They generally are frost resistant, can take partial shade, and have little salt tolerance. Associated plants are baldcypress, tupelos, balchgum, pop ash, pond apple, Virginia willow, overcup oak and ferns. Most marsh plants need fertile soils and standing water most of the year to do well, and tolerate frost and some shading, but not salt exposure. Representative plants are sawgrass, cat-tails, pickerel weed, bulrushes, golden canna, string lily and royal fern. Surface water may disappear for several months in the dry season and fires occur every few years.
Soils are predominately wet acid sands or marl.
Plants of this habitat will grow in moist soils of low fertility, tolerate flooding and a little drought stress, and can take frost but not salt exposure. They prefer full sun and may rot in rich organic soils. Farmland and ditchbanks are ruderal habitats. Soil type, moisture and fertility levels vary greatly. These plants inhabit disturbed areas and tolerate a wide range of conditions except shaded ones.