With a warm, humid, subtropical climate, Orlando is home to a thriving variety of native plant species. Each species plays an important role in the ecosystems they are a part of, providing food and shelter to thousands of other creatures they share space with. Let’s take a look at some of the native flora you can find in and around Orlando, Florida.

Southern Live Oak

An icon of the deep south, the Southern Live Oak (Quercus virginiana) is a huge spreading evergreen oak tree. Unlike most oak tree species, live oaks are not deciduous and do not lose their leaves in the fall. Evergreen leaves are continuously lost and replaced all throughout the year, so the tree never goes through a “dead” looking phase like most oak species, and so it got its name. Live oaks are characterized by spreading, twisted-looking limbs and great amounts of draping Spanish moss that can often be found on them.

Sabal Palm

The Sabal Palm (Sabal palmetto) is Florida’s state tree. This tall majestic tree can be found all throughout Orlando, both in the wild and in iconic landscaping. Sabal palm trees have fan-shaped leaves and can grow up to 80 feet tall! These hearty trees are incredibly tolerant to the conditions of the coastal deep south, able to withstand great heat, drought, salt water, heavy winds, and even hurricanes. The Sabal Palm goes by a few other names including cabbage palm, cabbage palmetto, blue palmetto, Carolina palmetto, common palmetto, Garfield's tree, and swamp cabbage.

Wildflowers

Orlando is home to a wide variety of wildflowers which can be found in open fields, meadows, and even along roadways. A few of the most stunning and popular wildflowers include the Tickseed (Coreopsis), a cheery, bright yellow flower that blooms all throughout the year. The Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a popular wildflower with butterflies, with its purple and pink petals and bold, prickly centers. Other wildflowers native to the area include asters, swamp milkweed, dune sunflowers, columbines, and buttonsage. While wildflowers are stunning and it might be tempting to bring some home, it is best if you leave Florida’s native flora alone so that ecosystems can continue to flourish.

Aquatic Plants

Because of the many waterways and wetlands in central Florida, Orlando's flora includes a wide variety of aquatic plants. Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) is a plant that plays an important role in its ecosystem by filtering water, stabilizing shorelines, as well as providing habitat for aquatic species of birds, fish, and reptiles. But pickerelweed isn’t just useful, this aquatic plant also has stunning purple-blue flowers that decorate the wetlands beautifully. Duck Potato (Sagittaria lancifolia) plays a similar role in wetlands and also beautifies waterways with white blooms.

In conclusion, Orlando has a wide variety of plants and a lot of nature parks and preserves which can give you an opportunity to go out and observe some of the flora Florida has to offer. Thinking of moving to the Orlando metro area? Oviedo apartments can be a great place to start your search and they also happen to be pretty close to some great wildlife reservations and parks so you can get out and enjoy the plants and animals of central Florida as soon as possible.