Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Forests, Scrubs & Flatwoods
Florida's northern forests, particularly in the Panhandle, are an epicenter of plant and an-
imal biodiversity, just as much as its southern swamps. Here, the continent's temperate
forests of hickory, elm, ash, maple, magnolia and locust trees combine with the various
pine, gum and oak trees that are common throughout Florida along with the sawgrass,
cypress and cabbage palms of southern Florida. The wet but temperate Apalachicola forest
supports 40 kinds of trees and more insect species than scientists can count.
Central and Northern Florida were once covered in longleaf and slash-pine forests, both
prized for timber and pine gum. Today, due to logging, only 2% of old-growth longleaf
forests remain. Faster-growing slash pine has now largely replaced longleaf pine in Flor-
ida's second-growth forests.
Scrubs are found throughout Florida; they are typically old dunes with well-drained
sandy soil. In central Florida (along the Lake Wales Ridge), scrubs are the oldest plant
communities, with the highest number of endemic and rare species. Sand pines, scrub oak,
rosemary and lichens predominate.
Scrubs often blend into sandy pine flatwoods, which typically have a sparse longleaf or
slash-pine overstory and an understory of grasses and/or saw palmetto. Saw palmetto is a
vital Florida plant: its fruit is an important food for bears and deer (and a herbal medicine);
it provides shelter for panthers and snakes; and its flower is an important source of honey.
It's named for its sharp saw-toothed leaf stems.
Great Conservation Reads
* The Swamp
(2006), Michael Grunwald
* Losing It All to Sprawl
(2006), Bill Belleville
* Zoo Story
(2010), Thomas French
* Green Empire
(2004), Kathryn Ziewitz & June Wiaz
* Manatee Insanity
(2010), Craig Pittman
Mangroves & Coastal Dunes
Where not shaved smooth by sand, Southern Florida's coastline is often covered with a
three-day stubble of mangroves. Mangroves are not a single species; the name refers to all
tropical trees and shrubs that have adapted to loose wet soil, saltwater, and periodic root
