Trees Found In Tropical Hardwood Hammocks

Extremely rare plants like lignum vitae mahogany thatch palms and manchineel may also be found in these hammocks in the florida keys.

Trees found in tropical hardwood hammocks.

Common tropical plant species found within the hammocks of ten thousand islands national wildlife refuge include gumbo limbo strangler fig and ironwoods. A hardwood hammock is a dense stand of broad leafed trees that grow on a natural rise of only a few inches in elevation. Tropical hardwood hammocks are found along both coasts of south florida as well as throughout the everglades and florida keys. The tropical hardwood hammock is an ecosystem consisting of broad leafed trees shrubs and vines nearly all of which are native to the west indies with live oak quercus virginiana being the only significant temperate species.

To walk into a hardwood hammock is to walk through a shady tropical forest. Characteristic tropical plants include strangler fig gumbo limbo ironwoods and poisonwood. Hammocks can be found nestled in most all other everglades ecosystems. Mahogany hammock trail an accessible tropical hardwood hammock in everglades national park.

Hardwoods are broad leaved trees that grow well in the everglades. Other trees commonly found in mesic hammocks include southern magnolia pignut hickory water oak and laurel oak. Temperate species such as live oak red maple virginia creeper and hackberry may also be found within this habitat. Tropical hardwood hammocks are closed canopy forests dominated by a diverse assemblage of evergreen and semi deciduous tree and shrub species mostly of west indian origin.

In the northern portion of the everglades hammocks are dominated by trees of temperate origin including the live oak quercus virginiana and the hackberry celtis laevigata. A hardwood hammock is a habitat that is found on higher elevations making it like the pinelands a dry habitat. Live oak and cabbage palm are also sometimes found within this community. Tropical hardwood hammocks occur in south florida and along the florida coastlines where danger from frost is rare and tropical trees and shrubs common to the caribbean islands west indian origin are able to survive.

In the deeper sloughs and marshes the seasonal flow of water helps give these hammocks a distinct aerial teardrop shape.