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Ruellia simplex, the Mexican petunia, Mexican bluebell or Britton's wild petunia, is a species of flowering plant in the family Acanthaceae that is native to Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America. It has become a widespread invasive plant in Florida , where it was likely introduced as an ornamental before 1933, [ 1 ] [ 2 ] as well as in the ...
Parkinsonia florida, the blue palo verde (syn. Cercidium floridum), is a species of palo verde native to the Sonoran Deserts in the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] Its name means "green pole or stick" in Spanish, referring to the green trunk and branches, that perform photosynthesis .
Florida's mild climate, international ports of entry, and animal and nursery trades make the state vulnerable to invasive species; those that currently pose a threat include the Burmese python, cane toad, feral pigs, and lionfish. [9] Native wildlife is also threatened by habitat loss through land being converted to agriculture and urban ...
The plants define the tropical wet forest by contributing to ecosystem functions, such as producing nourished rainfall and storing atmospheric carbon. Tropical wet forests are characterized by the complex, physical structure of the ecosystem. There are many layers of plant communities, though they are rarely visible from the ground.
Florida once had a large number of species that formerly occupied the state in prehistoric and historic times, but became locally extinct or extirpated; such as the Florida short-faced bear, Florida black wolf, Dire wolf, Dexteria floridana, Florida bog lemming, Long-nosed peccary, Caribbean monk seal, Carolina parakeet, Great auk, Passenger ...
Florida is a biodiverse state, with 3,500 native vascular plants and 1,500 vertebrates, a higher number than all but three other states. [52] A 2003 United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization study stated that the Florida Straits had the highest biodiversity in the Atlantic Ocean, and were the home to 25 endemic species. [53]
Mexico ranks first in biodiversity in reptiles with 707 known species, second in mammals with 438 species, fourth in amphibians with 290 species, and fourth in flora, with 26,000 species. [3] Mexico is also ranked second in the world in ecosystems and fourth in overall species. [4] About 2,500 species are protected by Mexican legislation. [4]
Pseudophoenix sargentii, commonly known as the Florida cherry palm [3] or buccaneer palm, [4] is a medium-sized palm native to the northern Caribbean, eastern Mexico, and extreme southeast Florida in the United States.