Descriptions of Vegetation and Land Cover Types Mapped Using Landsat Imagery 

Terry Gilbert and Beth Stys 

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 

Office of Environmental Services 

620 South Meridian Street 

Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1600 

March 17, 2004 

A. Upland Plant Communities 

Coastal Uplands

 1. Coastal Strand: Coastal strand occurs on well-drained sandy soils and typically 

includes the zoned vegetation of the upper beach, nearby dunes, or on coastal rock 

formations. This community generally occurs in a long, narrow band parallel to the open 

waters of the Atlantic Ocean or Gulf of Mexico, and along the shores of some saline bays 

or sounds in both north and south Florida. This community occupies areas formed along 

high-energy shorelines, and is strongly affected by wind, waves, and salt spray. 

Vegetation within this community typically consists of low growing vines, grasses, and 

herbaceous plants with very few small trees or large shrubs. Pioneer or early 

successional herbaceous vegetation characterizes the foredune and upper beach, while a 

gradual change to woody plant species occurs in more protected areas landward. Typical 

plant species include beach morning glory, railroad vine, sea oats, saw palmetto, Spanish 

bayonet, yaupon holly, wax myrtle, along with sea grape, cocoplum, and other tropicals 

in southern Florida. The coastal strand community only includes the zone of early 

successional vegetation that lies between the upper beach, and more highly developed 

communities landward. Adjacent or contiguous community types such as xeric oak 

scrubs, pinelands, or hardwood forests would therefore be classified and mapped 

accordingly. 

 2. Beach/Sand: This land cover class consists of barren land with little or no vegetation. 

Coastal areas that are constantly affected by wave and tidal action and areas of dune 

sands and other areas of bare sands along the coast, are included in this class. 

Xeric Uplands

 3. Xeric Oak Scrub: Xeric oak scrub is a xeric hardwood community typically 

consisting of clumped patches of low growing oaks interspersed with bare areas of white 

sand. This community occurs on areas of deep, well-washed, sterile sands, and it is the 

same understory complex of scrubby oaks and other ground cover species that occurs in 

the sand pine scrub community. This condition frequently occurs when the short time 

periods between severe fires results in the complete removal of sand pine as an overstory 

species. Also included in this category are sites within the Ocala National Forest which 

have been clear-cut, and are sometimes dominated during the first one to five years by the 

xeric oak scrub association. The xeric oak scrub community is dominated by myrtle oak, 
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Chapman's oak, sand-live oak, scrub holly, scrub plum, scrub hickory, rosemary, and saw 

palmetto. Fire is important in setting back plant succession and maintaining viable oak 

scrubs. 

 4. Sand Pine Scrub: Sand pine scrub occurs on extremely well drained, sorted, sterile 

sands deposited along former shorelines and islands of ancient seas. This xeric plant 

community is dominated by an overstory of sand pine and has an understory of myrtle 

oak, Chapman's oak, sand-live oak, and scrub holly. Ground cover is usually sparse to 

absent, especially in mature stands, and rosemary and lichens occur in some open areas. 

Sites within the Ocala National Forest that have an overstory of direct seeded sand pine, 

and an intact understory of characteristic xeric scrub oaks, are also included in this 

category. Fire is an important ecological management tool, and commonly results in 

even-aged stands within regenerated sites. The distribution of this community type is 

almost entirely restricted to within the state of Florida. 

 5. Sandhill: Sandhill communities occur in areas of rolling terrain on deep, welldrained, white to yellow, sterile sands. This xeric community is dominated by an 

overstory of scattered longleaf pine, along with an understory of turkey oak and bluejack 

oak. The park-like ground cover consists of various grasses and herbs, including 

wiregrass, partridge pea, beggars tick, milk pea, queen's delight, and others. Fire is an 

important factor in controlling hardwood competition and other aspects of sandhill 

ecology. Although many of these sites throughout the state have been modified through 

the selective or severe cutting of longleaf pine, these areas are still included in the 

sandhill category. 

Mesic Uplands

6. Dry Prairies: Dry prairies are large native grass and shrublands occurring on very 

flat terrain interspersed with scattered cypress domes and strands, bayheads, isolated 

freshwater marshes, and hardwood hammocks. This community is characterized by 

many species of grasses, sedges, herbs, and shrubs, including saw palmetto, fetterbush, 

staggerbush, tar flower, gallberry, blueberry, wiregrass, carpet grasses, and various 

bluestems. The largest areas of these treeless plains historically occurred just north of 

Lake Okeechobee, and they were subject to annual or frequent fires. Many of these areas 

have been converted to improved pasture. In central and south Florida, palmetto prairies, 

which consist of former pine flatwoods where the overstory trees have been thinned or 

removed, are also included in this category. These sites contain highly scattered pines 

that cover less than 10 to 15 percent of an area. 

 7. Mixed Hardwood-Pine Forests: This community is the southern extension of the 

Piedmont southern mixed hardwoods, and occurs mainly on the clay soils on the northern 

Pandhandle. Younger stands may be predominantly pines, while a complex of various 

hardwoods become co-dominants as the system matures over time through plant 

succession. The overstory consists of shortleaf and loblolly pine, American beech, 

mockernut hickory, southern red oak, water oak, American holly, and dogwood. 
3

 Also included in this category are other upland forests that occur statewide and contain a 

mixture of conifers and hardwoods as the co-dominant overstory component. These 

communities contain longleaf pine, slash pine, and loblolly pine in mixed association 

with live oak, laurel oak, and water oak, together with other hardwood species 

characteristic of the upland hardwood hammocks and forests class. 

8. Hardwood Hammocks and Forests: This class includes the major upland 

hardwood associations that occur statewide on fairly rich sandy soils. Variations in 

species composition, and the local or spatial distributions of these communities are due in 

part to differences in soil moisture regimes, soil type, and geographic location within the 

state. Mesic and xeric variations are included within this association. 

The mesic hammock community represents the climax vegetation type within many areas 

of northern and central Florida. Characteristic species in the extreme north include 

American beech, southern magnolia, Shumard oak, white oak, mockernut hickory, pignut 

hickory, sourgum, basswood, white ash, mulberry, and spruce pine. Mesic hammocks of 

the peninsula are less diverse due to the absence of hardwood species that are adapted to 

more northerly climates, and are characterized by laurel oak, hop hornbeam, blue beech, 

sweetgum, cabbage palm, American holly, and southern magnolia. 

Xeric hammocks occur on deep, well-drained, sandy soils where fire has been absent for 

long periods of time. These open, dry hammocks contain live oak, sand-live oak, 

bluejack oak, blackjack oak, southern red oak, sand-post oak, and pignut hickory. 

 9. Pinelands: The pinelands category includes north and south Florida pine flatwoods, 

south Florida Pine rocklands, and commercial pine plantations. Pine flatwoods occur on 

flat sandy terrain where the overstory is characterized by longleaf pine, slash pine, or 

pond pine. Generally, flatwoods dominated by longleaf pine occur on well-drained sites, 

while pond pine is found in poorly drained areas, and slash pine occupies intermediate or 

moderately moist areas. The understory and ground cover within these three 

communities are somewhat similar and include several common species such as saw 

palmetto, gallberry, wax myrtle, and a wide variety of grasses and herbs. Generally 

wiregrass and runner oak dominate longleaf pine sites, fetterbush and bay trees are found 

in pond pine areas, while saw palmetto, gallberry, and rusty lyonia occupy slash pine 

flatwoods sites. Cypress domes, bayheads, titi swamps, and freshwater marshes are 

commonly interspersed in isolated depressions throughout this community type, and fire 

is a major disturbance factor. An additional pine flatwoods forest type occurs in extreme 

south Florida on rocklands where the overstory is the south Florida variety of slash pine, 

and tropical hardwood species occur in the understory. Scrubby flatwoods is another 

pineland type that occurs on drier ridges, and on or near old coastal dunes. Longleaf pine 

or slash pine dominates the overstory, while the ground cover is similar to the xeric oak 

scrub community. Commercial pine plantations are also reluctantly included in the 

pinelands association. This class includes sites predominately planted to slash pine, 

although longleaf pine and loblolly pine tracts also occur. Sand pine plantations, which 

have been planted on severely site-prepared sandhill sites in the north Florida 

pandhandle, are also included in this category. An acceptable accurate separation of 
4

areas of densely stocked native flatwoods and older planted pine stands with a closed 

canopy was not consistently possible. 

10. Cabbage Palm-Live Oak Hammock: This plant community is characterized by 

cabbage palms and live oaks occurring in small clumps within prairie communities. 

These hammocks typically have an open understory which may include such species as 

wax myrtle, water oak, and saw palmetto. Cabbage palm-live oak hammocks are often 

found bordering large lakes and rivers, and are distributed throughout the prairie region 

of south central Florida and extend northward in the St. John's River basin. Cabbage 

palms often form a fringe around hardwood “islands” located within improved pastures. 

11. Tropical Hardwood Hammock: These upland hardwood forests occur in extreme 

south Florida and are characterized by tree and shrub species on the northern edge of a 

range that extends southward into the Caribbean. These communities are sparsely 

distributed along coastal uplands south of a line from about Vero Beach on the Atlantic 

coast to Sarasota on the Gulf coast. They occur on many tree islands in the Everglades 

and on uplands throughout the Florida Keys. This cold-intolerant tropical community has 

very high plant species diversity, sometimes containing over 35 species of trees and about 

65 species of shrubs. Characteristic tropical plants include strangler fig, gumbo-limbo, 

mastic, bustic, lancewood, ironwoods, poisonwood, pigeon plum, Jamaica dogwood, and 

Bahama lysiloma. Live oak and cabbage palm are also sometimes found within this 

community. Tropical hammocks in the Florida Keys may also contain several plants, 

including lignum vitae, mahogany, thatch palms, and manchineel, which are extremely 

rare within the United States. 

B. Wetland Plant Communities

Palustrine (Freshwater Wetlands) 

 12. Freshwater Marsh and Wet Prairie: These wetland communities are dominated 

by a wide assortment of herbaceous plant species growing on sand, clay, marl, and 

organic soils in areas of variable water depths and inundation regimes. Generally, 

freshwater marshes occur in deeper, more strongly inundated situations and are 

characterized by tall emergents and floating-leaved species. Freshwater marshes occur 

within flatwoods depressions, along broad, shallow lake and river shorelines, and 

scattered in open areas within hardwood and cypress swamps. Also, other portions of 

freshwater lakes, rivers, and canals that are dominated by floating-leaved plants such as 

lotus, spatterdock, duck weed, and water hyancinths are included in this category. Wet 

prairies commonly occur in shallow, periodically inundated areas and are usually 

dominated by aquatic grasses, sedges, and their associates. Wet prairies occur as 

scattered, shallow depressions within dry prairie areas and on marl prairie areas in south 

Florida. Also included in this category are areas in Southwest Florida with scattered 

dwarf cypress having less than 20 percent canopy coverage, and a dense ground cover of 

freshwater marsh plants. Various combinations of pickerel weed, sawgrass, maidencane, 

arrowhead, fire flag, cattail, spike rush, bulrush, white water lily, water shield, and 

various sedges dominate freshwater marshes and wet prairies. Many marsh or wet prairie 
5

types, such as sawgrass marsh or maidencane prairie, have been described and so-named 

based on their dominant plant species. 

 13. Sawgrass Marsh: Freshwater marshes dominated by sawgrass. 

 14. Cattail Marsh: Freshwater marsh areas dominated by cattails. 

 15. Shrub Swamp: Shrub swamps are wetland communities dominated by dense, lowgrowing, woody shrubs or small trees. Shrub swamps are usually characteristic of 

wetland areas that are experiencing environmental change, and are early to midsuccessional in species complement and structure. These changes are a result of natural 

or man-induced perturbations due to increased or decreased hydroperiod, fire, clear 

cutting or land clearing, and siltation. Shrub swamps statewide may be dominated by one 

species, such as willow, or an array of opportunistic plants may form a dense, low 

canopy. Common species include willow, wax myrtle, primrose willow, buttonbush, and 

saplings of red maple, sweetbay, black gum, and other hydric tree species indicative of 

wooded wetlands. In northern Florida, some shrub swamps are a fire-maintained 

subclimax of bay swamps. These dense shrubby areas are dominated by black titi, 

swamp cyrilla, fetterbush, sweet pepperbush, doghobble, large gallberry, and myrtle-leaf 

holly. 

 16. Bay Swamp: These hardwood swamps contain broadleaf evergreen trees that occur 

in shallow, stagnant drainages or depressions often found within pine flatwoods, or at the 

base of sandy ridges where seepage maintains constantly wet soils. The soils, which are 

usually covered by an abundant layer of leaf litter, are mostly acidic peat or muck that 

remains saturated for long periods but over which little water level fluctuation occurs. 

Overstory trees within bayheads are dominated by sweetbay, swamp bay, and loblolly 

bay. Depending on the location within the state, other species including pond pine, slash 

pine, blackgum, cypress, and Atlantic white cedar can occur as scattered individuals, but 

bay trees dominate the canopy and characterize the community. Understory and gound 

cover species may include dahoon holly, wax myrtle, fetterbush, greenbriar, royal fern, 

cinnamon fern, and sphagnum moss. 

 17. Cypress Swamp: These regularly inundated wetlands form a forested border along 

large rivers, creeks, and lakes, or occur in depressions as circular domes or linear strands. 

These communities are strongly dominated by either bald cypress or pond cypress, with 

very low numbers of scattered black gum, red maple, and sweetbay. Understory and 

ground cover are usually sparse due to frequent flooding but sometimes include such 

species as buttonbush, lizard's-tail, and various ferns. 

18. Cypress/Pine/Cabbage Palm: This community includes cypress, pine and/or cabbage 

palm in combinations in which none of the species achieves dominance. This assemblage 

forms a transition between moist upland and hydric sites. 

 19. Mixed Wetland Forest: This category includes mixed wetland forest communities 

in which neither hardwoods nor conifers achieve dominance. The mix can include 
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hardwoods with pine or cypress and can represent a mixed hydric site or a transition 

between hardwoods and conifers on hydric/mesic sites. 

 20. Hardwood Swamp: These wooded wetland communities are composed of either 

pure stands of hardwoods, or occur as a mixture of hardwoods and cypress where 

hardwoods achieve dominance. This association of wetland-adapted trees occurs 

throughout the state on organic soils and forms the forested floodplains of non-alluvial 

rivers, creeks, and broad lake basins. Tree species include a mixed overstory containing 

black gum, water tupelo, bald cypress, dahoon holly, red maple, swamp ash, cabbage 

palm, and sweetbay. 

21. Hydric Hammock: Hydric hammocks occur on soils that are poorly drained or have 

high water tables. This association is a still-water wetland, flooded less frequently and 

for shorter periods of time than mixed hardwood and cypress swamps. Outcrops of 

limestone are common in the gulf coastal area. Typical plant species include laurel oak, 

live oak, cabbage palm, southern red cedar, and sweetgum. Canopy closure is typically 

75-90%. The sub-canopy layer and ground layer vegetation is highly variable between 

sites. Wax myrtle is the most frequent shrub in hydric hammock. Other shrubs include 

yaupon, dahoon, and swamp dogwood. Ground cover may be absent or consist of a 

dense growth of ferns, sedges, grasses, and greenbriars. Sites are usually between mesic 

hammocks or pine flatwoods and river swamp, wet prairie, or marsh. This hammock 

type is found in a narrow band along parts of the Gulf coast and along the St. Johns river 

where they often extend to the edge of coastal salt marshes. 

 22. Bottomland Hardwood Forest: These wetland forests are composed of a diverse 

assortment of hydric hardwoods which occur on the rich alluvial soils of silt and clay 

deposited along several Pandhandle rivers including the Apalachicola, Choctawhatchee, 

and Escambia. These communities are characterized by an overstory that includes water 

hickory, overcup oak, swamp chestnut oak, river birch, American sycamore, red maple, 

Florida elm, bald cypress, blue beech, and swamp ash. 

Marine and Estuarine

 23. Salt Marsh: These herbaceous and shrubby wetland communities occur statewide in 

brackish waters along protected low energy estuarine shorelines of the Atlantic and Gulf 

coasts. The largest continuous areas of salt marsh occur north of the range of mangroves, 

and border tidal creeks, bays and sounds. Salt marshes are sometimes interspersed within 

mangrove areas, and also occur as a transition zone between freshwater marshes and 

mangrove forests such as in the Ten Thousand Islands area along the southwest Florida 

coast. Plant distribution within salt marshes is largely dependent on the degree of tidal 

inundation, and many large areas are completely dominated by one species. Generally, 

smooth cordgrass typically occupies the lowest elevations immediately adjacent to tidal 

creeks and pools, while black needlerush dominates less frequently inundated zones. The 

highest elevations form transitional areas characterized by glasswort, saltwort, saltgrass, 

sea oxeye daisy, marsh elder, and saltbush. For the purposes of this project, cordgrass, 
7

needlerush, and transitional or high salt marshes are collectively mapped as this single 

category. 

 

 24. Mangrove Swamp: These dense, brackish water swamps occur along low-energy 

shorelines and in protected, tidally influenced bays of southern Florida. This community 

is composed of freeze-intolerant tree species that are distributed south of a line from 

Cedar Key on the Gulf coast to St. Augustine on the Atlantic coast. These swamp 

communities are usually dominated by red, black, and white mangroves that progress in a 

sere from seaward to landward areas, respectively, while buttonwood trees occur in areas 

above high tide. Openings and transitional areas in mangrove swamps sometimes contain 

glasswort, saltwort, and other salt marsh species. All three major species of mangroves 

are mapped as a single class with no effort made to differentiate these species into 

separate zones. 

 25. Scrub Mangrove: Areas sparsely vegetated with small, stunted mangroves (Keys 

only). 

26. Tidal Flats: Areas composed of that portion of the shore environment protected from 

wave action and primarily composed of muds transported by tidal channels. 

C. Aquatic

 27. Open Water: This class is comprised of the open water areas of inland freshwater 

lakes, ponds, rivers and creeks, and the brackish and saline waters of estuaries, bays, tidal 

creeks, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Atlantic Ocean. 

D. Disturbed Communities

Transitional

28. Shrub and Brushland: This association includes a variety of situations where 

natural upland community types have been recently disturbed through clear-cutting 

commercial pinelands, land clearing, or fire, and are recovering through natural 

successional processes. This type could be characterized as an early condition of oldfield succession, and various shrubs, tree saplings, and lesser amounts of grasses and 

herbs dominate the community. Common species include wax myrtle, saltbush, sumac, 

elderberry, saw palmetto, blackberry, gallberry, fetterbush, staggerbush, broomsedge, dog 

fennel, together with oak, pine and other tree seedlings or saplings. 

 29. Grassland: These are upland communities where the predominant vegetative cover 

is very low growing grasses and forbs. This very early successional category includes all 

sites with herbaceous vegetation during the time period between bare ground, and the 

shrub and brush stage. It also includes areas that may be maintained in this stage through 

periodic mowing, such as along dikes or levees. 
8

 30. Bare soil/Clearcut: Areas of bare soil representing recent timber cutting operations, 

areas devoid of vegetation as a consequence of recent fires, natural areas of exposed bare 

soil (e.g., sandy areas within xeric communities), or bare soil exposed due to vegetation 

removal for unknown reasons. 

Agriculture

31. Improved Pasture: Land that has been cleared, tilled, reseeded with specific grass 

types, and periodically improved with brush control and fertilizer application. 

32. Unimproved/Woodland Pasture: Cleared land with major stands of trees and brush 

where native grasses have been allowed to develop. Normally, unimproved pastures are 

not managed with brush control or fertilizer application. 

33. Sugarcane: Agricultural lands planted to sugar cane. 

34. Citrus: Agricultural lands planted to groves of citrus (e.g., oranges, grapefruit, 

lemons). 

35. Row/Field Crops: Row crops are agricultural fields in which rows remain well 

defined even after crops have been harvested. Typical row crops in Florida include corn, 

tomatoes, potatoes, cotton, and beans. Field crops are agricultural croplands not planted 

in rows. Typical field crops in Florida include hay and grasses. 

36. Other Agriculture: Agricultural lands other than pasture land, sugar cane fields, 

citrus groves, and croplands. Types of agricultural lands included in this category are 

peach orchards, pecan and avocado groves, nurseries and vineyards, specialty farms, 

aquaculture, fallow cropland, and unidentified agricultural uses. 

Exotic Plants

 37. Exotic Plants: Upland and wetland areas dominated by non-native trees that were 

planted or have escaped and invaded native plant communities. These exotics include 

melaleuca, Australian pine, Brazilian pepper, and eucalyptus. This class includes sites 

known to be vegetated by non-native but for which the actual species composition could 

not be determined. 

38. Australian Pine: Sites known to be dominated by Australian pine through field 

inspection.

 

39. Melaleuca: Sites known to be dominated by melaleuca through field inspection. 

 

39. Brazilian Pepper: Sites known to be dominated by Brazilian pepper through field 

inspection. 
9

Urban

41. High Impact Urban: Unvegetated areas such as roads, residential and commercial 

buildings, parking lots, etc. 

42. Low Impact Urban: Disturbed areas within urbanized areas that may or may not be 

vegetated. Examples of land uses included in this category are lawns, golf courses, road 

shoulders, grassy areas surrounding places such as airports, park facilities, etc. Many 

secondary roads, such as forest roads, are included in this category. 

Mining

43. Extractive: These areas encompass surface and subsurface mining operations. Areas 

included are sand, gravel and clay pits, phosphate mines, and limestone quarries. 

Industrial complexes were the extracted material is refined, packaged or further processed 

may also be included in this category.
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Appendix 1. Outline of plant communities for Landsat habitat mapping showing values from 

previous habitat map. 

 

A. Upland Plant Communities 2003 1985-89 

 Class Number Class Number

 Coastal Uplands 

1. Coastal strand ..............................................1 1 

2. Sand/beach ..................................................2 22 

 Xeric Uplands 

3. Xeric oak scrub ............................................3 6 

4. Sand pine scrub............................................4 4 

5. Sandhill ........................................................5 5 

 Mesic Uplands 

6. Dry prairie....................................................6 2 

7. Mixed hardwood-pine forest........................7 7 

8. Hardwood hammock and forest...................8 8 

9. Pineland........................................................9 3 

10. Cabbage palm-live oak hammock..............10 8 

11. Tropical hardwood hammock ....................11 9 

B. Wetland Plant Communities 

Palustrine 

12. Freshwater marsh and wet prairie.............12 11 

13. Sawgrass marsh.........................................13 11 

14. Cattail marsh .............................................14 11 

15. Shrub swamp.............................................15 15 

16. Bay swamp................................................16 14 

17. Cypress swamp .........................................17 12 

18. Cypress/pine/cabbage palm ......................18 12 

19. Mixed wetland forest ................................19 13 

20. Hardwood swamp .....................................20 13 

21. Hydric hammock.......................................21 8 

22. Bottomland hardwood forest.....................22 17 

 Marine/Estuarine 

23. Salt marsh..................................................23 10 

24. Mangrove swamp......................................24 16 

25. Scrub mangrove ........................................25 16 

26. Tidal flats ..................................................26 10 

C. Aquatic 

27. Open water................................................27 18 
11

D. Disturbed 

Transitional 

28. Shrub and brushland .................................28 20 

29. Grassland...................................................29 19 

30. Bare soil/clearcut ......................................30 22 

 Agriculture 

31. Improved pasture ......................................31 19 

32. Unimproved pasture..................................32 19 

33. Sugarcane..................................................33 19 

34. Citrus.........................................................34 19 

35. Row/field crops.........................................35 19 

36. Other agriculture .......................................36 19 

 Exotic Plants 

 37. Exotic plants..............................................37 21 

38. Australian pine..........................................38 21 

39. Melaleuca..................................................39 21 

40. Brazilian pepper........................................40 21 

 Urban 

41. High impact urban.....................................41 22 

42. Low impact urban .....................................42 22 

Mining 

43. Extractive ..................................................43 22 

 

 
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Appendix 2. Class values, class names, and red/green/blue values used for the color palette for 

the 2003 vegetation and land cover data set. 

Class 

Value Class Name Red Green Blue 

1 Coastal strand 255 190 190 

2 Sand/beach 201 195 255 

3 Xeric oak scrub 255 0 0 

4 Sand pine scrub 255 160 0 

5 Sandhill 165 210 75 

6 Dry prairie 255 200 255 

7 Mixed hardwood-pine forest 0 85 1 

8 Hardwood hammocks and forests 190 95 0 

9 Pinelands 34 153 0 

10 Cabbage palm-live oak hammock 76 230 0 

11 Tropical hardwood hammock 255 100 255 

12 Freshwater marsh and wet prairie 127 238 238 

13 Sawgrass marsh 108 201 201 

14 Cattail marsh 79 166 174 

15 Shrub swamp 154 174 116 

16 Bay swamp 20 20 180 

17 Cypress swamp 162 22 32 

18 Cypress/pine/cabbage palm 187 166 0 

19 Mixed wetland forest 154 130 87 

20 Hardwood swamp 210 177 119 

21 Hydric hammock 99 84 56 

22 Bottomland hardwood forest 255 100 110 

23 Salt marsh 27 154 198 

24 Mangrove swamp 131 131 45 

25 Scrub mangrove 97 96 33 

26 Tidal flats 0 81 137 

27 Open water 0 0 0 

28 Shrub and brushland 165 165 165 

29 Grassland 255 255 50 

30 Bare soil/clearcut 214 219 185 

31 Improved pasture 255 251 195 

32 Unimproved pasture 255 204 160 

33 Sugarcane 255 255 50 

34 Citrus 209 255 115 

35 Row and field crops 255 255 50 

36 Other agriculture 255 255 50 

37 Exotic plants 110 60 130 

38 Australian pine 110 60 130 

39 Melaleuca 110 60 130 

40 Brazilian pepper 110 60 130 

41 High impact urban 255 255 255 

42 Low impact urban 255 255 255 

43 Extractive 202 0 220 
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Appendix 3. Common and scientific names of plants appearing in the text. 

Common Name Scientific Name

Red maple Acer rubrum 

Broomsedge Andropogon virginicus. 

Wiregrass Aristida stricta 

Black mangrove Avicennia germinans 

Carpet grass Axonopus spp. 

Saltbush Baccharis halimifolia 

Saltwort Batis maritime 

Tar flower Befaria racemosa 

River birch Betula nigra 

Beggar ticks Bidens spp. 

Sea oxeye daisy Borrichia frutescens 

Water shield Brasenia schreberi 

Gumbo-limbo Bursera simaruba 

Beautyberry Callicarpa americana 

Blue beech Carpinus caroliniana 

Water hickory Carya aquatica 

Scrub hickory Carya floridana 

Pignut hickory Carya glabra 

Mockernut hickory Carya tomentosa 

Partridge pea Cassia chamaecrista 

Australian pine Casuarina sp. 

Buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis 

Rosemary Ceratiola ericoides 

Atlantic white cedar Chamaecyparis thyoides 

Cocoplum Chrysobalanus icaco 

Sawgrass Cladium jamaicense 

Sweet pepper bush Clethra alnifolia 

Black titi Cliftonia monophylla 

Pigeon plum Coccoloba diversifolia 

Sea grape Coccoloba uvifera 

Buttonwood Conocarpus erectus 

Rosemary Conradina spp

American dogwood Cornus florida 

Swamp dogwood Cornus foemina 

Swamp cyrilla Cyrilla racemiflora 

Bustic Dipholis salicifolia 

Saltgrass Distichlis spicata 

Water hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes 

Spike rush Eleocharis spp. 

Eucalyptus Eucalyptis robusta 

Tropical ironwood Eugenia confusa 

Dogfennel Eupatorium capillifolium 
14

American beech Fagus grandifolia 

Strangler fig Ficus aurea

White ash Fraxinus americana 

Swamp ash Fraxinus caroliniana 

Milk peas Galactia spp. 

Loblolly bay Gordonia lasianthus 

Lignum-vitae Guaiacum sanctum 

Manchineel Hippomane mancinella 

Dahoon holly Ilex cassine 

Large gallberry Ilex coriacea 

Gallberry Ilex glabra 

Myrtle-leaf holly Ilex myrtifolia 

American holly Ilex opaca 

Scrub holly Ilex opaca var. arenicola 

Yaupon holly Ilex vomitoria 

Railroad vine Ipomoea pes-caprae 

Beach morning glory Ipomoea stolonifera 

Marsh elder Iva frutescens 

Black needlerush Juncus roemerianus 

Southern red cedar Juniperus virginiana 

White mangrove Laguncularia racemosa 

Duckweed Lemna spp. 

Dog-hobble Leucothoe axillaris 

Sweetgum Liquidambar styraciflua 

Rusty lyonia Lyonia ferruginea 

Primrose willow Ludwigia peruviana 

Fetterbush Lyonia lucida 

Staggerbush Lyonia spp. 

Bahama lysiloma Lysiloma latisiliquum 

Southern magnolia Magnolia grandiflora 

Sweetbay Magnolia virginiana 

Mastic Mastichodendron foetidissimum 

Melaleuca Melaleuca quinquenervia 

Poisonwood Metopium toxiferum 

Mulberry Morus rubra 

Wax myrtle Myrica cerifera 

Lotus Nelumbo lutea 

Spatterdock Nuphar spp. 

Water lily Nymphaea spp. 

Water tupelo Nyssa aquatica 

Blackgum Nyssa sylvatica var. sylvatica 

Lancewood Ocotea coriacea 

Cinnamon fern Osmunda cinnamomea 

Royal fern Osmunda regalis 

Hop hornbeam Ostrya virginiana 

Sourgum Oxydendron arboreum 
15

Maidencane Panicum hemitomon 

Red bay Persea borbonia 

Swamp bay Persea palustris 

Shortleaf pine Pinus echinata 

Slash pine Pinus elliottii 

Longleaf Pine Pinus palustris 

Sand Pine Pinus clausa 

Spruce pine Pinus glabra 

Pond pine Pinus serotina 

Loblolly pine Pinus taeda 

Jamaica dogwood Piscidia piscipula 

American sycamore Platanus occidentalis 

Pickerel weed Pontederia cordata 

Scrub plum Prunus geniculata 

White oak Quercus alba 

Bluejack oak Quercus incana 

Chapman’s oak Quercus chapmanii 

Southern red oak Quercus falcata 

Sand live oak Quercus geminata 

Laurel oak Quercus laurifolia 

Turkey oak Quercus laevis 

Overcup oak Quercus lyrata 

Sand post oak Quercus margaretta 

Blackjack oak Quercus marilandica 

Swamp chestnut oak Quercus michauxii 

Myrtle oak Quercus myrtifolia 

Water oak Quercus nigra 

Runner oak Quercus pumila 

Shumard oak Quercus shumardii 

Live oak Quercus virginiana 

Red mangrove Rhizophora mangle 

Sumac Rhus spp

.

Blackberry Rubus spp. 

Cabbage palm Sabal palmetto 

Arrowhead Sagittaria spp. 

Glasswort Salicornia spp. 

Florida willow Salix floridana 

Elderberry Sambucus canadensis 

Lizards-tail Saururus cernuus 

Brazilian pepper Schinus terebinthifolius 

Bulrush Scirpus spp. 

Saw palmetto Serenoa repens 

Greenbriar Smilax spp. 

Cordgrass Spartina spp. 

Sphagnum moss Sphagnum spp. 

A queen’s delight Stillingia sylvatica ssp. tenuis 
16

West Indies mahogany (mahogany) Swietenia mahagoni 

Pond cypress Taxodium ascendens 

Bald cypress Taxodium distichum 

Fire flag Thalia geniculata 

Thatch palm Thrinax spp. 

Basswood Tilia Americana 

Cattail Typha spp. 

Florida elm Ulmus americana 

Sea oats Uniola paniculata 

Blueberry Vaccinium darrowii 

Spanish bayonet Yucca aloifolia