Native Plant Communities

Basin Swamp

Basin swamps occur in large basins and typically have a peat substrate. These swamps are typically inundated for about 8-9 months. Fire is occasional or rare. Characteristic vegetation includes cypress (Taxodium spp.), blackgum (Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora), bays (Persea palustris, Magnolia virginiana, and/or Gordonia lasianthus) and/or mixed hardwoods (often Acer rubrum and/or 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. United States Army Corps of Engineers, Mobile District, Alabama.

Duever, Linda. 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 (FNAI). 2010. Guide to the natural communities of Florida: 2010 edition. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee, FL. http://fnai.org/naturalcommguide.cfm

Myers, R.L. and J.J. Ewel (eds.). 1990. Ecosystems of Florida University of Central Florida Press: Orlando.

USDA Soil Conservation Service. 1986. 26 Ecological Communities of Florida. http://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00000110/00001

Whitney, E.N., D. B. Means, A. Rudloe. 2004. Priceless Florida: Natural Ecosystems and Native Species. Pineapple Press.

Date Updated 2021-10-27 13:20:45

resources/native-plant-communities/cypress_marsh43.JPG

Open-centered cypress swamp in Pasco County. The area with marsh is too deep for cypress reproduction. Photo by Shirley Denton.

Bradford Bay.