punctatum Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 10b
dwarf huckleberry Gaylussacia dumosa Shrub 1.4 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 5a
dwarf palmetto Sabal minor Tree 9 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
eastern annual saltmarsh aster Symphyotrichum subulatum Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Sun Medium Zone 7a
eastern baccharis Baccharis halimifolia Tree 10 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 7a
fall panicgrass Panicum dichotomiflorum Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 3a
false daisy Eclipta prostrata Wildflower (forb) 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 10b
falseteeth Capparis flexuosa Tree 16 ft Sun–part shade — Zone 11a
fetterbush lyonia Lyonia lucida Shrub 6.6 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 7b
field paspalum Paspalum laeve Grass or grass-like 2.9 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 6a
Florida hopbush Dodonaea viscosa Tree 15 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 9a
giant cutgrass Zizaniopsis miliacea Grass or grass-like 9 ft Sun High Zone 8b
grassleaf rush Juncus marginatus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5a
graybark grape Vitis cinerea Vine 50 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 6b
green arrow arum Peltandra virginica Wildflower (forb) 2.3 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 5a
Gulf Coast spikerush Eleocharis cellulosa Grass or grass-like 2.6 ft Sun High Zone 8b
gulfhairawn muhly Muhlenbergia filipes Grass or grass-like 3 ft Sun High Zone 8a
gumbo limbo Bursera simaruba Tree 40 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 11a
hairy chaffhead Carphephorus paniculatus Wildflower (forb) 3 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 8a
hairy lespedeza Lespedeza hirta Wildflower (forb) 6 ft Sun Low Zone 6a
haspan flatsedge Cyperus haspan Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 8a
hilograss Paspalum conjugatum Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 8b
inkberry Ilex glabra Shrub 8 ft Sun High Zone 6a
Jack in the pulpit Arisaema triphyllum Wildflower (forb) 1.5 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5b
Jamaican caper Capparis cynophallophora Tree 20 ft Sun–part shade — Zone 11a
lancewood Nectandra coriacea Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 9b
lavender thrift Limonium carolinianum Wildflower (forb) 2 ft Sun High Zone 6b
live oak Quercus virginiana Tree 50 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 8a
manyspike flatsedge Cyperus polystachyos Grass or grass-like 1.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 12a
muscadine Vitis rotundifolia Vine 30 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b
narrowleaf silkgrass Pityopsis graminifolia Wildflower (forb) 2.8 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 7a
needlepod rush Juncus scirpoides Grass or grass-like 3 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 7a
partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata Wildflower (forb) 2.4 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 7a
peelbark St. Johnswort Hypericum fasciculatum Shrub 5 ft Sun — Zone 7b
peppervine Nekemias arborea Vine 1 in Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 6a
pine barren goldenrod Solidago fistulosa Wildflower (forb) 6.6 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
pond apple Annona glabra Tree 10 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 9a
poorland flatsedge Cyperus compressus Grass or grass-like 1 ft Sun Medium Zone 11a
prairie wedgescale Sphenopholis obtusata Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 3a
purpletop tridens Tridens flavus Grass or grass-like 2.5 ft Sun Low Zone 5a
red mulberry Morus rubra Tree 70 ft Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 4a
redbay Persea borbonia Tree 70 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
redtop panicgrass Panicum rigidulum Grass or grass-like 3.3 ft Sun High Zone 4a
roundpod St. Johnswort Hypericum cistifolium Shrub 2.5 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
saltmeadow cordgrass Spartina patens Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun High Zone 7a
saltwater false willow Baccharis angustifolia Shrub 13 ft Sun High Zone 8b
sand pine Pinus clausa Tree 80 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 7b
saw palmetto Serenoa repens Tree 7 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 8a
sea torchwood Amyris elemifera Tree 16 ft Shade-tolerant Low Zone 8b
seagrape Coccoloba uvifera Tree 25 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 9a
seaoats Uniola paniculata Grass or grass-like 6 ft Sun Low Zone 8a
seashore dropseed Sporobolus virginicus Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 9a
slash pine Pinus elliottii Tree 100 ft Sun Medium Zone 5b
smallfruit beggarticks Bidens mitis Wildflower (forb) 3.5 ft Sun–part shade High Zone 12b
smooth cordgrass Spartina alterniflora Grass or grass-like 3.5 ft Sun High Zone 5a
Spanish moss Tillandsia usneoides Vine — Shade-tolerant Medium Zone 9b
St. Augustine grass Stenotaphrum secundatum Grass or grass-like 11 in Shade-tolerant High Zone 7b
strawcolored flatsedge Cyperus strigosus Grass or grass-like 3.2 ft Sun Medium Zone 4a
swamp smartweed Polygonum hydropiperoides Wildflower (forb) — Sun Medium Zone 10b
swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius Wildflower (forb) 5.6 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 4b
swamp tupelo Nyssa biflora Tree 115 ft Sun High Zone 5b
sweetscent Pluchea odorata Wildflower (forb) 4.9 ft Sun Medium Zone 6a
taperleaf water horehound Lycopus rubellus Wildflower (forb) 1.6 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
tenangle pipewort Eriocaulon decangulare Wildflower (forb) 2.6 ft Sun Medium Zone 6b
tietongue Coccoloba diversifolia Tree 25 ft Shade-tolerant — Zone 11a
turkey tangle fogfruit Phyla nodiflora Wildflower (forb) 2 in Sun–part shade Low Zone 5b
variable panicgrass Dichanthelium commutatum Grass or grass-like 4.9 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia Vine 1 ft Sun–part shade Low Zone 4b
Virginia sweetspire Itea virginica Shrub 10 ft Shade-tolerant High Zone 5a
water hickory Carya aquatica Tree 85 ft Sun–part shade Medium Zone 5b
wax myrtle Morella cerifera Tree 10 ft Sun High Zone 7a
winged sumac Rhus copallinum Tree 8 ft Sun Low Zone 4b
yellow flatsedge Cyperus flavescens Grass or grass-like 2 ft Sun Medium Zone 11b

Other native species recorded here 120

PLANTS has no growing records for these, so light, moisture, height and zone filters cannot include them. Many are wild species seldom sold by nurseries.

  • American black nightshade Solanum americanum
  • American bluehearts Buchnera americana
  • American burnweed Erechtites hieraciifolius
  • American searocket Cakile edentula
  • American wild carrot Daucus pusillus
  • anisescented goldenrod Solidago odora
  • Atlantic pigeonwings Clitoria mariana
  • axilflower Mecardonia acuminata
  • Baldwin's flatsedge Cyperus croceus
  • basketgrass Oplismenus hirtellus
  • beaked panicgrass Panicum anceps
  • big carpetgrass Axonopus furcatus
  • bigseed alfalfa dodder Cuscuta indecora
  • bristly scaleseed Spermolepis echinata
  • bulltongue arrowhead Sagittaria lancifolia
  • bunched beaksedge Rhynchospora cephalantha
  • camphorweed Heterotheca subaxillaris
  • Canada toadflax Nuttallanthus canadensis
  • Carolina fimbry Fimbristylis caroliniana
  • Carolina geranium Geranium carolinianum
  • coastal sandbur Cenchrus spinifex
  • combleaf mermaidweed Proserpinaca pectinata
  • common carpetgrass Axonopus fissifolius
  • crested saltbush Atriplex cristata
  • cutleaf evening primrose Oenothera laciniata
  • cypress panicgrass Dichanthelium dichotomum
  • drumheads Polygala cruciata
  • dwarf umbrella-sedge Fuirena pumila
  • eastern marsh fern Thelypteris palustris
  • eastern milkpea Galactia regularis
  • eastern poison ivy Toxicodendron radicans
  • Elliott's bluestem Andropogon gyrans
  • false hop sedge Carex lupuliformis
  • fewflower beaksedge Rhynchospora rariflora
  • fewflower milkweed Asclepias lanceolata
  • field lovegrass Eragrostis elliottii
  • fire on the mountain Euphorbia cyathophora
  • flattened pipewort Eriocaulon compressum
  • Florida paspalum Paspalum floridanum
  • forked bluecurls Trichostema dichotomum
  • fringed yelloweyed grass Xyris fimbriata
  • gaping grass Steinchisma hians
  • giant ironweed Vernonia gigantea
  • goldenclub Orontium aquaticum
  • grassleaf lettuce Lactuca graminifolia
  • grassy arrowhead Sagittaria graminea
  • greenvein lady's tresses Spiranthes praecox
  • Guadeloupe cucumber Melothria pendula
  • hairy fimbry Fimbristylis puberula
  • helmet flower Scutellaria integrifolia
  • hemlock rosette grass Dichanthelium sabulorum
  • herb of grace Bacopa monnieri
  • herbwilliam Ptilimnium capillaceum
  • horned bladderwort Utricularia cornuta
  • husk tomato Physalis pubescens
  • hyssopleaf sandmat Chamaesyce hyssopifolia
  • Indianpipe Monotropa uniflora
  • kiss me quick Portulaca pilosa
  • maidencane Panicum hemitomon
  • man of the earth Ipomoea pandurata
  • manyflower marshpennywort Hydrocotyle umbellata
  • marsh bristlegrass Setaria parviflora
  • marsh lady's tresses Spiranthes odorata
  • marsh mermaidweed Proserpinaca palustris
  • Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana
  • mudbank crowngrass Paspalum dissectum
  • narrowfruit horned beaksedge Rhynchospora inundata
  • netted chainfern Woodwardia areolata
  • netted nutrush Scleria reticularis
  • oak mistletoe Phoradendron leucarpum
  • Pennsylvania everlasting Gamochaeta pensylvanica
  • pillpod sandmat Chamaesyce hirta
  • pineland threeseed mercury Acalypha ostryifolia
  • pineywoods dropseed Sporobolus junceus
  • pink sundew Drosera capillaris
  • purple passionflower Passiflora incarnata
  • purple sandgrass Triplasis purpurea
  • rabbit-tobacco Pseudognaphalium obtusifolium
  • rice button aster Symphyotrichum dumosum
  • Richard's yelloweyed grass Xyris jupicai
  • romerillo Bidens alba
  • rose of Plymouth Sabatia stellaris
  • rough Mexican clover Richardia scabra
  • roundleaf thoroughwort Eupatorium rotundifolium
  • sensitive partridge pea Chamaecrista nictitans
  • shaggy crabgrass Digitaria villosa
  • shortbeak beaksedge Rhynchospora nitens
  • slender crabgrass Digitaria filiformis
  • slender fimbry Fimbristylis autumnalis
  • slender goldentop Euthamia caroliniana
  • Small's yelloweyed grass Xyris smalliana
  • smallflower halfchaff sedge Lipocarpha micrantha
  • snowy orchid Platanthera nivea
  • southern bog clubmoss Lycopodiella appressa
  • southern cattail Typha domingensis
  • southern dewberry Rubus trivialis
  • southern sandbur Cenchrus echinatus
  • spotted beebalm Monarda punctata
  • spotted sandmat Chamaesyce maculata
  • spreading sandwort Arenaria lanuginosa
  • spring lady's tresses Spiranthes vernalis
  • spurred butterfly pea Centrosema virginianum
  • stiff yellow flax Linum medium
  • stinking camphorweed Pluchea foetida
  • swamp dock Rumex verticillatus
  • thicket bean Phaseolus polystachios
  • thin paspalum Paspalum setaceum
  • tropical flatsedge Cyperus surinamensis
  • tuberous grasspink Calopogon tuberosus
  • Virginia buttonweed Diodia virginiana
  • Virginia chainfern Woodwardia virginica
  • Virginia pepperweed Lepidium virginicum
  • Virginia plantain Plantago virginica
  • Virginia saltmarsh mallow Kosteletzkya virginica
  • water lettuce Pistia stratiotes
  • whisk fern Psilotum nudum
  • whitemouth dayflower Commelina erecta
  • whorled marshpennywort Hydrocotyle verticillata
  • winged lythrum Lythrum alatum
  • yellow thistle Cirsium horridulum
Also listed as native and introduced here 3

PLANTS labels these species both native and introduced in this state: some forms are native and others were brought in from elsewhere. Most gardeners should choose plants from the main list.

  • annual ragweedAmbrosia artemisiifolia
  • common reedPhragmites australis
  • Mexican teaDysphania ambrosioides

Compared with Florida

The typical county is the median of the 67 Florida counties with PLANTS county records; the statewide figure counts every species native anywhere in the state. More species is not better or worse: counties differ in size, habitat and how thoroughly they have been surveyed.

Native species counts, St. Lucie County and Florida
MeasureSt. Lucie CountyTypical countyStatewide
Native species 222 385 1,282
Garden-ready natives 102 170 493
Tree 27 — 166
Shrub 12 — 59
Wildflower (forb) 98 — 648
Grass or grass-like 62 — 315
Vine 17 — 65
Fern 6 — 29

Neighboring counties

Counties that share a ZIP code with St. Lucie County.

Look up another ZIP

Matches your ZIP to the county it mostly lies in, then lists the plants recorded as native to your state (Kew’s World Checklist and USDA PLANTS) and recorded in that county by USDA PLANTS.

Source & data date

Source
USDA NRCS PLANTS Database: county distribution records, native status and plant characteristics. CC0 (public domain dedication, per the data.gov catalog record).
Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP): native or introduced status by state. CC BY 3.0.
USGS US-RIIS (ver. 2.0): species listed as introduced are excluded. CC0.
Citation
USDA, NRCS. 2026. The PLANTS Database (https://plants.usda.gov, 11/04/2026). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC USA.
Govaerts R. (ed.) (2026). WCVP: World Checklist of Vascular Plants. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Data file dated 2026-06-04, http://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/ (retrieved 2026-11-04). Paper: Govaerts R. et al. (2021) The World Checklist of Vascular Plants, a continuously updated resource for exploring global plant diversity. Scientific Data 8, 215.
Data date
Retrieved from PLANTS on November 4, 2026; WCVP data file dated June 4, 2026.
Zones
USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map (2023) ZIP table: PRISM Group, Oregon State University, https://prism.oregonstate.edu, accessed November 3, 2026. Plant zones on this site are our estimate, not the official map.
Scope
St. Lucie County (county FIPS 12111), Florida. 222 native species from PLANTS county distribution records; garden-ready = species with a PLANTS characteristics record.
Method
A species is listed when it is recorded as native to the state in Kew’s World Checklist of Vascular Plants and USDA PLANTS, and recorded in the county by USDA PLANTS. Species PLANTS labels both native and introduced are listed separately. Full method · All sources

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