Pinus Palustris

Kingdom:Plantae

Division:Pinophyta

Class:Pinopsida

Order:Pinales

Family:Pinaceae

Genus:Pinus

Pinus Palustris also known as the longleaf pine is a common pine found in Florida. Everywhere you look you can catch a glimpse of this tall pine. This pine towers to a height of about 98 to 110 feet with a diameter close to 27 inches. The leaves of this longleaf pine are unique long dark green needles which grow in groups of three. These pines are very slow growing and can take up to 150 years before the pine is fully grown. This is the reason why pines are becoming somewhat threatened. These pines are being cut down and new ones are being planted, but the time it takes for a pine to fully mature is making the process difficult. An interesting fact about this tree is during it's seedling phase, the pine does not look like a tree, but a grass. What makes it more interesting is that if a fire were to burn the grass of the seedlings the pine would still grow because it only burns the needles of the pine not the actual bud. In older times the needles of the pine were used to make baskets and roots of these pines after awhile become fat lighter.

Serenoa Repens

Kingdom:Plantae

Order:Arecales

Family:Arecacaea

Genus:Serenoa

Serenoa Repens commonly known as the saw palmetto are native to Florida. The palms are relatively small, but grow in large numbers. These clumps are thick in density and are found for the majority in sandy regions or underneath pine woods. The Saw palmetto is comprised of lealets in the shape of a fan. The name saw palm comes from the bare petioles, however along the edges are sharp teeth thus a common name saw palmetto was given. The fans are made of approximately 20 leaflets. Some interesting facts about this palm are the fruit in which are produced. The fruits are enriched with things such as phytoserols and fatty acids making the extracts benefical to medical treatments. These palms don't rely on soil pH or texture and can with stand heavy droughts making it a long lived palm.

Berlandiera Pumila

Kingdom	Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision	Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division	Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass	Asteridae
Order	Asterales
Family	Asteraceae – Aster family
Genus	Berlandiera DC. – greeneyes
Species	Berlandiera pumila (Michx.) Nutt. – soft greeneyes
Variety	Berlandiera pumila (Michx.) Nutt. var. pumila – soft greeneyes

Berlandiera pumila also known as "soft green eyes" can be found all over the U.S. from Texas east to Florida and as far north as North Carolina. It grows in dry pinelands, open fields, and sandhills producing a chocolate like scent. Berlandiera pumila has a clump of sturdy, upright, light green stems with widely spaced, 3" long, light green leaves. The stems are topped from April-September with clusters of 2" yellow daisies.

Wildflower

Kingdom: Plantae

Order:	Asterales
Family:	Asteraceae

Genus: Coreopsis

This flower is commonly referred to as a tickseed. Coreopsis typically bloom bright yellow, daisy like flowers all summer and into the fall. It is known for its long bloom season. The Coreopsis is very easy to grow and will tolerate any soil except waterlogged soil. It prefers lean, sandier soils and requires little watering once established. Full sun is preferred for prolific blooms. Very little fertilizer, if any, is needed, especially once established.

Gratiola Hispida

Kingdom: Plantae
Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Magnoliophyta

Family: Plantaginaceae

Species: Gratiola Hispida

The common name for this tiny white flower is rough hedgehyssop. It is only found in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama. It grows in the spring and is great for ground cover. Most people would consider this a weed in their own gardens but it is actually very pretty and fragrant. It is a wild flower that grows in dense wooded areas mostly sunny areas. This flower is not edible.

Moss

Kingdom: Plantea
Division: Bryophyta
Class: Bryopsida

The Bryopsida is the largest class of moss that we know. It contains almost 95% of all moss species. There are approximately 12,000 species in and they are common througout the whole world and most are classified in the Bryophyta. The division Bryophyta used to includ not only mosses, but liverworts and hornworts, they are now considered bryophytes. The Bryopsida Moss tends to grow in clumps or matts in damp shady locations. This moss are bryophytes, or non-vascular. Some of the ways you can tell a moss is that there are differentiated stems and leaves, there are no segmented leaves or lobed leaves and there are not leaves arranged in three ranks.
A moss is haploid for most of its life cycle. Its hard to tell how old moss is because they are so fragile. And interesting fact about is that they used to use moss in WWI as a first aid dressing because they are so absorbant and they also have a mild antibacterial content. It is also thought they may have been used a diapers very early on in history.

Most of what you see in this picture is reindeer moss which is acually a lichen, it is a combination of fungus and alge. The moss is the actual very green, very small ground cover underneath the lichen.

Prunus umbellata

IMG_1630[1]
Originally uploaded by Rebecka!

Or the Flatwoods plum is a native southeastern tree reaching 20 feet in height with a 15 foot spread. The most interesting thing about this plant it that before its leaves develop the blooms come in making it look like a white cloud. The blooms are clusters of small white flowers about a half-inch to an inch long. About two weeks after the leaves appear you get small plums that are very tart but make great desserts.
This species comes from the Rosaceae family and originated in North America. The shape of the tree is round with a simple leaf type that is less than 2 inches. The fruit tends to attract birds and other animals -along with Bees who like to pollinate this beautiful tree. They are a very hearty tree resistant to drought and other hardships common in Florida.
Flatwoods plums grow well in a variety of conditions and can be kind of weedy but not an invasive threat. They normally do not grow in rows but rather on their own. They can live 30 to 40 years but we have had them on our property for a very long time.
Some fun recipes for wild plums (more on the website)
Wild Plum Preserves
5 cups pitted, tart plums (about 2 1/2 pounds)
4 cups sugar
1 cup water
Sterilize canning jars. Combine all ingredients. Bring slowly to boiling, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cook rapidly almost to the jellying point, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Pour hot preserves into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.
Plum Honey
8 cups plum juice (from peelings)
4 cups sugar
Sterilize canning jars. Measure juice, bring to boil. When it boils vigorously, add sugar. Boil rapidly until it reaches the consistency of honey. Pour into hot jars, leaving 1/4 space at the top of the jar. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.


Wild Plum Sauce

1 pound whole wild plums (or pitted regular plums)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, minced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (use less if you like)
1 tsp soy sauce (or salt to taste)
1/4 teaspoon shallot or onion salt (optional)

As needed: sugar or other sweetener and/or vinegar

Pick over the plums to remove any stems or debris and rinse them well. Place in a saucepan and add water just to barely cover them. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until skins have burst and plums are soft, about 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Place a colander over a bowl. Put the plums in the colander and press with the back of a spoon to squeeze out the juice. (You could also do this in a cheesecloth bag.) Allow the plums to drain until all juice is removed.

Heat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the minced garlic and ginger in a tablespoon of water for 2 minutes, adding more water if needed to prevent sticking. Add the plum juice and the remaining ingredients. Bring to a low boil and simmer until mixture reduces and thickens by almost half. (It took mine about 15 minutes.) Taste to see if any sauce is sweet or sour enough; if not add sweetener or vinegar to taste.

Use warm or refrigerate for later use.
Websites Used
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/st521
http://pinellas.fnpschapters.org/wildplums.html
http://www.kiowacd.org/Tips_Links/wild_plum_recipes.htm
http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/07/wild-plum-sauce.html

Pinus palustris

Longleaf pine-Pollen cones-close up
Originally uploaded by Maria 87

The Longleaf Pine produces the largest pine cone (6 to 10 inches long) of all the conifers in the eastern US but most common in the sandy hills of our area. They grow to be 80 to 100 feet tall with a straight small trunk up to 3 feet wide. The needles are long and dense to hold a lot of moisture and because of this they do not burn easily. This pine has a very long taproot (8 to 12 feet long) to help get nutrients and moisture from the soil.
Longleaf pines propagate by seeds, where the seedlings are in grass state first before developing a trunk and taproot. This grass stage can last 3 to 10 years but after this the pine grows rapidly.
The longleaf pine plays a major role in Florida’s ecosystem. Some animals such as the gopher tortoise, Florida mice, gopher frogs, and eastern diamond back rattle snakes are among the none endangered animals that depend on this species of pine for habitat- endangered are the red-cockaded woodpecker and the indigo snake. Some other animals that use this species as a food source are squirrels, turkey, quail, and brown-headed nuthatches.
Some identifying characteristics are the reddish-brown scaly bark, the woody cone which at the tip of its scales has a small prickle that bend towards the base, the needles are by far the most helpful because of their length of 8 to 10 inches long, and finally this species likes to grow in moderate to dense stands of pine with well drained soil.
Websites used
http://www.dariasworld.info/photo_longleaf_pine.htm
http://www.sfrc.ufl.edu/4h/longleaf_pine/longpine.htm

Rubus species

Wild blackberries can be found nearly anywhere with a roughly temperate climate, from Florida, to Washington state, to the UK, to Australia, although in some places are considered to be invasive species. There are many related species but they all have some basic similarities.

Blackberries generally have three, five, or seven leaves on each leaflet, like in this picture, and blue green foliage. Most wild blackberries have thorns, although this has been bred out of some domesticated types. The root systems are perennial, but the stems will sometimes freeze back during the winter and regrow in the spring.

These plants generally bloom from late spring to early summer. Their flowers are small and white, usually with five petals. The thorns and flowers are the closest similarities to their cousins, wild roses.

After blooming, the blackberries will change from green to red to black as they ripen.These berries are technically aggregate fruits, with many small fruits with one seed from each stamen in a multiple flower. The berries are only ripe once black, despite the raspberry appearance of the red ones.

Wild blackberries, unlike most domesticated blackberries, will ripen a few at a time, to keep animals returning over time, rather than getting full and wasting fruit. If you want enough to make a pie, you will have to either have access to a large number of bushes or go back every few days. I recommend using wild blackberries as a supplement to storebought ones, because they are smaller, seedier, and drier, but also cheap and more flavorful.

I got some of my info from Wikipedia, and the rest from my grandfather. (He has a degree on this, not just some foxfire book.)