Wetland Communities  - Bayheads
 

Bayheads are forested wetlands (swamps) that include a variety of dominant tree species. Generally these are depression wetlands with a canopy and mucky, organic soils. Often this plant community is associated with a seepage bog and may represent a fire suppressed version of a typically open seepage bog in some areas. Bayheads are related to dome swamps. Typically bayheads are dominated by evergreen tree and shrub species. In north Florida deciduous taxa such as pond cypress and swamp gum are often co-dominants and share the canopy with sweetbay (magnolia), loblolly bay, white cedar and slash pine. The understory is typically dominated by holly species and fetter-bush. Bayheads in central and south Florida tend to have more sweetbay and loblolly bay with subtropical species such as myrsine and tropical fern species in the groundcover. With the widespread fire suppression in Florida, bayheads are often difficult to delineate using the unified wetland delineation methodology (in rule 62-340, F.A.C.) as the ecotone between the bayhead and pine dominated flatwoods is often obscured.

Bayhead -----------------ecotone----------------------------------Pine flatwoods-------

This scene above is of the ecotone between the bayhead on the left and pine flatwood forest on the right. Note the fire-scarred trunks of the slash pine and palmetto in the understory of the pine flatwoods.

Canopy

Botanical Name	Common Name	DEP Status
Acer rubrum	red maple	FACW
Chamaecyparis thyoides	Atlantic white cedar	OBL
Gordonia lasianthus	loblolly bay	FACW
Magnolia virginiana var. australis	sweetbay magnolia	OBL
Nyssa sylvatica var. biflora	swamp tupelo	OBL
Persea palustris	swamp bay	OBL
Pinus ellottii	slash pine	UPLAND
Quercus laurifolia	laurel oak	FACW
Quercus nigra	water oak	FACW
Taxodium ascendens	pond cypress	OBL

 

Subcanopy and Groundcover

Botanical name	Common name	DEP status
Ilex cassine	dahoon holly	OBL
Ilex coriacea	bay-gall holly	FACW
Itea virginica	Virginia willow	OBL
Lyonia lucida	fetter-bush	FACW
Myrica cerifera	southern bayberry	FAC
Myrsine guianensis	Guiana myrsine	FAC
Viburnum nudum	possum-haw viburnum	FACW

 

Groundcover

Botanical name	Common name	DEP status
Blechnum serrulatum	swamp fern	FACW
Osmunda cinnamomea	cinnamon fern	FACW
Osmunda regalis	royal fern	OBL
Woodwardia areolata	chainfern	OBL
Woodwardia virginica	chainfern	FACW