sp.) other unique species include 

 Jamaica-dogwood ( Piscidia piscipu - 

 [a), the true West Indian or madeira 

 mahogany ( Swietenia mahaqoni ), and 

 several species observed in the 

 pinelands habitat including: black- 

 bead ( Pithecellobium keyense ), stop- 

 per ( Myrtus verrucosa ), and poison- 

 wood ( Metopium toxiferum ) (Davis 

 1942, 1943). 



Mangrove 



The development of mangrove 

 swamp forests mimics, on a smaller 

 scale, the mangrove forest types 

 described in section 7.21, with the 

 exclusion of the basin forests. 

 The fringe and overwash forests 

 are the dominant forms followed 

 by riverine and finally scrub 

 (Davis 1940, CZM 1974, Getter 

 et al. 1981). 



Salt Prairies, Marshes and 

 Transitional Habitats 



Salt flats or prairies are sim- 

 ilar in form and species composition 

 to the communities found intersper- 

 sed throughout the mainland mangrove 



zone. These occasionally flooded 

 areas exist in the lower Keys (Boca 

 Chica, Sugar Loaf, Saddlebunch, and 

 Cudjoe Keys). In addition to salt- 

 wort ( Batis maritima ), glasswort 

 ( Salicornia perennis ), and saltgrass 

 ( Distichilis spicata ), other com- 

 monly occuring species include: 

 keygrass ( Monanthochloe littorali ), 

 seablite ( Suaeda linearis ), and sea 

 ox-eye ( Borrichia sp.). The Keys 

 salt flats are commonly found with 

 areas of bare ground surrounding 

 depressions in which salinities may 

 reach concentrations of 80 ppt, vir- 

 tually eliminating all colonization 

 or growth of macrophytic plants 

 (Davis 1943). 



Saltwater and brackish water 

 marshes occur near the coastline 

 where surface water and soils are 

 affected by salinity. The habitat 

 varies from very saline to nearly 

 freshwater conditions and can occur 

 on a variety of soils. It usual- 

 ly exhibits several sub-zonations 

 from the shore inland as shown in 

 Table 39. 



Saltwater 



Bracki sh/Freshwater 



Batis maritima 

 (saltwort) 



Batis 

 maritima 

 (saltwort) 



Salicornia 



perennis 



(glasswort) 



Distichi lis 



spicata 

 (saltgrass) 



Spartina patens 

 (cordgrass) 



Fimbristyl is 

 castanea 

 (sedge) 



Spart ina 

 patens 

 (cordgrass) 



Juncus 

 roemerianus 

 (black-rush) 



Typha augustifolia 

 (cattai 1) 



low shrub marshes 



grassy marshes 

 & 

 prairies 



black-rush 

 marshes 



bracki sh water 

 cattai 1 marshes 



Table 39. Habitat subzonation in Florida Keys wetlands 

 (adapted from Davis 1943). 



179 



