Salt Tolerant Native Plants, Turkey Tangled Frog Fruit, Phyla nodiflora

 Old buildings teach me so much about the wind, sun and salt tolerances of native plants.

Phyla nodiflora, Turkey Tangled Frog Fruit growing out of the old brick walls of Fort Pickens, Pensacola Beach

Turkey Tangled Frog Fruit (TTFF), aka Lippia nodiflora (Verbenaceae) has long been one of my favorite Florida native plant species.  First of all I'm enchanted by its name.  Rumor has it that once upon a time a flock of turkeys got their long legs and feet all tangled up in the Frog Fruit vine-like flexible stems. Supposedly all the turkeys then fell over, practically squishing all the happy frogs who were eating the plant's fruit-like flower buds.  Of course this ruckus caused quite a stir with all the butterflies feeding on TTFF's nectar and they proceed to flit about telling the mockingbirds what was happening.  Well you know, once a mockingbird hears a good stanza, it'll be repeated everywhere. To this day the low growing groundcover as been known as Turkey Tangled Frog Fruit.

From time to time, I've been asked for a list of native plants that may be salt, wind and blazing sunlight tolerant.

There are many reference books that discuss optimal growing conditions for native species, but I always find that the best way to learn which native plants do best in any location is to walk around and look at what plants are growing on older buildings in the specific location you are interested in.

Here is a photo of a marvelously healthy Turkey Tangled Frog Fruit growing out of the brick walls of Fort Pickens in Pensacola Beach.

The only irrigation this plant receives is dew, air humidity, ocean salt spray and rain.  The Gulf of Mexico is only a few steps to the south and the just as salty Pensacola harbor is a few steps to the north.

There is no tree canopy around for shade, just hot, glaring sunlight.

The four or five meter per second persistent ocean winds are salt laden and dessicating.

The old brick walls of this fort are a hard place for any plant to survive.  Yet this TTFF specimen is thriving.

Spending time in the field is the very best way to learn what, where and how native plants need to grow.

Florida Living Wall and Green Roof Plants, Nature Found

Some of my best learning experiences with green roof and living wall plants come from Mother Nature.

Florida Living Wall & Green Roof Plants Nature Selected (ferns), Ft. Pickens, Pensacola by Kevin Songer

Mother Nature is especially instructive about nature irrigated plants growing in sea salt influenced areas; up the sides of masonry walls and across barren roofs.

Florida Living Wall & Green Roof Plants Nature Selected (Bidens alba & ferns), Ft. Pickens, Pensacola by Kevin Songer

These photos here were taken on the ocean front walls of the old brick Fort Pickens in Pensacola, Florida, US.

Old forts and other relic structures that have been in existence over time are plant laboratories, experiments in drought, heat, wind and salt tolerance.

Florida Living Wall & Green Roof Plants Nature Selected, Ft. Pickens, Pensacola by Kevin Songer

Another fort, Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida as been surveyed by biologists and the limestone walls found to grow over fifty different species of plants. 

Although in reality most green roof and living wall designers do not use these specific plants typically found growing across structures, the knowledge gained from examining wild roof and wall plants is invaluable.

Identifying and classifying these found plants as to their Genus and Family classifications can help select other related but more suitable to vertical landscape plants.

Florida Living Wall & Green Roof Plants Nature Selected, Ft. Pickens, Pensacola by Kevin Songer

Moreover, understanding the C3, C4 and CAM photosynthesis pathways evolved by these plants provides a solid basis for green roof and living wall design.  

Examine those plants you seeing growing downtown when you are out and about.  Nature has so much more to teach us than the most detailed scientific manuals!

Evergreen Florida Living Wall Vine, Trachelospermum jasminoides

Here is an nice example of how vines can be used in tropical climates to create expansive living walls.

Florida living wall vine, confederate jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides

Growing in sunny Orlando, Florida, the confederate jasmine vine, Trachelospermum jasminoides looks to be about 50 feet tall (15 meters).  The vine has grown very woody and thick over the years at the base but still is relatively full and green from just above the vase up to the top most portion.

Florida living wall vine, confederate jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides

Confederate jasmine is a reliable landscape vine though it is not a native plant to the Florida area, however the University of Florida classifies the plant as a Florida Friendly landscape plant.  Importantly, unless the plant is installed in properly amended growing media, it may struggle.  Many times I have seen confederate jasmine installed in non-amended urban soils with concrete debris and high pH soils and in these instances it has struggled to establish itself, sometimes looking ragged in leaf appearance.

But once the plant begins to grow, it provides significant, evergreen foliage cover and fills the air with perfume-like scents when the flowers bloom during springtime.  This specimen was growing up and across a very heavy-duty appearing metal pipe and channel trellis.  A smaller, less sturdy system may have a hard time holding the weight of this mature vine.

I did take note of the building owner removing a grouping of old established confederate jasmine vines from another section of the building.  It is possible that because of the educational efforts of local, state and regional native plant groups that the vines may be replaced with native evergreen flowering varieties such as coral honey suckle, Carolina jessamine of others.  I personally prefer using native vine species for Florida living walls, both decisions and evergreen depending upon the application and whether solar gain issues come into play.

Living walls seem to do much better here in Florida if they are vine based, rather than vertically planted ornamentals.  The 5 H's of hurricanes, heat, humidity, hard frosts and high winds act brutally upon vertically planted ornamentals here.  Vines, on the other hand seem to adapt nicely to creating Urban Core Vertical Green if, as mentioned, the soil is amended appropriately.

For an interesting look at a very expensive living wall trellis system with struggling plants, read our series of posts here, pointing to the importance of properly amending urban soils before planting living wall vines.