Tropical Hardwood Hammocks Florida

Hardwood hammocks in northern florida peninsula have a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees and hardwood hammocks in southern florida north of the everglades have a mixture of evergreen and tropical trees.

Tropical hardwood hammocks florida.

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. These communities are rare along coastal uplands south of a line from about vero beach on the atlantic coast to sarasota on the gulf coast. Tropical hardwood hammocks were once found as far north as cape canaveral on florida s atlantic coast and tampa bay on the state s gulf coast. However development pressure associated with growth of the south florida human population has resulted in the conversion of many of these forests to urban and agricultural uses.

Tropical hardwood hammocks are found nearly throughout the southern half of south florida with large concentrations in miami dade county on the miami rock ridge in miami dade and monroe counties in the florida keys and along the northern shores of florida bay and in the pinecrest region of the big cypress swamp. To walk into a hardwood hammock is to walk through a shady tropical forest. Tropical hardwood hammocks are found in south florida or the everglades with large concentrations on the miami rock ridge in the florida keys along the northern shores of florida bay and in the pinecrest region of the big cypress swamp. Hardwoods are broad leaved trees that grow well in the everglades.

Tropical hardwood hammocks occur only in south florida and are characterized by trees and shrubs on the northern edge of a range that extends southward into the caribbean. Historically tropical hammocks were found as far north as cape canaveral on the atlantic coast and to the mouth of the manatee river in tampa bay on the gulf coast. 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 northern portion of the everglades hammocks are dominated by trees of temperate origin including the live oak quercus virginiana and the hackberry celtis laevigata. However development pressure associated with growth of the south florida human population has resulted in the conversion of many of these forests to urban and agricul tural uses. In most of the southeast including the florida panhandle the trees in temperate hardwood hammocks are primarily evergreen.