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VEGETATION OF SOUTH FLORIDA 



Along the North Canal, the first hammock was encountered 45 kilometers (28 

 miles) south of the lake. At 50 kilometers, a tree hammock was passed, while 

 according to my notes the Everglades are dotted over with bushes 55 kilometers 

 (32 to 34 miles) south of Lake Okeechobee. The canal makes a decided bend 

 55 kilometers (34 miles) south of the lake, and here a clump of willow trees 

 and one of the buttonbush, Cephalanthus occidentalis L., were noted. From 

 here to the outlet of the canal at the eastern edge of the Everglades, the small 

 tree hammocks increase in number, until at 69 kilometers (43 miles), the skyline 

 seems to be a continuous line of low trees through the union of the separate 

 hammocks viewed from a distance across the vast saw-grass stretches. At a 

 point 60 kms. south of the lake and 28 kilometers (17 miles) from Ft. Lauder- 

 dale, the first true everglade hammock was passed with a number of tall trees. 

 These hammocks increase in number in an eastern direction. The distribution 

 of these islands of tree vegetation in a sea of saw-grass suggests that the trees 

 are gradually encroaching on the Everglades and in a westward direction. 



One of the everglade hammocks (Plate VII, Fig. 2) a few kilometers west 

 of the head of the Miami River may be taken as a type. Here I noted an 

 association of such trees as: Ficus aurea Nutt., Annona glabraL., Magnolia 

 virginiana L., Chrysobalanus pellocarpus Mey., Icacorea paniculata (Nutt.) 

 Sudw., Rapanea guyanensis Aubl., with such shrubs as Salix longipes Anders, 

 Myrica (Cerothamnus) ceriferus (L.) Small, Chrysobalanus icaco L., Tamala 

 (Persea) pubescens (Pursh.) Small. Two lianes were collected in this hammock, 

 viz., Smilax laurifolia L. and bullace-grape, Muscadinia (Vitis) Munsoniana 

 (Simps.) Small, while on the ground the fern, Blechnum serrulatum L. C. Rich., 

 was collected inside the hammock limits. The usual quota of epiphytes were 

 present on the trees. 



All through the country south of the Caloosahatchee River and west of 

 the Everglades, comprising much of Monroe County, Florida, are found ham- 

 mocks of greater or less size. At the southeastern corner of the Big Cypress 

 is one sufficiently large to be marked on the map. Its general outline is 

 U-shaped, or V-shaped, and the open area between the two arms is open 

 glade. Several other large hammocks are found south of the wide glade which 

 connects the Big Cypress Swamp with the saw-grass of the Everglades. Some 

 of these hammocks are of the low variety, as they are associated with lakes, or 

 ponds, of greater or less size. One of the hammocks in this part of Florida 

 along the Chokoloskee River is characterized by the presence of a rare palm 



