Weeds of Wednesday: Lovely Lythrum – Not Loosestrife

Winged loosestrife (Lythrum alatum var. lanceolata) seems more prevalent this year, perhaps due to Hurricane Irma spreading it about.  Sandee Dawdy (Class of 2016) contacted me at the beginning of the summer to identify a "new" blueish-flowered plant that appeared…

Permit Now Required: Saw Palmetto Berries

Evidence of rampant and illegal saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) berry harvesting is shown above at south Oslo Riverfront Conservation Area (ORCA) in 2014.  Beginning on July 17, 2018 anyone harvesting saw palmetto berries is required to have a Native Plant Harvesting…

Sleepy Florida Hibiscus

The star of our field trip to the Indian River Lagoon Greenway on 8/11/2018 undoubtedly was the lovely lindenleaf rosemallow (Hibiscus furcellatus) pictured above.  Also known as sleepy hibiscus, this member of the mallow family, Malvaceae, is native to the…

Florida Citrus?

The citrus family, Rutaceae, includes more than 1,500 mostly aromatic plants in 150 genera. The fruits of commerce -- grapefruit, oranges, tangerines, and like -- are in the genus Citrus, are primarily of Asian origin, and are greatly plagued by…