274 IN LOWER FLORIDA WILDS 



her of plants which grow at one end and die at the 

 other; the common sphagnum moss (Sphagnum 

 sp.) and the saw palmetto are well known exam- 

 ples. But I know of nothing which carries on such 

 a system of growth and upon so extensive a scale 

 as does the buttonwood; nothing so out of joint 

 with itself, so whimsical and apparently without 

 purpose. It is possible that this split up, braided 

 growth may aid in aerating the tree. I cannot 

 understand why it should be necessary for the 

 tree to fall and live its life out in a reclining posi- 

 tion unless it is that it permits it to live on and on 

 indefinitely. No one knows how old some of these 

 patriarchs are, but with no greatly disturbing in- 

 fluence I see no reason why they may not live 

 many hundreds of years. If they are not immortal 

 they come nearer to being so than any vegetable 

 growth with which I am acquainted. 



The work of building the littoral may be likened 

 to the construction of a great edifice. The true 

 mangroves break the ground, they lay the foun- 

 dation at extreme low tide and construct the base- 

 ment; the white and black mangroves carry up 

 the lower part of the structure; the pond apples, 

 buttonwoods, Ilex, and bayberries build the upper 



