Florida's Native Plant Communities
Basin Swamp
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Information
Community Variants:
N/A
Description:
Basin swamps occur in large basins and are typically underlain by peat substrates. They remain inundated for much of the year, often 8–9 months. Fire is infrequent—usually occasional to rare.
Characteristic vegetation includes cypress ( Taxodium spp. ), swamp blackgum ( Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora ), and various bay species such as swamp bay ( Persea palustris ), sweetbay magnolia ( Magnolia virginiana ), and loblolly bay ( Gordonia lasianthus ). Mixed hardwoods are also common, often including red maple ( Acer rubrum ) and laurel oak ( Quercus laurifolia ).
References:
Clewell, A. F. (1986). Natural setting and vegetation of the Florida Panhandle: An account of the environments and plant communities of northern Florida west of the Suwannee River (Report No. COESAM/PDEI-86/001). U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District.
Duever, L. (1985, Spring). Florida’s natural communities: Cypress swamps. The Palmetto, 5(1), 4–5. http://fnps.org/assets/pdf/palmetto/duever_linda_conway_natural_communities_of_floridas_cypress_swamps_vol_5_no_1_spring_1985.pdf
Florida Natural Areas Inventory. (2010). Guide to the natural communities of Florida: 2010 edition. Florida Natural Areas Inventory. http://fnai.org/naturalcommguide.cfm
Myers, R. L., & Ewel, J. J. (Eds.). (1990). Ecosystems of Florida. University of Central Florida Press.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. (1986). 26 ecological communities of Florida. http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00000110/00001
Whitney, E. N., Means, D. B., & Rudloe, A. (2004). Priceless Florida: Natural ecosystems and native species. Pineapple Press.
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