McLarty Museum, March 4, 2011

On the way back from Pelican Island NWR, I stopped at the McLarty Treasure Museum to check out the wildflowers along their boardwalk to a beach overlook. This added two plants new to this blog. The museum is located in Indian River County, just south of Sebastian Inlet.

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Coinvine (Dalbergia ecastaphyllum, Fabaceae)

Native

I found a few of these plants growing around the parking lot. They caught my eye because the toothed leaves reminded me of witch hazel, not something I expected here. On closer inspection, the toothed margins turned out to be the result of insect damage. The coin-like seed capsules littering the ground underneath confirmed it as coinvine.

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Chandelier plant (Kalanchoe delagoensis, Crassulaceae)

Not native

Usually this plant is found in large colonies; however, this one was all alone. It's a reproductively aggressive plant; new plants spring up from the leaves. The plant is also known as "Mother of Thousands."

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Boardwalk

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Rougeplant (Rivinia humilis, Phytolaccaceae)

Native

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Devil's potato, rubbervine (Echites umbellatus, Apocynaceae)

Native

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Coastal mock vervain, purple lantana (Glandularia maritima, Verbenaceae)

Native, Florida endemic, endangered

This wildflower is found along the east coast of Florida and in south Florida.

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Beach

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