Wetland Communities - Buttonwood Flats
 

Buttonwood Flats are generally forested wetlands. This type of plant assemblage is related to hypersaline flats as the "flats" are susceptible to storm wash and subsequent hypersaline soil conditions. These flats are often inhospitable to most vascular plants. The photograph below is very near the reference site on No Name Key (see the Florida Wetland Delineation Manual on our webpage, for more information about reference sites). Buttonwood flats are often found (landward) between the red mangrove fringe and (waterward of) tropical hammock. Buttonwood, saltwort, glasswort, salt grass, seaside dropseed grass, keys grass, sea oxeyes, christmas berry, sand cordgrass and the occasional black mangrove are typical.