Wetland Communities - Pine Rocklands
 

Pine Rocklands are found on exposed oolitic limestone in southeast Florida and the lower Florida Keys. In the Florida Keys south Florida slash pines dominate the canopy along with poisonwood. In addition stoppers, myrsine, cabbage palm, silver thatch palm and Key thatch palm are found in the understory. Pine rocklands are UPLANDS, generally dry to xeric landscapes with trees growing in shallow accumulations of sandy soils, marl or organics in solution holes, depression and crevices of the weathered oolitic limestone. Drainage in these soils is variable and depending on elevation and soil type can be slow (here the marl soils tend to form) to rapid (xeric soils). Storms may overwash entire islands with their associated pine rocklands in the keys, thus salt tolerant plants are common. Fire is an important component of these unique plant communities, natural fires are thought to have occurred every 3 to 10 years. If fire is suppressed the thick understory vegetation may create conditions for a catastrophic fire. Many of our rarest, endemic species are confined to pine rocklands. Most of these are related to species of more widespread distribution in the West Indies.

This scene to the right is of the ecotone between the pine rockland forest and the Strumpfia maritima flats, these flats are only found in one area of Big Pine Key. Possibly the rarest plant community in Florida.

Typical Trees Include

Canopy

Botanical Latin	Common Name	Wetland Status
Coccoloba diversifolia	PIGEON PLUM
Bumelia reclinata	BUCKTHORN	FAC
Conocarpus erectus	BOTTONWOOD	FACW
Chiococca alba	SNOWBERRY	FAC
Erithralis fruticosa	BLACK TORCH	FAC
Ernodea littoralis	GOLDEN CREEPER	FAC – Keys only
Eugenia spp.	STOPPER
Guapira discolor	BLOLLY	FAC – Keys only
Ficus citrifolia	SHORTLEAF FIG
Guettarda scabra	ROUGH VELVETSEED
Manilkera bahamensis	WILD DILLY	FAC – Keys only
Jacquinia keyensis	JOEWOOD	FAC
Metopium toxiferum	POISONWOOD	FAC
Maytenus phyllanthoides	FLORIDA MAYTEN	FAC
Piscidia piscipula	JAMAICA DOGWOOD
Myrcianthes fragrans	TWINBERRY STOPPER