Notes on Florida’s Endangered and Threatened Plants1

4th Edition, August 2003

Nancy C. Coile2
updated by Mark A. Garland3

Introduction

The Regulated Plant Index is based on information provided by the Endangered Plant Advisory Council (EPAC), a group of seven individuals who represent academic, industry, and environmental interests

  • Dr. Loran C. Anderson
  • Mr. Charles D. Daniel III
  • Mr. David M. Drylie, Jr.
  • Dr. Gerald F. Guala
  • Ms. Eve R. Hannahs
  • Mr. Richard L. Moyroud
  • Dr. Daniel B. Ward

Rule Chap. 5B-40, Florida Administrative Code, contains the "Regulated Plant Index" (5B-40.0055) and lists endangered, threatened, and commercially exploited plant species for Florida; defines the categories; lists instances where permits may be issued; and describes penalties for violations.
Copies of this Rule may be obtained from Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Plant Industry, P. O. Box 147100, Gainesville, Fl 32614-7100.

Amended 14 February 2003, the “Regulated Plant Index” contains 421 endangered species, 113 threatened species, and eight commercially exploited species.

Descriptions of these rare species are often difficult to locate. Florida does not have a single manual covering the flora of the entire state. Long and Lakela's manual (1971) focuses on the area south of Glades County; Clewell (1985) is a guide for the Panhandle; and Wunderlin (1998) is a guide for the entire state of Florida but lacks descriptions. Small (1933) is an excellent resource, but must be used with great care since the nomenclature is outdated and frequently disputed. Clewell (1985) and Wunderlin (1998) are guides with keys to the flora, but lack species descriptions.

Distribution maps (Wunderlin and Hansen, 2000) are available over the Internet from the University of South Florida Herbarium. These maps were invaluable for determining county distributions as was information from Florida Natural Areas Inventory.

The following tables were compiled to provide a convenient source of descriptions and other information on the endangered, threatened and commercially exploited plant species on Florida’s “Regulated Plant Index.”

This publication contains five sections:
  1. endangered species
  2. threatened species
  3. commercially exploited species
  4. family affiliation
  5. index to common names
 In each section, a table provides five columns of information:
  1. scientific name
  2. references
  3. common names
  4. family
  5. descriptions

Each table uses the same numbering sequence as that used by the “Regulated Plant Index.”

  1. Florida Department of Agriclture and Consumer Services, Bureau of Entomology, Nematology, and Plant Pathology - Botany Section, Contribution No. 38, 4th edition (digital version), 2003.
  2. Botanist Emeritus, FDACS, Division of Plant Industry.
  3. Botanist, FDACS, Division of Plant Industry, P. O. Box 147100, Gainesville, FL 32614-7100.