In a study led by the FNAI, scientists surveyed over 300 sites on the base. A total of 60 rare plant species have been documented at Eglin, occurring at 1,747 locations across the base. A variety of natural communities have been identified which support these plants, including seepage slopes, wet flatwoods, dome swamps, bogs, wet prairies, sandhills, scrubs and blackwater streams. Twenty-five different community types in all were found to have rare plants. The diversity of plants within these communities is second only to that of a tropical rain forest.
Rare plants provide an essential connection in the network of plant and animal life.
They offer protection and reproductive and hunting habitats for insects, aquatic mammals, waterfowl, and fish. Plants also contribute to human habitat by maintaining water quality. Plant-filled areas slow down floodwaters, filter out sediment, and absorb some of the potentially damaging nutrients and microbes. Rare plants contribute significantly to native biodiversity and often are indicators of healthy ecosystems. Rare plants at Eglin include one species listed by the federal government as endangered.