NATURAL AREAS AND REGIONS 



431 



line most of the streams and swampy 

 lake margins and gradually merge into 

 "low hammock." The largest of these 

 cypress swamps is the "Big Cypress" 

 southwest of Lake Okeechobee in Collier 

 County. 



In the larger of these swamps alliga- 

 tors (Alligator mississippiensis), water- 

 moccasins, and water birds abound. 



Insects, except mosquitoes, are not 

 especially abundant in the dense shade 

 of the cypress swamps. But craneflies 

 (Geranumyia vanduzeei, Toxorhina 

 magna and Polymer a georgiae) are 

 characteristic. 



3. Scrub and spruce pine land. On 

 many of the higher ridges in the central 

 part of the peninsula where the sand is 

 deepest and therefore least retentive of 

 moisture, and especially along the sand 

 dunes of the coasts, occurs a dense 

 growth of saw palmettoes (Serenoa 

 serrulata), evergreen oaks (Quercus myr- 

 tifolia, Q. geminata), interspersed with a 

 great variety of evergreen shrubs with 

 small leaves and often thick succulent 

 stems. Cacti (Opuntia spp.) are com- 

 mon. It is a typical scrub forest. 

 Some of the more characteristic shrubs 

 are Dahoon holly (Ilex Cassine), Ana- 

 momis, Dodonaea Jamaicensis, a heath 

 (Xolisma ferruginea), the hemp vine 

 (Mikenia), golden buttons Actinosper- 

 mum), Polygonella sp., Thysanelly sp., 

 and Vaccinium Myrsinites. Other 

 characteristic plants are blue curls 

 (Trichostema dichotomum, the carpet 

 weed (Mollugo verticillata'), Petalostemon 

 Feayi, Froelichia floridana, the umbrella 

 plant (Eriogonum floridanum) Warea sp. 

 (a crucifer), the dark green and very 

 leafy shrub Rosemary the dodder- 

 like parasitic vine (Cassytha americana). 

 South of Mosquito Inlet the major dune 

 plants are the sea grape (Coccolobis uvi- 

 ferd), the cabbage palmetto, the saw 

 palmetto, the cocoa plum (Chrysobalanus 

 pellocarpus} , the poison wood (Metopium 

 metopium) and the minor ones the 

 century plants (Agave decipiens and A. 

 neglecta*), the strangling fig (Ficus 

 aurea), the Spanish bayonet (Yucca 



aliofolia), Solanum bahamense, Lantana 

 ovatifolia, Ernodea littoralis, the black 

 torch (Erithalis fruticosa), the snow 

 berry (Chiococca racemosa), the marl- 

 berry (Icacorea paniculata), Myrsine 

 (Rapanea guinensis}. 



North of Mosquito Inlet the larger 

 trees, in addition to the oaks mentioned 

 above are the Shore bay (Tamala littor- 

 alis), red cedar (Sabina silicicola} , 

 cassena (Ilex vomitoria), the wild olive 

 (Desmanthus americanus) Xolisma fer- 

 ruginea, and the spice tree (Anamomis 

 simpsoni}. Smaller shrubs are the 

 French mulberry named from its beauti- 

 ful magenta colored berries, the Gall- 

 berry (Ilex glabra) and the horse sugar 

 (Symplocos tinctoria). On the upper 

 beach the sunflower (Helianthus debilis) 

 and the blue verbena (V. maritima) are 

 conspicuous. 



In the older and less dry portions of 

 this area a small pine, Pinus clausa, 

 is the most conspicuous plant. The 

 region has very little grass and therefore 

 does not burn over so readily as the 

 higher pine lands, but occasionally it 

 does burn and the destruction is much 

 more complete. In the higher pine 

 lands, the fire consumes only the grass 

 and shrubs of the forest floor, "ground 

 fire," but in the scrub the trees and all 

 are destroyed. There are large areas 

 of this scrub which can be said to be in 

 an almost natural state of preservation 

 as fire runs through them infrequently. 

 The soil is so poor from an agricultural 

 standpoint and the grazing so almost 

 negligible on this land that its commer- 

 cial development is very slow. The 

 spruce pine is so small as to be valueless 

 for timber except for fire wood, and it 

 does not yield turpentine. The only 

 extensive developments are along the 

 lower parts of the East Coast where the 

 land has been cleared for pineapple 

 fields. This type of vegetation is 

 interspersed to a very marked degree 

 with both flat woods and high pine land. 

 Animal life is not abundant, the fauna 

 is the poorest of the state, and even 

 insects are not abundant on the coarse 



