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Joshua Laerm, et al. 
GENERAL HABITAT CHARACTERISTICS 
The Okefenokee Swamp is one of the largest freshwater wetlands in 
the United States. Situated in Charleton, Clinch, Echols and Ware coun- 
ties, Georgia, and Baker and Columbia counties, Florida, the Oke- 
fenokee watershed includes both swamp (189,000 ha) and surrounding 
uplands (181,000 ha). It lies within the humid subtropical climatic zone 
(Trewartha 1968) and is characterized by warm moist springs, hot wet 
summers, warm dry falls, and cool moist winters. Weather is 
predominantly influenced by tropical maritime air masses from the Gulf 
of Mexico and the tropical Atlantic Ocean in spring, summer and fall, 
but by continental air masses in winter. Annual precipitation averages 
100-150 cm (Hunt 1972). 
The Okefenokee consists of a variety of vegetational habitat types. 
Plant specimens are on file at the University of Georgia Herbarium. 
a. Two prairie habitat types are identified, comprising approx- 
imately 21% of the swamp. (1) Aquatic macrophyte prairies are 
dominated by emergent, floating-leaved, and submerged hydrophytes 
such as white water lily, Nymphaea odorata; yellow water lily, Nuphar 
luteum; neverwet, Orontium aquaticum; floating heart, Nymphoides 
aquaticum; yellow eyed grass, Xyris smalliana; pickerel weed, Pontederia 
cordata; redroot, Lachnanthes caroliniana; and bladderwort, Utricularia 
spp. (2) Grass-sedge prairies are characterized by various species of 
sedges, Carex; panic grasses, Panicum; and beak rush, Rhynchospora, as 
well as broomsedge, Andropogon virginicus; giant chain fern, Woodwardia 
virginica; and Sphagnum moss. 
b. Shrub swamps cover approximately 34% of the swamp and are 
predominated by hurrah bush, Lyonia lucida; fetter bush, Leucothoe 
racemosa; titi, Cyrilla racemijiora; sweet spire, Itea virginica; pepper 
bush, Clethra alnifolia; and dahoon. Ilex cassine. 
c. Blackgum forests cover less than 6% of the swamp. Blackgum, 
Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora, with a small amount of dahoon and pond 
cypress, Taxodium ascendens, dominates the canopy, with red maple, 
Acer rubrum, and dahoon the predominant understory plants. 
d. Bay forests also cover less than 6% of the swamp. Loblolly bay, 
Gordonia lasianthus; red bay, Persea borbonia; and sweet bay. Magnolia 
virginiana, are the predominant canopy species although occasional pond 
cypress, blackgum, and slash pine, Pinus elliottii, are seen. 
e. Mixed cypress forests are characterized by pond cypress domi- 
nated canopy and subcanopy, but loblolly bay, dahoon, and blackgum 
are frequently scattered in the subcanopy. This and the following habitat 
make up approximately 23% of the swamp. 
f. Pure cypress forests are limited in extent but consist almost en- 
tirely of a cypress canopy with a sparse subcanopy or understory. 
g. There are approximately 70 islands in the swamp and they ac- 
count for roughly 12% of the area. Vegetation is dominated by loblolly 
pine, Pinus taeda; slash pine; longleaf pine, Pinus palustris; water oak. 
