Plants and Vegetation
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Pines are the most prolific; pine forests cover most of north and northwest Florida, where sweet gum, red maple and tulip trees also abound. The majestic sabal palm, Florida’s state tree, is the most widely distributed in the state, flourishing in most any type of soil. Other dominant trees include magnolia and cypress, Florida hickory and numerous varieties of oak.
Caribbean representatives, abundant in the subtropical regions to the south, include mahogany, gumbo-limbo and many other species of palm, including the handsome royal and coconut palms. Cabbage palmetto can be found in coastal regions throughout the state.
Because lumbering was one of the state’s earliest industries, few virgin stands remain. Many Florida plants are sensitive to subtle changes in moisture, resulting in river bottoms and low hammocks full of water oaks and varieties of gum, river banks and lake shores abundant in cypress, and high, dry regions supporting pines, post oak and turkey oak.
Wildflowers, many of them natives, may be found in any season. Bladderwort, duckweed and wild iris thrive in marshes and shallow water. Beautiful but not beloved, the fastgrowing flowering water hyacinth can choke whole rivers and streams in a short time. To the south, especially in the Everglades, native orchids and air plants provide an exotic beauty.
The rolling northern regions are noted for abundant displays of azaleas and camellias. Oleanders, hibiscus, poinsettias, gardenias, jasmine, trumpet vine and morning-glory thrive almost everywhere. For brilliant floral displays, nothing can match a blooming royal poinciana or a colorful shower of bougainvillea, common where temperatures do not dip too low.
Air Plants
The air plant, or epiphyte, grows on other plants but does not harm its hosts. Obtaining all the water and nutrients they need from the air, epiphytes are good at surviving in the crowded hammocks. The most celebrated epiphytes are wild orchids. Most grow in the damp, dimly lit hammocks and cypress sloughs. Their beauty, like that of the egret’s plume, however, has almost led to their extinction. Fire, loss of habitat, and frequent poaching have made some species extinct and others very rare. .
