coriacea ) , and poisonwood ( Metopium 

 toxiferum ) . Understory species 



white stopper ( Eugenia 



[Myr- 



include: 



axillaris ) , Simpson's stopper 

 cianthes fraqrans var. simponsii ) , 

 whitewood ( Schoepfia schreberi ), 

 marlberry ( Ardisia escallonioides ) , 

 tetrazygia ( Tetrazyqia bicolor ), 

 wild coffee ( Psychotria undata ) , 

 bloodberry ( Rivina humilis ), Boston 

 fern ( Nephrolepsis exaltata ), wood 

 fern ( Thelypteris auqescens ), ham- 

 mock panic grass ( Panicum commuta- 

 tum ), and strap fern ( Campyloneurum 

 phyllitidis ) . 



Tropical hammock forests have a 

 very stable microclimate beneath the 

 canopy layer, and consequently sup- 

 port a rich and diverse epiphytic 

 flora. The most common and abundant 

 species include: stiff-leaved wild 

 pine ( Tillandsia fasciculata ) , 



giant wild pine ( T. utriculata ), 

 reflexed wild pine ( T. balbisiana ), 

 soft-leaved wild pine ( T. valenzue - 

 lana ) , and needle-leaved wild pine 

 ( T. setacea ) (Hilsenbeck et al. 

 1979). 



Forests that occupy Indian 

 middens differ only slightly from 

 typical hardwood hammocks. Because 

 of the unusually high elevations 

 provided by the midden itself, these 

 forests have essentially no hydrope- 

 riod and often support large trees. 

 The canopy vegetation usually has 

 fewer species than other hammock 

 sites. Dominant species include: 

 wild mastic ( Masticodendron foeti- 

 dissimum ) , live oak ( Quercus virqin - 

 iana var. virqiniana ), hackberry 

 ( Celtis laeiqata ), willow bustic 

 ( Dipholis salicifolia ) , mulberry 



( Morus rubra ), and strangler fig 

 ( Ficus aurea ). Characteristic spe- 

 cies of the understory are: satin- 

 leaf ( Chrysophyllum oliviforme ), 

 banana ( Musa paradisiaca ) , and sugar 

 cane (Saccharum officinarum) . 



6.13 PRAIRIES 



Wet prairies make up a sizeable 

 portion of what might be called the 

 background vegetation of the terres- 

 trial/freshwater zone, particularly 

 on either side of Shark River 

 Slough. Hilsenbeck et al. (1979) 

 identify three types of wet prai- 

 ries: 



(1) Muhlenberghia prairies; 



(2) Muhlenberghia with narrow 

 beardgrass prairies; 



(3) Narrow beardgrass/three-awn 

 grass/love grass prairies on 

 oolite outcrops. 



Olmstead et al. (1980) lump all 

 prairies in Taylor Slough into one 

 category, Muhlenberghia prairies. 



The pure muhly grass prairies 

 occur on sites with a hydroperiod of 

 anywhere from 2 to 7 months and marl 

 soils from 2 cm to 1 m ( 1 in to 3 

 ft) in depth. Muhlenberghia filipes 

 is the dominant species in terms of 

 cover and intensity, but it is often 

 associated with several other grami- 

 noids, namely sawgrass ( Mariscus 

 jamaicensis ) , black rush ( Schoenus 

 nigricans ) , narrow beardgrass ( Schi- 

 zachyrium sp .), Elliott's beardgrass 

 ( Andropoqon elliotti ), nodding beak 

 rush ( Rhynchospora microcarpa ), 

 and erect panic grass ( Panicum 

 erectifolium ) . 



The muhly/beardgrass prairie 

 represents a muhly prairie that is 

 undergoing successional changes 

 toward a more mesic (dry) condition. 

 These changes consist of: (1) the 

 gradual replacement of muhly asso- 

 ciated graminoids by beardgrass 

 ( Andropoqon qlomeratus ) and plume 

 sawgrass ( Erianthus qiqanteus ) and 

 (2) the local invasion of the com- 

 munity by native and exotic trees 

 and shrubs. These changes, though 

 to some extent natural, are being 

 augmented by regional drainage 



113 



