Show:
Florida Trees
Seed Dispersal
Ecosystem Indicators
Invasive Non-Natives
Florida Butterflies
100




This is Florida’s state "tree".
What is the Cabbage Palm, Sabal palmetto?
100




The samara or “helicopter seed” of this
native tree spirals down for a landing.
What is Red Maple, Acer rubrum?

100
These three species

Slash Pine  •  Saw Palmetto  •  Fetterbush

are indicators of this ecosystem.
What is the Pine Flatwoods?
100




Pray that you don’t have to remove this vine
with its hard, red and black seeds!
What is the Rosary Pea, Abrus precatorius?
100



This is Florida's state butterfly,
which uses passionflowers as its larval food.
What is the Zebra Longwing?
200


» D O U B L E   J E O P A R D Y ! «

"The Senator," estimated to have been 3,500 years old
before it was destroyed by fire in 2012, was this type of tree.
(May it rest in peace!)
What is Pond Cypress, Taxodium ascendens?
200




Don’t step on this plant if you are barefooted!
Its spines not only hitch a ride, they can hold their own in shifting sands.
What is a Sandbur or Sandspur, Cenchrus spp.?
200




These three species

Sand Pine
Florida Rosemary
Reindeer Lichen

are indicators of this ecosystem.
What is the Florida Scrub?
200




This vine has broad, heart-shaped leaves and
bulbils that drop to the ground to start new vines.
What is Air Potato, Dioscorea bulbifera?
200




Called the Orange Dog, the caterpillar of this butterfly
looks like a bird dropping and feeds on citrus.
What is the Giant Swallowtail?
300




This native tree has the widest range in all of
North America, extending from Newfoundland to Florida.
What is the Red Maple, Acer rubrum?
300


» D O U B L E   J E O P A R D Y ! «

Come on baby, light my fire!
This Florida native tree depends on
serotiny to release its seeds.
What is the Sand Pine, Pinus clausa?
300
These three species

Taxodium distichum  •  Annona glabra  •  Cephalanthus occidentalis

are indicators of this ecosystem.
What is a Cypress Swamp or Cypress Strand?
300
This aquatic plant with lavender-blue flowers
chokes waterways with large floating mats and
drastically alters plant and animal communities.

It can double its population in 8-16 days!
What is Water Hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes?
300

The Queen, Monarch, and Soldier nectar and feed on this genus of plants.
What is Asclepias, or the Milkweeds?
400




This botanical state park in the Florida Keys
is named after an endangered tree with blue flowers
and the densest wood in the world.
What is Lignumvitae Botanical State Park?
400




This endemic bird caches thousands of acorns from scrubby oaks
each year, inadvertently planting some along the way.
What is the Florida Scrub Jay?
400
These three species

Rhizophora mangle  •  Avicennia germinans  •  Laguncularia racemosa

are indicators of this ecosystem.
What is a mangrove forest or community?
400

The ferns in this genus blanket everything in their path!

They smother ground cover, shrubs and small trees
beneath their tangle, depriving them of sunlight.
What are climbing ferns, Lygodium spp.?
400

Gulf Fritillary and Julia butterflies
feed on this genus of plants.
What is Passiflora, or Passionflowers?

500




This endangered native tree can be found on wooded slopes
along the Apalachicola River in a state park named for it.
What is the Florida Torreya, Torreya taxifolia?
500




Seedlings of this native tree plunge into the salty brine
and might be carried by the waves before finding a
suitable place to settle in.
What is the Red Mangrove, Rhizophora mangle?
500
These three species
Magnolia virginiana, Persea palustris, Gordonia lasianthus are indicators of this ecosystem.
What is the Bay Swamp?
500

100 years ago this shrub was touted as being easy to grow
and for its bright red "holly" berries during the winter holiday season.
Now dense thickets of its woody stems completely shade out
and displace native vegetation
What is Brazillian Pepper, Schinus terebinthifolius?
500

The Sleepy Orange, Orange-Barred Sulphur, and the
Cloudless Sulphur feed on this genus of plants.
What is Senna (synonym Cassia)?