Quick answer: 49 native plants for wet soil and rain gardens are native to Florida, 36 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
49 species
- American holly Ilex opaca · 28 states
- Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides · 17 states
- Bald cypress Taxodium distichum · 16 states
- Black willow Salix nigra · 24 states
- Bloodroot Sanguinaria canadensis · 34 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea · 32 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common hoptree Ptelea trifoliata · 28 states
- Common ninebark Physocarpus opulifolius · 30 states
- Common winterberry Ilex verticillata · 32 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 states
- Cucumbertree Magnolia acuminata · 19 states
- Eastern bluestar Amsonia tabernaemontana · 18 states
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · 42 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Groundnut Apios americana · 21 states
- Groundsel tree Baccharis halimifolia · 12 states
- Highbush blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum · 25 states
- Hollow Joe-pye weed Eutrochium fistulosum · 24 states
- Inkberry Ilex glabra · 14 states
- Jack-in-the-pulpit Arisaema triphyllum · 35 states
- Maryland goldenaster Chrysopsis mariana · 17 states
- Mayhaw Crataegus opaca · 6 states
- Mountain azalea Rhododendron canescens · 14 states
- Northern spicebush Lindera benzoin · 31 states
- Royal fern Osmunda regalis var. spectabilis · 30 states
- Scarlet rosemallow Hibiscus coccineus · 9 states
- Sensitive fern Onoclea sensibilis · 26 states
- Silver maple Acer saccharinum · 37 states
- Smooth alder Alnus serrulata · 23 states
- Southern arrowwood Viburnum dentatum · 28 states
- Southern catalpa Catalpa bignonioides · 2 states
- Stiff dogwood Cornus foemina · 12 states
- Swamp azalea Rhododendron viscosum · 15 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Swamp rose Rosa palustris · 27 states
- Swamp sunflower Helianthus angustifolius · 21 states
- Titi cyrilla Cyrilla racemiflora · 8 states
- Virginia chain fern Woodwardia virginica · 24 states
- Virginia iris Iris virginica · 26 states
- Water oak Quercus nigra · 17 states
- White baneberry Actaea pachypoda · 33 states
- White doll's daisy Boltonia asteroides · 16 states
- Witherod viburnum Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides · 24 states
Native plants for wet soil and rain gardens in Florida: what to know
49 of the 228 plants native to Florida in this directory fit this need: 21% of the state's list, above the 15% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through November, with the most in bloom in May. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 36 are also shade-tolerant, 36 are also good for birds, 32 are also good for pollinators.
32 of them grow in full or partial sun and 36 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Bloodroot and Eastern bluestar to trees such as American holly and Atlantic white cedar. For wildlife, 32 support pollinators, 36 provide food or cover for birds and 15 are caterpillar host plants.
36 of the 49 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Crimson-eyed rose-mallow, Eastern bluestar, Inkberry: 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.
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Eastern cottonwood Populus deltoides · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Feb-Apr
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct