NATURAL AREAS AND R|.:C.IONS 



131 



line most of the streams and swampy 

 lake margins and gradually merge into 

 "low hammock." The largest of these 

 cypress swamps is the "Big Cypress" 

 southwest of Lake Okeechobee in Collier 

 County. 



In the larger of these swamps alliga- 

 tors (Alligator mississippiensis), water- 

 moccasins, and water birds abound. 



Insects, except mosciuitocs, are not 

 especially abundant in the dense shade 

 of the cypress swamps. But craneflies 

 {Geramimyia vanduzeei, Toxorhina 

 magna and Polymera georgiae) are 

 characteristic. 



3. Scmb and spruce pine land. On 

 many of the higher ridges in the central 

 part of the peninsula where the sand is 

 deepest and therefore least retentive of 

 moisture, and especially along the sand 

 dunes of the coasts, occurs a dense 

 growth of saw^ palmettoes {Serenoa 

 serrnlaia), evergreen oaks {Quercus myr- 

 tifolia, Q. geminata), interspersed with a 

 great variety of evergreen shrubs with 

 small leaves and often thick succulent 

 stems. Cacti (Opuntia spp.) are com- 

 mon. It is a typical scrub forest. 

 Some of the more characteristic shrubs 

 are Dahoon holly (Ilex Cassiae), Ana- 

 momis, Dodonaea Jamaicensis, a heath 

 {Xolisma ferruginea), the hemp vine 

 (Mikenia), golden buttons Aclino^per- 

 mwn), Polygonella sp., Thysanelly sp., 

 and Vaccinium Myrsiniles. Other 

 characteristic plants are blue curls 

 (Trichostema dichotomum, the carpet 

 weed {Mollugo verlicillala), Pelalostemon 

 Feayi, Froelichia floridana, the umbrella 

 plant {Eriogonmn floridanum) IFarea sp. 

 (a crucifer), the dark green and very 

 leafy shrulj — Rosemar\' — the dodder- 

 like parasitic vine (Cassyiha americana). 

 South of Mosquito Inlet the major dune 

 plants are the sea grape {Coccolobis nvi- 

 fera), the cabbage palmetto, the saw 

 palmetto, the cocoa plum (Chrysobalanus 

 pellocarpus), the poison wood {Melopium 

 metopium) and the minor ones the 

 century plants (Agave decipiens and A. 

 neglecta), the strangling fig (Ficus 

 aurea), the Spanish bayonet (Yucca 



(thufiiliii), Solannm huhamcnsc, Lanlann 

 iivdlifitUn, Ernodcn lilloraliH, the black 

 torch (ErUhnlis fruticom), the kikiw 

 berry (Chiococca raccmosa), the niarl- 

 l)erry (Icacorea paniculala), Myrsine 

 (Rapnnca guinenNin). 



North of Mosquito Inlet the lurgrr 

 trees, in addition to liic oaks mentioned 

 above are the Shore bay (Tamnla littor- 

 alis), red cedar (Sahina silicicola), 

 cassena (Ilex vomiloria), the wild olive 

 (Desmanthus amcricnnus) Xolisma fer- 

 ruginea, and the spice tree (AnamomiK 

 .simpsoni). Smaller shrubs are the 

 French mulberry named from its beauti- 

 ful magenta colored berries, the Gall- 

 berry (Ilex glabra) and the horse sugar 

 (Symplocns (inclnria). On tiie upper 

 beach the sunflower (Ilelianlhus dchili.s) 

 and the blue verbena (V. maritima) are 

 conspicuous. 



In the older and less dry portions of 

 this area a small pine, Finns clausa, 

 is the most conspicuous plant. The 

 region has very little grass and therefore 

 does not burn over so readily as the 

 higher pine lands, but occasionalh' it 

 does burn and the destruction is much 

 more complete. In the higher pine 

 lands, the fire consumes onlv the grass 

 and shrubs of the forest floor, — "ground 

 fire," but in the scrub the trees and all 

 are destroyed. There are large areas 

 of this scrub which can be said to be in 

 an almost natural state of preservation 

 as fire runs through them infrequently. 

 The soil is so poor from an agricultural 

 standpoint and the grazing so almost 

 negligible on this land that its commer- 

 cial development is very slow. The 

 spruce pine is so small as to be valueless 

 for timber except for fire wood, and it 

 does not yield turpentine. The only 

 extensive developments arc along the 

 lower parts of the East Coast where the 

 land has been cleared for pineapple 

 fields. This type of vegetation is 

 interspersed to a very marked degree 

 witii both flatwoods and high ])ine land. 

 Animal life is not abundant, the fauna 

 is the poorest of the state, and oven 

 insects arc not abundant on the coarse 



