Florida's Wildflowers
Blues and Purples

Rose-Rush - Lygodesmia aphylla

Family - Asteraceae

Habitat - Dry sandy locations, Flatwoods, Sandhill, Scrub

Description - Florida native wildflower. Perennial Herb, linear basil leaves, flowering stalk is leafless and 18-36 inches in height.

Flower - Solitary, pale rose-lavender, pink or occasionally white flower, rays having toothed tips.

Pineland Waterwillow - Justicia angusta

Family - Acanthaceae

Habitat - Wet Pine Flatwoods, Wet Prairie, Marshes, margins and floodplains of lakes, ponds and rivers.

Description - Native, Endemic to Florida. Perennial herb, 6-12 inches in height. Leaves opposite, narrowly lanceolate.

Flower - Purple, zygomorphic (2 lipped) on a spike arising from leaf axil.

Giant Ironweed - Vernonia gigantea

Family - Asteraceae

Habitat - Rich moist to wet soils, Ruderal, Pine Flatwoods, Hammocks

Description - Native herbaceous wildflower to 6 feet or more in height, leaves are alternate, variable elliptic, lanceolate to slightly obovate with serrate margins. Leaves may be pubescent or glabrous. Stems are pubescent, unbranched except at top near the inflorescence.

Flower - Panicles of 10 - 30 magenta or purplish disk florets, spring through fall in S. Florida.

Flax-leaf False-foxglove - Agalinis linifolia

Family - Scrophulariaceae

Habitat - Cypress Domes, Marshes, Sloughs, Wet Pine Flatwoods, Cutthroat Seep often found in standing water.

Description - One of 16 Florida native Agalinis species, grows to nearly 5 feet tall, it is semi-parasitic (hemi-parasitic) on roots of other plants/trees. Leaves are alternate, 1 1/4 to 2 inches long, linear with entire margins.

Flower - Pinkish to lavender flowers, 1 1/4 inch long in the summer and fall in South Florida.

Forked Blue Curls - Trichostema dichotomum

Family - Lamiaceae

Habitat - Sandhill, scrub, xeric hammocks, pine flatwoods

Description - Annual. Forb/Herb. Plant is sticky to the touch.

Height - 30 inches

Flower - Blue, 1/2 - 3/4 inch, 4 lobed upper lip, 1 lobe lower lip recurved. Flower has 4 distinct curled stamens.

Rice Button Aster - Symphyotrichum dumosum

Family - Asteraceae

Habitat - Open sandy areas of hammocks and flatwoods.

Description - Perennial, Forb/herb, sub-shrub 1 to 3 feet high.

Flower - Pale blue to lavender, 2 inches in diameter.

Pine Hyacinth - Clematis baldwinii

Native, Endemic.

Family - Ranunculaceae

Habitat - Sandy Pine Flatwoods

Description - Subshrub, Forb/Herb to 24 inches in height.

Flower - Pendulous and bell shaped, 2 inches in length, lavender to pinkish with 4 fleshy, curled, petal like sepals. Leaves variable from lanceolate to elliptical, unlobed to deeply lobed.

Canadian Toadflax, Blue Toadflax - Linaria canadensis

Family - Scrophulariaceae

Habitat - Open ruderal on moist or dry sandy soils

Description - Native annual, biennial. Herbaceous wildflower to 24 inches in height. Linear leaves

Flower - Blue 1/2 inch 2 lipped, upper lip 2 lobed, lower lip 3 lobed.

Wild Pennyroyal, Florida Pennyroyal - Piloblephis rigida

Family - Lamiaceae (Mint Family)

Habitat - Sandhill, Scrub, Flatwoods.

Description - Native perennial shrub, 18 - 24 inches tall.

Flower - Light purple, 1/2 inch in height.

Stokes' Aster - Stokesia laevis

Family - Asteraceae

Habitat - Wet Pine Flatwoods, Savannah's, disturbed areas of Northern Florida.

Description - Native herbaceous perennial with 6-10 inch elliptic basal leaves. 2 1/2 inch, blue to lavender flowers in spring are produced on straight stalks up to 2 feet tall with opposite, sessile leaves.