Pine
Flatwoods
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.
Wet
Prairies
Wet prairie is a treeless plain with sparse to
dense ground cover of grasses and herbs, including wiregrass,
toothache grass, and maidencane. Wet prairie is usually covered
with water for 50 to 100 days each year and burns every 2 to 4
years. If the fire interval is longer, wax myrtle and melaleuca
will invade.
Freshwater Marshes
On Jones/Hungryland Wildlife and Environmental
Area, freshwater marshes consist of depression marshes and basin
marshes. Depression marshes are shallow usually rounded
depressions. Typical plants include St. Johns wort, spikerush,
yellow-eyed grass, chain fern, willows, maidencane, wax myrtle,
swamp primrose, blood root, button bush, fire flag, pickerelweed,
and arrowhead. Depression marshes are important breeding grounds
for frogs, toads, and salamanders. Basin marshes have the same
vegetation as depression marshes but their extent is larger.
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