What Is the Atlas of Florida Plants?
The Atlas of Florida Plants is a free, comprehensive online database developed by the University of South Florida’s Institute for Systematic Botany. It covers more than 4,700 species of native and naturalized plants found across Florida’s 67 counties — making it one of the most authoritative plant research tools available to Florida gardeners, landscapers, and native plant enthusiasts.
Whether you’re trying to identify an unknown plant in your yard, confirm whether a species is truly native to your county, or research a plant before buying it from a local nursery, the Plant Atlas is an indispensable free resource.
👉 Visit the Atlas of Florida Plants →
What Can You Do With It?
Identify plants by name or county Search by common name, scientific name, genus, or family. You can also browse all native plants recorded in a specific Florida county — a great way to discover what naturally belongs in your local landscape.
Check native status Each species page indicates whether a plant is native, endemic, invasive, or naturalized — so you can confirm a plant’s credentials before adding it to your garden.
Check threatened & endangered status The Atlas flags species listed as threatened or endangered under Florida or federal law, helping you make informed decisions about conservation-sensitive plants.
Browse county distribution maps See exactly which Florida counties a species has been documented in, based on verified herbarium specimens collected across the state.
View herbarium specimens The Atlas connects directly to the USF Virtual Herbarium, which houses more than 300,000 plant specimens — including thousands collected right here in the Tampa Bay region.
Create a field checklist Search results can be filtered and exported as a printer-friendly checklist — useful for plant walks, garden planning, or habitat assessments.
How to Search for Plants Native to Your County
- Go to florida.plantatlas.usf.edu
- On the homepage, select your county from the Browse by County map or dropdown
- The Atlas will return a full list of plant species documented in that county
- Filter results by Native status to see only true Florida native plants
- Click any species to view its full profile, distribution map, photos, and herbarium records
About the USF Virtual Herbarium
The USF Herbarium is the second largest plant collection in Florida, housing approximately 280,000 specimens — about 40% of which are Florida plants. The Virtual Herbarium makes thousands of these specimens available online, complete with collection data, location records, and specimen images.
👉 Visit the USF Virtual Herbarium →
Why This Matters for Native Plant Gardeners
Not all plants sold as “native” are native to your specific region of Florida. A plant native to the Florida Keys may struggle in the Tampa Bay climate, and vice versa. The Plant Atlas helps you go beyond the label and verify that a plant is genuinely native to your county — which means it evolved alongside your local wildlife, supports your local pollinators, and will thrive with minimal intervention in your specific soil and climate conditions.
Use it alongside our nursery directory to research plants before you shop, and ask your local native nursery for species you discover through the Atlas.
🌿 Ready to find a native plant nursery near you? Browse Florida Native Plant Nurseries →