700 Part IV. Chapter 7. 
The chain of everglade islands or keys are similar to the Florida 
Keys both in its crescent shape and in its flora. It is surrounded by the 
everglades, except where the upper islands touch Biscayne Bay. Before these 
hammock lands were elevated to their present level above the sea, they were 
probably surrounded by a shallow sea later transformed into the everglades. 
Their total area is perhaps about 150 square miles. SMALL") who has ex- 
plored them more carefully than any other botanist finds that between five 
and six hundred species of native flowering plants occur on them. He has 
now established the fact that considerably more than one half of the species 
found on the islands south of Miami are also native in Cuba and the Bahamas, 
and so it happens that an older tropic flora is completely surrounded by a 
‚newer vegetation introduced from higher northern regions. 
These islands, or hammocks, scattered through the everglades are covered 
with luxuriant virgin forests., Owercus virens (= O. virginiana) and Persca 
borbonia are present in large numbers interspersed with wild lemon Citrus 
limonium, wild orange Cilrus aurantium and the wild cucumber while on 
Royal Palm Hammock occur Spmelax laurifolia, Salix longipes, Magnolia 
glauca, Ampelopsis (Parthenocissus) quinquefolia, Diospyros virgimiana, Calli- 
carpa americana and Cephalanthus occidentalis. Carica papaya, Anona glabra, 
Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis are of frequent occurrence, and here and there, 
governed by the size and elevation of the islands, are the cabbage palmetto, 
Sabal Palmetto, Pinus caribaea and Ficus aurea grow to enormous size in 
some of the hammocks strangling other forest trees?). Throughout there is 
a phenomenal growth of lianes. Wherever the land is dry enough, the coontie 
Zamia floridana flourishes. 
here are several other plant formations to be recognized in southern Florida, but informa- 
tion concerning them is so meagre that it is impossible to give an exact statement concerning 
hem. It is one of the phytogeographic surprises that we have such little information about a 
region of such marked botanic interest3). 
ı) SMALL, J. K.: Exploration of-Southern F a Journal New York Botanical Garden VIH: 
23—28 February 1907; Torreya VII: 83. 2 7. 
ee 1 ERNST A.: The Florida ragt Figs. 19th. Rep. Mo. Bot. Gard. 1908: 
25—33 with 9 plate 
3) In addition to iii above text references see Curriss, A. H.: The fern Flora of Florida. Fern 
Bulletin XII: 33—38 April 1904; Flora of the Florida Keys. Garden and Forest I: 279; 
Brıtton, N. L.: Explorations in Florida and the Bahamas. Journal New York Botanical Garden 
V: 129—136 July 1904; SMALL, J. K.: Report on Exploration in tropical Florida. Journal New 
York Botanical Garden V: 49—53 March 1904; GARBER, A. P.: The April Flora of Cedar Keys, 
Fla. Botanical Gazette I: 112; Carkıns, W. W.: Notes on the winter Flora of Florida. Botani- 
cal Gazette II: 128; Smarı, J.K. and Nah. Geo, V.: Report upon a Trip to Florida. Journal 
New York Botanical Garden III: 29—35 Feb. 1902; Dix and MAcGonIcLE: The Everglades of 
Florida. Century Magazine Feb. 1905; WEBBER, H. J.: The water Hyacinth, Bulletin 18. U. S 
Division Botany. 1897; Dimock, A. W.; On to Marco Pass. The Outing Magazine LI: 
397—412, Jan. 1909; COCHRANE, J. $.: A Cruise to Okeechobee. Recreation Mch. 1909: 105; 
SMALL, J. K.: Exploration in the Everglades. Torreya IX: 100—103. May 1909. 
