Create Your Garden

Recommended Native Grasses for South Florida

About 25 percent of the plant species native to North America are at risk of extinction. You can help reverse this trend by planting great native plants in your garden.

Native Plants, Native Perennials, Native Grasses, Florida Native Plant, Florida Native Perennials, Florida Native Grasses

Florida is divided into four main ecological regions: the East Gulf Coastal Plain, the South Atlantic Coastal Plain, Florida Peninsula, and Tropical Florida. Unique in topography, soil depth, pH, elevation, light, and hydrology, each region provides a rich variety of ecological habitats, supporting many native plant species.

Florida supports the fourth highest biodiversity in the United States and ranks third in the number of species listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Noted for its mild climate, with temperatures typically ranging between 47-90ºF and relatively high rainfall, averaging 60 inches per year, Tropical Florida or South Florida is located in USDA zones 10a, 10b, and 11a.

Surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico to its west, the Atlantic Ocean to its east, and the Florida Straits to its south, South Florida is a landscape of great contrasts between upland terrestrial ecological communities and vast expanses of herbaceous wetlands.

Before men began extensive modifications, the South Florida ecosystem used to include freshwater and terrestrial systems such as ponds and sloughs, sawgrass marshes, wet prairies, hammock forests, bay heads, cypress forests, pine forests, mixed swamp forests, and dry prairies. It also included coastal systems such as bays, coral reefs, mangroves, saline marshes, and beaches and dunes.

Today, a large part of the vast wilderness has been cleared and converted to agricultural land or urban areas. 99% of the tropical hardwood-dominated forests (hammocks) are estimated to have been lost. It is estimated that greater than 98% of the Pine Rockland community, including (sub)populations of its highly endemic flora, have been destroyed.

According to the U.S. Forest Service, Invasive species have contributed to the decline of 42% of U.S. endangered and threatened species, and 18% of U.S. endangered or threatened species. Invasive species compete directly with native species for moisture, sunlight, nutrients, and space. They displace and alter native plant communities, degrade wildlife habitat and water quality, and potentially lead to increased soil erosion.

The federal government has estimated that nearly 25 percent of the 20,000 plant species native to North America are at risk of extinction, many of these through habitat loss. You can help reverse this trend by planting great native plants in your garden.

A plant is considered native if it has occurred naturally in a particular region or ecosystem without human introduction. There are many benefits to growing native plants.

  • First, these plants are better adapted to soils, moisture, and weather than exotic plants that evolved in other parts of the world. They need fewer fertilizers, and pesticides or use less water.
  • Second, they are unlikely to escape and become invasive, destroying natural habitats.
  • Third, they support wildlife, providing shelter and food for native birds and insects, while exotic plants do not.

Here is a list of native grasses that are well-suited for plantings in gardens of South Florida.

  • Never collect native plants from the wild as it will deplete natural ecosystems. 
  • When possible, plant species grown straight from local seed sources. These native originals are the best choice, as they co-evolved with specific wildlife, which supports migration, breeding, and other seasonal interdependencies.

 

Guide Information

Hardiness 10 - 11
Plant Type Ornamental Grasses
Native Plants United States, Southeast, Florida

Recommended Native Grasses for South Florida

Andropogon virginicus (Broom Sedge)
Equisetum hyemale (Horsetail)
Eragrostis spectabilis (Purple Love Grass)
Juncus effusus (Common Rush)
Muhlenbergia capillaris (Pink Muhly Grass)
Panicum virgatum (Switch Grass)
Rhynchospora colorata (Star Rush)
Scirpus cyperinus (Wool Grass)
Spartina alterniflora (Smooth Cordgrass)
Spartina patens (Saltmeadow Cordgrass)
Sporobolus virginicus (Seashore Dropseed)
Tripsacum dactyloides (Eastern Gamma Grass)
Uniola paniculata (Sea Oats)

Discover more beautiful Florida native plants

Florida native plants

Plant Finder

Great Pollinator Plants for Florida
Monarch Nectar Plants for Florida
Recommended Native Aquatic Plants for South Florida
Recommended Native Ferns for South Florida
Recommended Native Vines for South Florida
Recommended Shade-Loving Native Perennials for South Florida
Shade-Loving Native Shrubs for South Florida
Recommended Shade-Loving Native Trees for South Florida
Recommended Sun-Loving Native Perennials for South Florida
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Tropical South
Guides with
Tropical South Florida
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.

Guide Information

Hardiness 10 - 11
Plant Type Ornamental Grasses
Native Plants United States, Southeast, Florida
Explore Great Plant Combination Ideas
Tropical South
Guides with
Tropical South Florida

Related Items

Please Login to Proceed

You Have Reached The Free Limit, Please Subscribe to Proceed

Subscribe to Gardenia

To create additional collections, you must be a paid member of Gardenia
  • Add as many plants as you wish
  • Create and save up to 25 garden collections
Become a Member

Plant Added Successfully

You have Reached Your Limit

To add more plants, you must be a paid member of our site Become a Member

Update Your Credit
Card Information

Cancel

Create a New Collection

Sign Up to Our Newsletter

    You have been subscribed successfully

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Join Gardenia.net

    Create a membership account to save your garden designs and to view them on any device.

    Becoming a contributing member of Gardenia is easy and can be done in just a few minutes. If you provide us with your name, email address and the payment of a modest $25 annual membership fee, you will become a full member, enabling you to design and save up to 25 of your garden design ideas.

    Join now and start creating your dream garden!

    Find your Hardiness Zone

    Find your Heat Zone

    Find your Climate Zone