Guide to Florida Wildflowers Book

I enjoyed this book on wildflowers. The pros: the pictures, for the most part, are nice. I was able to identify numerous plants that I've seen locally. The information is good but basic: latin name, description of flowers, where it is found, habitat and flowering time. Of course, nothing is written in stone. It may say you can grow it in the north but you may find it in Leesburg, FL (central region).

The cons: I would like to have known if the plant was invasive. If not; how do you propagate it. Also, whether the plant was in danger. I would like to have known if it is good to grow for butterflies/birds or is a food source for beneficial insects. Perhaps some kind of simple key could have been used with each description?

Japanese honeysuckle is a good plant that needs more information to to lay individuals. I found out there are 52 species of Lonicera and the one shown in the book is invasive in numerous states including FL. Yet I've seen it for sale in nurseries and on websites.

Lantana is another plant people need to be leery of. On the USDA website it is listed as a native plant in FL (L. depressa) and is now considered endangered but the book does not include it. The problem is the native Florida lantana is often confused with the invasive species. Lantana is found in almost every county in Florida. I had an instance where a bird must have dropped some seed and the plant took over a certain area in my yard. It was very hard to pull up and, though I was careful to get the whole plant, I must have dropped some seed and it started again next year. It took several seasons to get rid of it. And people grow it intentionally....

My ideal book on Florida wildflowers would be one that has great clear, concise and colorful pictures, good basic information and the additional symbols (key) as listed above. I realize that an author can't include everything but maybe another symbol (key) that could tell the reader to get more information if they are considering growing it. I know that some of the "wildflowers" are weeds to me and I wouldn't dream of growing it or giving the plant away. Comment | Permalink