Myakka River
State Park
A Selection of the Flora Found in Myakka River State Park.
*Please Note: This section of the site is currently under development and does not contain an exhaustive list of the park's wildlife. For complete lists, see the "Animal List" and "Plant List" in the "Wildlife" sub-menu of this site. *
Twining vine with prominent veins on shiny, dark green, heart shaped leaves up to 6-inches or more wide; smooth leaf margins.
Similar plants: Hemp vine and grape vine do not have shiny leaves or smooth margins. Morning glory does not have prominent veins.
Potatoes will sprout into new vines.
All three species of Casuarina found in Florida are large, single-trunked pine-like trees up to 150-feet tall with gray-green, jointed branches that resemble pine needles.
When cut down, Australian pine will resprout unless chemically treated
Multi-stemmed evergreen shrub or tree with compound leaves. Leaves have 7 to 9 oblong, bright green, non-leathery leaflets that smell like pepper or turpentine when crushed. Small berries on female plants change from green to bright red as they ripen.
This obnoxious weed spreads quickly in disturbed areas such as picnic areas and campgrounds. It also spreads in hammock areas. We have not tried any type of herbicide on large patches. It is a good project to assign to younger volunteers as young plants are not too difficult for children to pull up.