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Beth Morford
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Pine flatwoods are characterized by an open canopy
of widely spaced south Florida slash pines with an understory
of gallberry and saw palmetto. Other typical plants include St.
Johns wort, dwarf huckleberry, fetterbush, dwarf wax myrtle, and
staggerbush. During the rainy season flatwoods are often inundated
due to the flat topography and the hardpan that underlies the
surface soils. Periodic fires are required to maintain healthy
flatwoods, but even degraded flatwoods can be restored with proper
management.
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