Florida dry prairie

The Florida dry prairie is a herbaceous plant community found in subtropical southern Florida. It consists of plains covered in grasses and low shrubs, but widely scattered trees. It was originally found on the plains near the Kissimmee River, north of Lake Okeechobee, and near Fisheating Creek west of Lake Okeechobee, but its range has been reduced by conversion to agriculture and pasture. Frequent fires are necessary to maintain this system.[1]

The shrub layer is dominated by saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). Occasional trees include slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto).[1]

Where slash pine is more abundant, this system grades into south Florida pine flatwoods.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Florida Dry Prairie". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
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