Florida Beach Plants

• Grasses grow on Florida's fore and back dunes. Lori Lee Miller/Photodisc/Getty Images

  Sand, salt water and spray, full sun, erosion and fast drainage make up the main components of Florida's beach ecosystem. The plants that live at the dunes along Florida's beaches adapt to these difficult conditions. They are tolerant to salt, grow quickly, disperse many seeds and may be succulents, with thick stems and leaves to hold in as much water and nutrients as possible. Plants grow in two beach zones, the fore dune, closest to the water, and the back dune.

Larger Trees

• All larger trees on Florida's beaches grow in the back dunes where milder growing conditions occur with less winds and flooding. Some varieties of tees you might find on the beach are Wild Tamarind, which grows up to 60 feet tall; Jamaica dogwood, live oak, mahogany and southern red cedar, each of which grows up to 50 feet; the gumbo limbo growing up to 40 feet; and the pitch apple, sea grape and silver buttonwood which grow up to 30 feet.

Small Trees and Shrubs

• Most small trees and shrub grow on the back dune, with the exception of bay cedar, golden creeper and inkberry which grow on the fore dune and back dune. Small trees and large shrubs found on the back dune include buckthorn, cat's caw, coral bean, Jamaica caper, myrsine, joewood, wild olive and Spanish stopper. Shrubs growing less than 15 feet on the back dune are cinnecord, Horizontal cocoplum, necklace pod, seven year apple and Spanish bayonet.

Palms

• Palm trees, an iconic beach plant, only grow in the back dunes of Florida beaches. The shortest of these, the green saw and silver saw palmettos, reach only 6 to 8 feet in height. The key's thatch grows to be between 8 and 15 feet while the green thatch reaches 15 to 20 feet. The tallest of the Florida palms is the cabbage or sabal palm, which dwarfs the other varieties at 50 to 60 feet tall.

Ground Covers and Wildflowers

• A wide variety of ground covers and wildflowers inhabit both the fore and back dunes at Florida beaches. Beach morning glory and railroad vine are two commonly found beach plants of the Ipomoea family, with railroad vine having a spread of 10 to 15 feet. Sea rocket, beach elder and sea purslane are three spreading vines found on the fore and back dunes which have thick, succulent leaves and stems for storing water and nutrients. Other ground covers and wildflowers include bay bean, dune sunflower, firewheel and spider lily.

Grasses

• Beach grasses are some of the most recognizable beach plants, with vast swathes of stems in some areas. Dune panic grass, also known as bitter panic grass, grows on the fore and back dune and reaches one to four feet in height. Sea oats also grow in the fore and back dune but grow taller than panic grass at 3 to 5 feet. Muhley grass growth is limited to the gentler back dune. These grasses reach 2 to 4 feet in height.