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The Plants of Mary Help of Christians

“As Catholics, we see creation in a sacramental way, whereby God’s presence in creation evokes a desire to love the world He created for us.”

Florida Catholic Conference, Commentary, October 1, 2006

Plant Inventory:

The plant inventory at Mary Help of Christians is over 750,000 trees, shrubs, vines, bromeliads, orchids of which 95% are considered native species to Florida. It is believed to be the largest display of Native Vegetation at one location in Broward County. There are 195 different species growing at the grounds and all contribute to the spiritual growth of the parish. The innovative and creative method of planting not only enhances the bio-diversity but is arranged in a manner to provide quiet areas for meditation, reflection, liturgy, and nature study. Masses are held outdoors at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter Sunday. Retreats, Days of Reflection, all take advantage of the pastoral setting that makes this unique environment an intregal part of the liturgical, social, and academic endeavors.

The plant inventory that follows is keyed into various books on botany readily available at local bookstores.

PLANT INVENTORY

Scientific Name Common Name Comments

TREES
Amphitecna latifolia	Black Calabash	One only; North berm
Acacia choriophylla	Cinnecord	Native Florida Plants p.107
Acer rubrum	Red Maple	Native Florida Plants p.72
Amyris elemifera	Torchwood	Native Florida Plants p.111
Annona glabra	Pond Apple	Native Florida Plants p.112
Ardisia escallonioides	Marlberry	Native Florida Plants p.185
Bauhinia variegata	Orchid Tree	The Biology of Trees Native to Tropical Florida p.209
Bourreria ovata	Strongbark	The Native Trees of Florida p.193
Brysonima lucida	Locust Berry	Native Florida Plants p.187
Bumelia celastrina	Saffron Plum	Native Florida Plants p.115
Bumelia reclinata	Buckthorn	Native Florida Plants p.115
Bursera simaruba	Gumbo Limbo	Native Florida Plants p.75
Calyptranthes pallens	Spicewood	Native Florida Plants p.116
Calyptranthes zuzygium	Myrtle-of-the-River	Native Florida Plants p.116
Canella winterana	Cinnamon-Bark	Native Florida Plants p.117
Capparis cynophallophora	Jamaican Caper	Native Florida Plants p.190
Capparis flexuosa	Limber Caper	Native Florida Plants p.190
Celtis laevigata	Sugarberry	Native Florida Plants p.77
Cephalanthus occidentalis	Button Bush	Native Florida Plants p.194
Chrysophyllum oliviforme	Satinleaf	Native Florida Plants p.123
Chiococca pinetorium alba	Snowberry	Native Florida Plants p.195
Citharexylum fruticosum	Fiddlewood	Native Florida Plants p.124
Coccoloba diversifolia	Pigeon Plum	Native Florida Plants p.126
Colubrina cubensis	Cuba Colubrina	The Native Trees of Florida p.139
Colubrina elliptica	Soldierwood	Native Florida Plants p.129
Conocarpus erectus	Buttonwood	Native Florida Plants p.78
Cordia sebestena	Geiger Tree	Native Florida Plants p.130
Cornus foemina	Swamp Dogwood	Native Florida Plants p 198
Delonix regia	Royal Poinciana	Florida Wild Flowers p.299
Dipholis salicifolia	Willow Bustic	Native Florida Plants p.133
Dodonaea viscos	Varnish Leaf	Native Florida Plants p.201
Drypetes lateriflora	Guiana-Plum	Native Trees of Florida p.109
Erithalis fruticosa	Black Torch	Native Florida Plants p.202
Ernodea littoralis	Golden Creeper	Native Florida Plants p.203
Erythrina herbacea	Coral Bean	Native Florida Plants p.204
Eugenia axillaris	White Stopper	Native Florida Plants p.134
Eugenia confusa	Redberry Stopper	Native Florida Plants p.135
Eugenia foetida	Spanish Stopper	Native Florida Plants p.136
Eugenia rhombea	Red Stopper	Native Florida Plants p.137
Exothea paniculata	Inkwood (Butterbough/Ironwood)	Native Florida Plants p.138
Ficus aurea	Strangler Fig	Native Florida Plants p.152
Ficus citrifolia	Shortleaf Fig	Native Florida Plants p.80
Flaveria linearis	Yellowtop	Native Florida Plants p.265
Forestiera segregata	Florida Privet	Native Florida Plants p.205
Forestiera segregata var. pinetorum	Pineland Privet	Native Florida Plants p.205
Fraxinus caroliniana	Pop Ash	The Native Trees of Florida p.190
Genipa Clusifolia	Seven-year Apple
Guaiacum sanctum	Lignum Vitae	Native Florida Plants p.140
Guapira discolor	Blolly	Native Florida Plants p.141
Guettarda elliptica	Everglades Velvetseed	The Native Trees of Florida p.199
Guettarda scabra	Rough Velvetseed	The Native Trees of Florida p.199
Gymnanthes (Ateramnus) lucida	Crabwood	Native Florida Plants p.142
Hypelete trifoliata	White Ironwood	Biology of Trees Native to Tropical Florida p.377
Ilex cassine	Dahoon Holly	Native Florida Plants p.145
Ilex krugiana	Tawnyberry Holly, Krugs Holly	Native Florida Plants p.146
Jacaranda	Jacaranda
Jacquemontia curtissii	Pineland Jacquemontia	Native Florida Plants p.308
Jacquemontia reclinata	Beach Jacquemontia	Native Florida Plants p.308
Jacquina keyensis	Joe Wood	Native Florida Plants p.149
Juniperus virginana	Red Cedar
Krugiodendron ferreum	Black Ironwood	Native Trees of Florida P.150
Lanicera sempervirens	Coral Honeysuckle	Native Florida Plants p.309
Lantana involucrate	Wild Lantana	Native Florida Plants p.216
Licaria triandra	Gulf Licaria	Native Trees of Florida p.152
Lysiloma latisiliqua	Wild Tamarind	Native Florida Plants p.84
Magnolia virginiana	Sweetbay	Native Florida Plants p.152
Manilkara bahamensis (Achras emarginata)	Wild Dilly	The Biology of the Trees Native to Tropical Florida p.393
Mastichodendron foetidissimum	Mastic
Morus rubra	Red Mulberry	Native Florida Plants p.154
Myrcianthes fragrans	Simpson Stopper	Native Florida Plants p.155
Myrica cerifera	Wax Myrtle, Bayberry	Native Florida Plants p.221
Myrsine floridana (guianensis)	Myrsine	Native Florida Plants p.222
Nectandra coriacea	Lancewood	Native Florida Plants p.156
Nyssa sylvatica biflora	Tupelo, Black Gum	The Native Trees of Florida p.87[1]
Persea borbonia	Redbay	Native Florida Plants p.159
Persea paslustris	Swamp Bay aka Pubescens (persistent leaf pubescens but same as Redbay)	The Biology of Trees Native to Tropical Florida p.190
Picramnia pentandra	Bitterbush	Native Florida Plants p.160
Pimenta racemosa	Bay Rum	(A Bahamian Plant)
Pinus elliottii var. densa	Slash Pine	Native Florida Plants p.88
Piscidia piscipula	Jamaica Dogwood (Fishfuddle Tree)	Native Florida Plants p.91
Plumeria rubra	Frangipani	Exotic
Prunus myrtifolia	West Indian Cherry	Native Florida Plants p.166
Psidium guajava	Guava	Exotic
Psychotria ligustrifolia	Dwarf, of Bahamian Coffee	Native Florida Plants p.226
Psychotria sulzneri	Dull leaf Coffee	Native Florida Plants p.226
Quercus gemiinata	Scrub Oak
Quercus laurifolia	Laurel Oak	Native Florida Plants p.96
Quercus nigra	Water Oak	Native Florida Plants p.98
Quercus virginiana	Live Oak	Native Florida Plants p.101
Reynosia septentrionalis	Darling Plum	Native Trees of Fl, p. 140
Salix caroliniana	Southern Willow	Native Florida Plants p.173
Sapindus saponaria	Southern Soapberry	Native Florida Plants p.174
Savia bahamensis	Maiden-bush	The Biology of Trees Native to Tropical Florida p.172
Schinus teribinthifolius	Brazilian Pepper	Exotic Pest
Simarouba glauca	Paradise Tree	Native Florida Plants p.102
Suriana maritima	Bay Cedar	Native Florida Plants p.238
Swietenia mahagoni	Mahogany	Native Florida Plants p.103
Tabebuia heterophylla	Tabebuia	Exotic
Taxodium ascendens	Pond Cypress	Native Florida Plants p.104
Taxodium distichum	Bald Cypress	Native Florida Plants p.104
Tetrazygia bicolor	Tetrazygia, West Ind. Lilac	Native Florida Plants p.239
Tradescantia ohiensis	Spiderwort	Native Florida Plants p. 299
Trema micranthum	Florida Trema	Native Florida Plants p.177
Nyssa ogeechee	Tupelo, Ogeechee	Native Florida Palnts p.157
Ulmus Americana floridana	Florida Elm	Native Florida Plants p. 105
Zanthoxylum coriaceum	Biscayne Prickly-Ash	To be purchased Native Florida Plants p.101
Zanthoxylum fagar	Wild Lime	Native Florida Plants p.181
Zanthoxylum flavum	Satinwood	Native Florida Plants p.182
Palms
Acoelorrhaphe wrightii	Paurotis Palm	Native Florida Plants p.62
Coccothrinax argentata	Silver Palm	Native Florida Plants p.63
Roystonea elata	Royal Palm	Native Florida Plants p.66
Sabal palmetto	Cabbage Palm (Sabal Palm)	Native Florida Plants p.68
Veitchii merillii	Addonida Palm

Shrubs
Acrostichum danaeifolium	Leather fern
Ambrosia artemisiifolia	Ragweed	Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities p.36
Baccharis halimifolia	Saltbush (Groundsel)	Native Florida Plants p.186
Bidens pilosa	Spanish Needles	Native Florida Plants p.249
Borrichia arborescens	Sea Ox-Eye Daisy	Native Florida Plants p.250
Callicarpa americana	Beauty Berry	Native Florida Plants p.188
Carissa grandiflora	Natal Plum	Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities p.237
Chrysobalanus icaco	Cocoplum	Native Florida Plants p.122
Cordia globosa	Bloodberry
Coreopsisi spp.	Coreopsis, or tickseed
Crinum americanum	Swamp Lily	Native Florida Plants p.259
Crossopetalum illicifolium	Quail Berry	Native Florida Plants p.199
Cuphea carthagenensis
Duranta repens	Golden Dewdrop	The Native Trees of Florida p.196
Eupatorium capillifolium	Dog-fennel	Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities p.298
Gaillardia pulchella	Blanket Flower	Native Florida Plants p.266

Groundcover
Hamelia micrantha	Dwarf Firebush
Hamelia patens	Firebush	Native Florida Plants p.207
Heliotropium polyphyllum	Pineland Heliotrope	Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities p.272
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis	Hibiscus
Hymenocallis latifolia	Spider lily	Native Florida Plants p.269
Ilex vomitoria	Yaupon Holly	Native Florida Plants p.148
Iris virginianis	Florida Iris
Jatropha hastata	Jatropha	The Biology of Trees Native To Tropical Florida p.161
Lantana camara	Lantana	Native Florida Plants p.216
Licania michauxii	Gopher Apple	Native Florida Plants p.218
Lippia nodiflora	Carpetweed, creeping Charlie	Everglades Wildflowers p.219
Malpighia coccigera	Dwarf Holly
Nashia inaguensis	Nashia, a/k/a Bahama Berry
Nephropelsis exaltata	Boston fern	Native Florida Plants p.332
Nuphar luteum	Spatterdock	Native Florida Plants p.342
Opuntia spp.	Prickly Pear Cactus	Native Florida Plants p.223
Pentas lanceolata	Pentas	The Biology of Trees Native to Tropical Florida p.331
Peperomia obtusifolia.	Florida Peperomia	Native Florida Plants p.312
Philodendron selloum	Split-leaf Philodendron
Poinsettia cyathophora	Wild poinsettia	Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities p.304
Psychotria nervosa	Wild Coffee	Native Florida Plants p.226
Psychotria sulzneri	Wild Coffee	Native Florida Plants p.226
Rudbeckia hirta	Black-eyed susan	Native Florida Plants p.285
Sagittaria lancifolia	Arrowhead	Native Florida Plants p.345
Scaevola sericea	Scaevola (Half-flower)	Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Community p.243
Schoepfia chrysophylliodes	Gulf grey twig (Still looking)
Serenoa repens	Saw Palmetto	Native Florida Plants p.69
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis	Blue Porterweed
Tillandsia utriculata	Giant wild pine, air plant	Native Florida Plants p.297
Uniola peniculata	Sea Oats
Urena lobata	Caesar’s weed	The Biology of Trees Native to Tropical Florida p.230
Wedelia trilobata	Wedelia	Everglades Wildflowers p.110
Zamia pumila	Coontie	Native Florida Plants p.243
Zephyranthes simpsonii	Rain lily	Everglades Wildflowers p.167
Zephyranthes spp.	Zephyr Lilly
Grasses
Chloris petraea	Finger grass
Paspalum notatum	Bahiagrass
Setaria geniculata	Foxtail grass	Now extirpated
Stenotaphrum secundatum	St. Augustinegrass
Tripsacum dactyloides	Fakahatchee Grass	Native Florida Plants p.324
Tripsacum floridanum	Dwarf Fakahatchee Grass
Orchids o
Encyclia tampensis	Butterfly orchid	Woof p.88
Harrisella porrecta		Woof p.130
Oeceoclades maculata		Brown (Truly naturalized?) p.166
Vanilla planifolia	Vanilla	Woof p.308
Vanilla phaeantha	Vanilla	Woof p.317
Zeuxine	Grass Orchid
Vines
Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Virginia creeper	Native Florida Plants p.310
Smilax laurifolia	Catbriar (Bamboo Vine)	Native Florida Plants p.313
Toxicodendron radicans	Poison Ivy	Native Florida Plants p.56
Vitis rotundifolia	Southern Fox Grape	Florida Wildflowers in Their Natural Communities p.106
Vitis shuttleworthii	Calusa grape
Vitis spp.	Grape	Native Florida Plants p.315

[1]Erdman West and Lillian Arnold, The Native Trees of Florida (Gainsville: University of Florida Press, 1956).

Selected Bibliography

Arnold, Erdman West and Lillian. The Native Trees of Florida. Gainsville: University of Florida Press, 1956.

Austin, Ph.D., Daniel F. Pine Rockland Plant Guide. Miami, FL: Dade County Department of Environmental Resource, 1994.

Brookwell, Robert G. Haehle and Joan. Native Florida Plants. Houston: Gulf Publishing Co., 1998.

Brown, Paul Martin. Wild Orchids of Florida : With Reference to the Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plains. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2002.

Correll, Donovan Stewart. Native Orchids of North America. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1950.

Hammer, Roger L. Everglades Wildflowers. Guilford, Conn: The Globe Pequot Press, 2002.

Luer, Carlyle A. The Native Orchids of Florida. 1st ed. New York: New York Botanical Garden, 1972.

Plotecia, Raymond Knight, and Florida Atlantic University. College of Science. "Insular Biogeographic Patterns in the Caribbean Orchidaceae : A Test of the Theory of Island Biogeography." 1975.

Sauleda, Ruben P., and Florida Atlantic University. College of Science. "The Epiphytic Orchids of Andros Island, Bahamas Islands." 1979.

South FloridaOrchid Society. South FloridaOrchid Society's Orchid Evaluation Course. Miami, Fl: The Society, 1974.

Stevenson, George B. Trees of Everglades National Park and the Florida Keys. Second ed. Homestead, Florida: Florida National Parks and Monuments Association, Inc., 1992.

Taylor, Walter Kingsley. FloridaWild Flowers in Their Natural Communities. Gainesville, FL: University of Florida Press, 1998.

Tomlinson, P.B. The Biology of Trees Native to Tropical Florida. Petersham, MA: Harvard Univeristy, 1980.

Watkins, John V., Philip Eugene Parvin, and PALMM (Project). Flowers for Florida Homes. Tallahassee : State of Florida, 1961.

[1]Erdman West and Lillian Arnold, The Native Trees of Florida (Gainsville: University of Florida Press, 1956).

The Plants of Mary Help of Christians

TREES

Palms

Shrubs

Groundcover

Hamelia micrantha

Hamelia patens

Heliotropium polyphyllum

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Hymenocallis latifolia

Ilex vomitoria

Iris virginianis

Jatropha hastata

Lantana camara

Licania michauxii

Lippia nodiflora

Malpighia coccigera

Nashia inaguensis

Nephropelsis exaltata

Nuphar luteum

Opuntia spp.

Pentas lanceolata

Peperomia obtusifolia.

Philodendron selloum

Poinsettia cyathophora

Psychotria nervosa

Psychotria sulzneri

Rudbeckia hirta

Sagittaria lancifolia

Scaevola sericea

Schoepfia chrysophylliodes

Serenoa repens

Stachytarpheta jamaicensis

Tillandsia utriculata

Uniola peniculata

Urena lobata

Wedelia trilobata

Zamia pumila

Zephyranthes simpsonii

Zephyranthes spp.

Grasses

Vines