Florida's Native Plant Communities

Frontal Dune

Frontal (active) dune on St. George Island. Photo by Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter
Low dune on the St. Joseph Peninsula at Salinas Park. Photo by Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter

Photographs belong to the photographers who allow use for FNPS purposes only.

Information

Community Variants:

N/A

Description:

Active coastal dunes form on sandy substrates along the coast. These habitats are xeric and occur in both temperate and subtropical regions. Fire is occasional to rare.

Vegetation

Vegetation is typically sparse and dominated by sea oats ( Uniola paniculata ) along with mixed *salt-spray-tolerant grasses and herbs.

References:

Duever, L. (1983, November). Florida's natural communities: Coastal dunes. The Palmetto, 3(4), 4–5. http://fnps.org/assets/pdf/palmetto/v03i4p4duever.pdf

Duever, L. (1985–1986, Winter). Florida's natural communities: Coastal mounds. The Palmetto, 5(4), 15. http://fnps.org/assets/pdf/palmetto/v05i4p15duever.pdf

Florida Department of Environmental Protection. (1992). Soil and water relationships of Florida's ecological communities. http://www.dep.state.fl.us/water/wetlands/delineation/docs/soil-and-water.pdf

Florida Natural Areas Inventory. (2010). Guide to the natural communities of Florida: 2010 edition. Florida Natural Areas Inventory. http://fnai.org/naturalcommguide.cfm

Gann, G. D., Bradley, K. A., & Woodmansee, S. W. (2009). Floristic inventory of South Florida database. Institute for Regional Conservation. http://regionalconservation.org/ircs/database/database.asp

Knight, G. R., Oetting, J. B., & Cross, L. (2011). Atlas of Florida's natural heritage: Biodiversity, landscapes, stewardship and opportunities. Institute of Science and Public Affairs, Florida State University.

Myers, R. L., & Ewel, J. J. (Eds.). (1990). Ecosystems of Florida. University of Central Florida Press.

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service. (198?). 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.