Quick answer: 113 drought-tolerant native plants are native to Florida, 93 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
113 species
- Adam's needle Yucca filamentosa · 21 states
- Allegheny chinquapin Castanea pumila · 21 states
- American basswood Tilia americana · 37 states
- American beautyberry Callicarpa americana · 13 states
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides · 17 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black cherry Prunus serotina · 35 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica · 24 states
- Boxelder Acer negundo · 16 states
- Brown-eyed Susan Rudbeckia triloba · 21 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Climbing prairie rose Rosa setigera · 27 states
- Cockspur hawthorn Crataegus crus-galli · 25 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common hackberry Celtis occidentalis · 33 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common persimmon Diospyros virginiana · 26 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Coontie Zamia pumila · 1 states
- Coral bean Erythrina herbacea · 10 states
- Coralberry Symphoricarpos orbiculatus · 30 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Deerberry Vaccinium stamineum · 22 states
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 states
- Dwarf palmetto Sabal minor · 6 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Eastern hop-hornbeam Ostrya virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern leatherwood Dirca palustris · 25 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Eastern red cedar Juniperus virginiana · 37 states
- Eastern red columbine Aquilegia canadensis · 36 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Farkleberry Vaccinium arboreum · 16 states
- Fewleaf sunflower Helianthus occidentalis · 16 states
- Fire pink Silene virginica · 26 states
- Flowering dogwood Cornus florida · 31 states
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 states
- Fragrant sumac Rhus aromatica · 30 states
- Fringed bluestar Amsonia ciliata · 2 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Groundsel tree Baccharis halimifolia · 12 states
- Gulf muhly Muhlenbergia capillaris · 16 states
- Highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum · 25 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Honey locust Gleditsia triacanthos · 13 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jerusalem artichoke Helianthus tuberosus · 26 states
- Lanceleaf coreopsis Coreopsis lanceolata · 35 states
- Leavenworth's tickseed Coreopsis leavenworthii · 1 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Loblolly pine Pinus taeda · 18 states
- Longleaf pine Pinus palustris · 10 states
- Low prickly pear Opuntia humifusa · 31 states
- Lyreleaf sage Salvia lyrata · 22 states
- Mapleleaf viburnum Viburnum acerifolium · 27 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mountain laurel Kalmia latifolia · 23 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Orange azalea Rhododendron austrinum · 5 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Partridgeberry Mitchella repens · 31 states
- Pignut hickory Carya glabra · 31 states
- Pink-scale blazing star Liatris elegans · 9 states
- Roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata · 30 states
- Rusty blackhaw viburnum Viburnum rufidulum · 18 states
- Sassafras Sassafras albidum · 22 states
- Scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa · 22 states
- Scarlet sage Salvia coccinea · 3 states
- Seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens · 13 states
- Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata · 22 states
- Shrubby St. John's-wort Hypericum prolificum · 33 states
- Shumard oak Quercus shumardii · 22 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Smooth Solomon's seal Polygonatum biflorum · 34 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 30 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Sourwood Oxydendrum arboreum · 17 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Southern catalpa Catalpa bignonioides · 2 states
- Southern live oak Quercus virginiana · 10 states
- Southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora · 10 states
- Southern red oak Quercus falcata · 23 states
- Spanish dagger Yucca aloifolia · 7 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Standing cypress Ipomopsis rubra · 6 states
- Stokes aster Stokesia laevis · 7 states
- Sundial lupine Lupinus perennis · 28 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tall blazing star Liatris aspera · 26 states
- Threadleaf coreopsis Coreopsis verticillata · 14 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Two-wing silverbell Halesia diptera · 8 states
- Virgin's bower Clematis virginiana · 27 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Virginia strawberry Fragaria virginiana · 30 states
- White ash Fraxinus americana · 35 states
- White oak Quercus alba · 33 states
- White wild indigo Baptisia alba · 23 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum · 30 states
- Witch-hazel Hamamelis virginiana · 33 states
- Woodland pinkroot Spigelia marilandica · 16 states
- Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria · 11 states
Drought-tolerant native plants in Florida: what to know
113 of the 228 plants native to Florida in this directory fit this need: 50% of the state's list, below the 56% share across all species.
Between them they flower from January through December, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 96 are also good for pollinators, 81 are also good for birds, 62 are also shade-tolerant.
86 of them grow in full or partial sun and 62 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Butterflyweed to trees such as Allegheny chinquapin and American basswood. For wildlife, 96 support pollinators, 81 provide food or cover for birds and 50 are caterpillar host plants.
93 of the 113 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Eastern hop-hornbeam: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr