The Complete List of Florida Swamp Plants

Florida’s swamps are a mosaic of standing water, peat, and tree islands where plants tolerate flooded soil, shifting seasons, and salty edges near the coast. These wetlands shape local ecosystems, provide habitat for birds and amphibians, and influence water quality across the state.

There are 49 florida swamp plants, ranging from Arrowhead to Yaupon. Each entry includes Scientific name,Height (cm),Habitat & range to help with identification and distribution; details are listed below.

How can I tell similar swamp plants apart in the field?

Look at a combination of features rather than one trait: leaf shape and size, flower structure, growth habit (emergent, floating, shrub), and typical habitat. Use the Scientific name and Height (cm) in the list to narrow possibilities, then confirm with Habitat & range and photos or a local field guide.

Should I be worried about poisonous or invasive species among these plants?

Some native swamp plants contain toxins (e.g., sap or seeds) and some non-natives can be invasive, altering hydrology and crowding natives. Use the list to check Habitat & range, avoid handling unknown plants, and consult local extension services before removing or planting species.

Florida Swamp Plants

Images and Descriptions

Bald cypress

Iconic buttressed trunk and “knees”; feathery deciduous needles and stringy bark. Grows in standing water and slow rivers; key swamp canopy tree used for wildlife habitat and flood attenuation; easily identified by flared base and cone-like seedballs.

Pond cypress

Similar to bald cypress but more shrub-like in drier sites; needles often shorter and branches more clustered. Forms dense domes in acid bogs and blackwater ponds; tolerates long hydroperiods and is common in south Florida.

Water tupelo

Large wetland tree with swollen buttress and smooth gray bark; glossy ovate leaves and small drupes. Dominant in deep-water swamps, important for honey production and wildlife; often found with cypress in floodplains.

Swamp blackgum

Smaller tupelo with crooked trunk and elliptical leaves that turn red in fall. Prefers wet soils and pond margins; fruits feed birds and mammals, and trunks sometimes form buttresses in saturated soils.

Red maple

Versatile fast-growing tree with red buds and samara fruits; leaves often three-lobed. Common in wet depressions and swamp margins; tolerates variable water levels and shows early spring flowers.

Sweetbay magnolia

Small evergreen/deciduous magnolia with fragrant white cup-shaped flowers and glossy leaves; silvery underside on coastal forms. Frequent in swamp margins and bayheads, noted for sweet scent and tolerant of periodic flooding.

Swamp bay

Evergreen laurel with aromatic leaves and small fruits; bark smooth and reddish. Found in bayheads and swamp hammocks; salt-tolerant forms occur in coastal brackish swamps.

Pond apple

Tropical tree with large glossy leaves and bumpy fruit; often forms dense thickets in south Florida wetlands. Considered invasive/established non-native in places; found in standing water and mangrove edges.

Sweetgum

Distinct star-shaped leaves and spiky gumballs; brilliant fall color in drier years. Found along swamp margins and floodplains, often on slightly higher hummocks within wet forests.

Water elm

Small wetland tree with rough bark and oblong serrated leaves; tolerant of prolonged flooding. Occurs in wet hardwood swamps and mixed floodplain forests, often alongside tupelo and cypress.

Carolina ash

Medium tree with pinnate leaves and samaras; tolerates seasonal flooding. Found in hydric hammocks and swampy sites in peninsular Florida; flowers in spring before leaf-out.

Black willow

Fast-growing willow with narrow lanceolate leaves and rough bark; catkins appear early spring. Common along waterways and in floodplains, easily identified by pliant branches and willow shoots.

Buttonbush

Showy spherical clusters of white tubular flowers attract bees and butterflies. Broad-leaved shrub found in inundated soils and pond margins; stems often tinged red and seedheads persist into winter.

Wax myrtle

Aromatic evergreen shrub with waxy berries used by birds; leaves variable, sometimes lobed. Forms dense thickets in hydric sites and provides cover and winter food for wildlife.

Dahoon holly

Evergreen holly with glossy leaves and red berries; prefers wet, acidic soils. Common in southern bayheads and swamp margins; berries feed birds and are notable in winter.

Yaupon

Evergreen shrub/tree with small serrated leaves and black berries. Tolerant of wet soils but also upland; used historically for tea, forms dense thickets in margins of swamps.

Swamp titi

Evergreen shrub/tree with racemes of white flowers in spring; narrow leathery leaves. Common in acidic wetland communities and contributes to dense understory structure.

Virginia sweetspire

Arching shrub with fragrant white drooping flower spikes in spring; glossy leaves turn red in fall. Prefers wet soils and is often planted for erosion control along waterways.

Sawgrass

Stiff, saw-edged leaves forming dense stands; dominant in Florida Everglades-type marshes. Emergent sedge with tall culms and brown flower clusters; key habitat for marsh wildlife.

Maidencane

Clump-forming perennial grass that creates dense mats in wetlands; erect stems with coarse leaves. Important for stabilizing mudflats and as cover for marsh birds and amphibians.

Cattail

Tall emergent with strap-like leaves and distinctive brown cylindrical flower spikes. Common at water’s edge; dense colonies stabilize banks and provide nesting material for wildlife.

Pickerelweed

Heart-shaped leaves and upright spikes of purple-blue flowers in summer. Roots in mud with floating leaves; attracts pollinators and is unmistakable in shallow swamp pools.

Arrowhead

Spear-shaped leaves and white three-petaled flowers; tuberous roots historically eaten by wildlife. Emergent plant forming colonies in shallow water, easy to ID by distinctive leaf shape.

Water lily

Large round floating leaves and fragrant white flowers that rise above the water. Roots anchored in muck; common in calm swamp pools and provides shade and habitat for aquatic life.

Duckweed

Tiny free-floating green leaves that form dense mats. Rapid growth in nutrient-rich waters; useful indicator of slow-moving or stagnant water and often covers pond surfaces in warm months.

Hydrilla

Highly invasive submerged aquatic with whorled leaves and brittle stems. Forms dense underwater mats that clog waterways and outcompete natives; identified by serrated leaf margins and turions.

Tape grass

Long ribbon-like leaves forming underwater meadows; produces emergent flower stalks. Important oxygenator and fish habitat in shallow clear water; leaves form dense beds in slow-moving water.

Blue flag iris

Clump-forming perennial with sword-like leaves and showy blue-violet flowers in spring. Grows in muddy edges and shallow pools; rhizomes anchored in wet muck, distinctive iris blooms.

Swamp milkweed

Tall perennial with clusters of pink flowers attracting monarch butterflies. Prefers saturated soils; opposite narrow leaves and milky sap identify it as a milkweed species.

Joe-Pye weed

Tall hollow-stemmed perennial with whorled leaves and pinkish clustered flower heads that attract pollinators. Common along swamp edges and in wet meadows; noticeable for height and late-summer bloom.

Swamp rose

Deciduous shrub with pink fragrant flowers and arching thorny stems. Grows in wet soils and along swamp margins; hips persist into fall and feed birds.

Cinnamon fern

Large bipinnate fronds with cinnamon-colored fertile fronds in the center. Distinctive fertile fronds and robust sterile fronds form clumps in acidic wet soils and swamp margins.

Royal fern

Large arching fronds with central fertile segments; prefers acidic, consistently wet soils. Often forms colonies in sphagnum-rich or hardwood swamp habitats and is easily spotted by height and frond texture.

Marsh fern

Delicate pinnate fronds forming clumps in saturated soils. Prefers shallow water or consistently wet ground; lighter green than many swamp ferns and forms low colonies in damp areas.

Woolgrass

Coarse sedge with distinctive fuzzy brown flower heads that sway in wind. Grows in standing water or saturated soils; a common emergent in freshwater marsh margins and roadside ditches.

Soft rush

Round unbranched stems and brownish flower clusters; forms dense clumps. Tolerant of standing water and compacted wet soils; common in ephemeral pools and wet roadside ditches.

Sedge (Lurid sedge)

Slender sedge with triangular stems and narrow leaves forming dense tussocks. Produces brownish seed spikes; common in freshwater wetlands and shallow standing water.

Smilax laurifolia (laurel greenbrier)

Evergreen vine/shrub with leathery unlobed leaves, tough thorny stems, and dark berries. Forms impenetrable tangles in swamps and bayheads; distinctive leathery foliage and spines identify it.

Catbrier

Climbing thorny vine with glossy heart-shaped leaves and black berries. Scrambles over shrubs and trees in swamp understory; spines and tough woody stems make it recognizable.

Poison ivy

Variable growth form (vine, shrub, groundcover) with pinnate leaves in threes. Causes allergic dermatitis; in swamps often climbs cypress and tupelo trunks, marked by glossy leaves that yellow in fall.

Red mangrove

Tree with distinctive prop roots and thick glossy leaves; salt-tolerant and forms seaward fringe of mangrove forests. Prop roots and viviparous seedlings identify it; critical for shoreline protection and nursery habitat.

Black mangrove

Displays pencil-like pneumatophores and salt-excreting leaves; gray-black bark. Occupies higher tidal elevations than red mangrove and often forms mixed stands in brackish swamp zones.

White mangrove

Small tree with rounded opposite leaves and peg-like glands at leaf base; occupies highest intertidal zones. Less obvious root structures than other mangroves; found in protected coastal swamps.

Smooth cordgrass

Salt-tolerant perennial grass forming dense stands in tidal marsh edges. Flat blades and jointed stems; zonation with tidal height is diagnostic and it stabilizes mudflats in brackish swamps.

Rose mallow

Large hibiscus-like flowers in pinks and whites; broad leaves and stout stems. Grows in brackish to fresh marsh edges; showy summer bloom makes it conspicuous in wet meadows.

Swamp sunflower

Tall perennial with narrow leaves and bright yellow sunflower heads in late summer. Colonizes wet soils and provides nectar late season; stems often reddish and seeded heads attract birds.

Taro (naturalized)

Large elephant-ear leaves on stout stems; non-native cultivated but often naturalized in wetlands. Grows in standing water or saturated soils; large heart-shaped leaves and tubers identify it.

Japanese climbing fern (invasive)

Vining fern with long, twining fronds that climb trees and shrubs. Highly invasive in Florida swamps, forms dense mats over canopy and understory; fronds with small pinnules are distinctive.

Brazilian pepper (invasive)

Aggressive evergreen shrub/tree forming dense monospecific stands; compound leaves and red berry clusters. Displaces native wetland plants and alters fire regimes; easily identified by peppery-smelling berries and compound foliage.

Other Florida Swamp Types