Native Plant Communities
Conservation & Good Management Are Critical
Introduction
Plant communities are integral components of ecosystems. Ecosystems are generally classified according to major environmental factors, including:
- Climate
- Geology
- Topography and physiographic position
- Soil
- Drainage
- Disturbance regime (e.g., fire frequency)
- Biota (insects, fungi, decomposers, wildlife, etc.)
- Plants
- Biogeography (history, including plate tectonics, ice ages, human influence, etc.)
These factors interact continuously, each influencing and shaping the others. Ecosystems often occur as repeating units across the landscape, but they are not necessarily stable in composition or function over time. They should not be regarded as “super-organisms,” yet neither are they merely collections of plants responding independently to environmental gradients. Instead, ecosystems represent dynamic, interconnected systems where physical and biological elements co-evolve and adapt.
Click to learn about different Florida plant communities or scroll through the page to see all the wonderful unique diversity to be explored.
Xeric (Very Dry) Uplands
High Pine
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Scrub
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Xeric Hammock
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Somewhat Dry Uplands
Scrubby Flatwood
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Dry Mesic Hardwood
Dry Mesic Hammock, Pine-Oak-Hickory Woods, Upland Hardwoods, Temperate Hardwoods
Mesic Hardwood
Mesic Hammock, Piedmont Forest, Beech-Magnolia Forest
Moist Uplands
Mesic Flatwood
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Dry Prairie
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Rocklands
Wet Flatlands
Basin Wetlands
Seepage Wetlands
Wet Prairie
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Baygall
Forested Seep Slope
Wetlands With Slow Moving Water
Floodplain Wetlands
Streams
Lakes and Ponds
Acidic, Low Nutrient Lake
Low Alkalinitiy Lakes, Low Nutrient Lakes, Acidic, Oligotrophic Lakes
Alkaline, Low Nutrient Lake
Forested Seep Slope
Coastal Uplands
Coastal Wetlands
