112 



OUTLINE OF PLANT GEOGRAPHY 



are also cypress swamps. This region is now being drained on an 

 extensive scale, the land being exceedingly productive. 



Along the coast of southern Florida are extensive mangrove 

 formations, the principal species being the wide-spread Rhizophora 

 mangle. 



Elsewhere extensive sandy beaches are encountered, with a 

 characteristic strand flora. There is a mixture of typical northern 

 species, like the sea-rocket (Cakile) and various grasses, and 

 tropical forms like the saw-palmetto, and the beach morning 



Fig. 26. — Mangrove formation, Miami, Florida. 



glory (Ipomoea pes-caprae) , the latter a denizen of pretty much 

 every tropical beach, the world over. Small Cacti, a Yucca and 

 an Agave hint at Mexican relationships. 



While much of southern Florida is occupied by pine-barrens 

 and the saw-grass swamps of the Everglades, there are numerous 

 areas of greater or less extent distinguished b} r good soil, which 

 support heavy growths of broad-leaved trees. These patches of 

 forest are known locally as " hammocks, " and the vegetation is 

 mainly composed of species common to the West Indies, or closely 

 related ones, — in short, the flora of the hammocks is a distinctly 

 tropical one. 



