GEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA 



215 



rather slowly, and many of Ihem have crooked trunks. Shrubs 

 and vines are abundant and herbs scarce. The vegetation on the 

 whole is more ornamental than useful, and the soil is little used 

 for agricultural purposes. 



Calcareous high hammocks (figs. 13. 40). Where there is 

 enough limestone near the surface to influence the soil perceptibly 

 the uplands commonly have vegetation similar in aspect to that 

 just described, except for having more deciduous trees and fewer 

 shrubs. This is a very common type in the hammock belt in Marion 

 County, and is found also in the Gulf hammock region, around some 

 sinks in the lime-sink region and Hernando hammock belt, and 

 (less typically) near the Peace River in the southwestern flat woods. 

 The characteristic plants have been listed in the 7th Annual Report, 

 pp. 172-175- 



Fig. 40. Hammock on limestone rock at the fern grottoes on the With- 

 lacoochee River in southeastern corner of Citrus County, showing hackberry, 

 live oak, magnolia, box elder, grape vines, etc. March 6, 1915. 



An extreme phase occurs where the limestone is nearly pure 

 and there is little or no sand on top of it, for example around caves 

 in Marion County and among the fern grottoes of southeastern' 

 Citrus County (fig. 40). Some hammocks on the west side of 



15 



