What about bald cypress? I know they like acid soils but South Florida is supposed to be part of the natural range of this very wide-ranging species. You might also reseach Montezuma cypress, similar to Bald but evergreen (native to Mexico). Not sure about Dawn Red in zone 10--remember these really to get BIG eventually so hope you have the space! Good luck!

Of course the bald cypress. I've already had one planted and it died on me, but I think its roots may have been damaged in transport as the area I planted it in was perfect for it and there are bald cypresses thriving in the park across the road from us. I am looking for a nursery that carries good bald cypress specimens as well as I eventually want to replace it. Thanks.

Araucaria Araucana may not do so well there. Any of the other araucaria species will do GREAT, but Araucana doe not like super hot temps. The only problem for you will be procuring any of the other araucaria species, save for araucaria excelsa/heterophylla (norfolk island pine) which is relatively easy to come by. These things get HUGE when planted out and retain a very fascinating symmetrical six-pointed star shape at the top of their shoots.

Podocarpus macrophyllus does well as does P. henkelii. Afrocarpus gracilior is beautiful. Pinus clausa is native here along with elliottii densa. Bald Cypress and Pond Cypress are native here and thrive. I even have a small Sequoia sempivirens that performed beatifully through our summer. I bet Wollemia will grow well here as well. Most Araucaria and several Agathis will grow here.

The one time I was in S. Florida, right as we entered the Miami area, I was amazed to see the Norfolk Island pines in peoples yards. Yes, they certainly seem to thrive there.

For my tastes, the large stands of slash pine are just great looking. Too bad they're being bulldozed out of existence everywhere you look.

Aside from these observations, you're way ahead of me in terms of ideas for that region.

+oM

There are many, many great conifers that do wonderfully here in FL. If you are near Miami, you must contact Chad Husby at Montgomery Botanical Center. He is the expert on conifers for the area and has the most extensive collection of tropical conifers in the region. There you will see alot of great stuff, mostly from 3 families: Araucariaceae, Cupressaceae and Podocarpaceae. The problem is that most of this stuff is completely unavailable commercially. We hope to change that, but for now, it is difficult. Some things that you might be able to find:
Agathis robusta
Araucaria angustifolia
Araucaria bidwillii
Callitris spp.
Cryptomeria japonica
Cunninghamia lanceolata
Cupressus cashmeriana (and related species)
Dacrycarpus dacrydioides
Dacrydium cupressinum
Glyptostrobus pensilis
Juniperus spp. (many)
Keteleeria spp.
Metasequoia - doesn't do well there - I've seen poor specimens in West Palm Beach
Many other great pines - try Pinus palustris, P. oocarpa, P. patula etc.
Podocarpus - many species - try to find henkellii, matudae, rumphii etc.
Taiwania does fine
Widdringtonia spp.
Wollemia nobilis

"For my tastes, the large stands of slash pine are just great looking. Too bad they're being bulldozed out of existence everywhere you look. "

Hey, fat slobs need wal-mart, nascar and SUV dealerships, and those need to be built SOMEWHERE...oh wait, the economy just collapsed! Ha! Goodbye, "sugar and fat" economics!

Impressive list Salicaceae. I just hope I can get my hands on those (I will definitely be contacting Mr. Chad Husby to get more info. I'm not too sure that some of the species you mention would do well down here (for example the only specimen of cryptomeria japonica I've seen so far has been in zone 9: Harry P. Leu Gardens in Orlando). I'm guessing araucaria angustifolia would do well here (zone 10) since it is pretty similar to A. Bidwillii and I have two of these growing quite well in my back yard.
Yes, Araucaria heterophylla is everywhere in Miami-Dade and they do grow very tall. They are also relatively wind resistant, most of these only losing occasional branches (I'm guessing these might cause some damage were they to land on one's roof during a hurricane) during storms. Of the many you mention on your list I'm most interested in cupressus kashmeriana and taiwania cryptomerioides.
When I look up Montgomery Botanical Center I get the impression that it now is part of Fairchild Tropical Garden (I'm a member of the garden so next time I'm there, I'll ask).
I have plenty of slash pine right across the road from me in the park so if I ever want to enjoy their look, I can do so pretty easily.
Jerryattreezoo, I'll have to check out the species you mention; they sound very interesting. Do you know of any nursery in South Florida which would carry those species (afrocarpus gracilior, wollemia, bald cypress)? How did you get the sequoia sempervirens?

Bald Cypress is pretty common and could be found at any nursery specializing in natives. Afrocarpus gracilior used to be Podocarpus Gracilior, also not that hard to get or order. Wollemia would be mail order (or internet). Believe it or not, I got the Redwood from Publix last year at Christmas time. It was a cute little Christmas tree. I am growing some cuttings of it now.

Jerry

You're probably right concerning the bald cypress though in our random forays through a few, mostly Homestead/Florida City nurseries, we didn't really see it nor was it mentioned either in signs, lists, nor, for that matter by the nursery people themselves (one native-species nursery did not even volunteer it had any bald cypresses when I specifically expressed interest in the tree). The afrocarpus looks, to my untrained eye, like many other podocarps, but maybe seeing it personally I could get to appreciate its finer details. The wollemia looks like an interesting tree: its habitus reminds me of the Norfolk Island Pine for some reason. Great find (the Redwood)! I'll look out for those next holiday season (I didn't really see any Redwood Christmas trees this year in any of the stores I shopped at including Publix). Back to the bald cypress, I'd like to find a nursery that grows a good many of these and one that includes it as one of their main trees of interest simply because I suspect that the tree we had which died on us may have had its roots damaged (I've had two bald cypress specimens before--in zone 5--and had no problems whatsoever in keeping them healthy) since it was planted in what our landscaper referred to as an "ideal" spot. Still, your idea is a good one and I'll call a few local nurseries specializing in native species to see what they can tell me.

Greetings all. What goes by the name "Norfolk Island Pine" in South Florida (and generally in horticulture in the US these days) is actually Araucaria columnaris, the "Cook Pine" of New Caledonia. True Norfolk Island Pine is quite a different tree (much broader, more formal and conical when young, straight rather than leaning trunk, much narrower cotyledons on the seedlings, etc.). Araucaria columnaris readily produces seed in Hawaii and this seed has been flooding the horticultural market for decades, so that is why it is everywhere now. Finding actual A. heterophylla is a challenge, but it grows well in South Florida.

Chad1, do you know of any actual A. heterophylla trees here in Miami?