Tropical Hardwood Hammock

Subject to thin soils and a tropical climate hardwood hammocks form a dense canopy with a tangle of shrubs and vines at the ground level and its outer edges.

Tropical hardwood hammock.

The tropical hardwood hammock is a self maintaining community that usually remains untouched by fire or flood. Tropical hardwood hammocks are found along both coasts of south florida as well as throughout the everglades and florida keys. A hardwood hammock is a habitat that is found on higher elevations making it like the pinelands a dry habitat. In the deeper sloughs and marshes the seasonal flow of water helps give these hammocks a distinct aerial teardrop shape.

These islands can support more than 20 species of tropical trees shrubs and vines and provide critical habitat for numerous animals. Tropical hardwood hammocks can occur within marshes pinelands and mangrove swamps. It is important habitat for ferns and orchids of west indian origin. These plants may be found in other tropical climates like the west indies but in the united states they only occur in the tropical hardwood hammocks of south florida.

Hardwoods are broad leaved trees that grow well in the everglades. It is also important habitat for ferns and orchids of west indian origin. To walk into a hardwood hammock is to walk through a shady tropical forest. These habitats function as small island ecosystems that are markedly different from their surroundings.

For example marshland can quickly transition to tropical hardwood hammocks with a dense canopy thin soil and no water inundation. In the northern portion of the everglades hammocks are dominated by trees of temperate origin including the live oak quercus virginiana and the hackberry celtis laevigata. Tropical hardwood hammock is not a fire maintained. Tropical hardwood hammock is not a fire maintained community although fire may burn into tropical hardwood hammocks under certain conditions.

Tropical hardwood hammock are pretty hard to find nowadays and along this trail you ll see them in abundance. A hardwood hammock is a dense stand of broad leafed trees that grow on a natural rise of only a few inches in elevation. The tropical hardwood hammock is an ecosystem consisting of broad leafed trees shrubs and vines nearly all of which are native to the west indies with live oak quercus virginiana being the only significant temperate species. Tropical hardwood hammock is a closed canopy forest dominated by a diverse assemblage of evergreen and semi deciduous tree and shrub species mostly of west indian origin.

Tropical hardwood hammock is a closed canopy forest dominated by a diverse assemblage of evergreen and semi deciduous tree and shrub species mostly of west indian origin. If you were to look straight up you might have trouble seeing the sun and sky because of all the trees growing close together.