ECOLOGICAL COMMUNITY


 NO. 12 WETLAND HARDWOOD HAMMOCKS


 OCCURRENCE

 The Wetland Hardwood Hammock ecological community is scattered east and west
 of the Central Florida Ridge, extending northwesterly into the panhandle. It
 predominates in the region from Hillsborough County to Wakulla County. One of
 the largest areas is along the Gulf Coast north of the Withlacoochee River.

 DESCRIPTION

 This community is a wetland forest on poorly drained soils, soils subject to
 constant seepage, or soils with high water tables. It has an evergreen
 appearance since it is dominated by the laurel, live, and water oaks,
 magnolia, and cabbage palm. In many areas red cedar is also one of the
 dominants. The deciduous sweetgum is one of the trees. Red maple, various
 bays, and cypress also occur but these species are not dominant in this
 community. Topography is low and nearly level. These hammocks are not
 flooded for as long a period of time are are associated swamp hardwoods. the
 swamp hardwoods community is often found within depressional areas of the
 wetland hardwood hammock. Wetland hardwood hammock may be distinguished from
 bottomland hardwoods by the dominant plant species and the type of flooding.
 If the inundating water derives from river overflow, it is a bottomland
 hardwood; if inundated by local rainfall, it is wetland hardwood hammock.

 1. Soils

 Soils associated with this community are nearly level, somewhat poorly and
 poorly drained and have loamy subsoils and sandy surfaces. Many of these
 soils have very thick sandy surface and subsurface layers. Representative
 soils include Aripeka, Coxville, Herod, Matmon, Megget, Nutall, Oleno,
 Portsmouth, and Plummer. Appendix A contains information on correlation
 of soil series with the appropriate ecological community.

2. Vegetation

 This community supports a luxurious growth of vegetation with a diversity
 of species. Although supporting plants that are found in both drier and
 wetter sites, this community has definite flora characteristics. Plants
 which characterize this community are:

 TREES Cabbage palm, Sabal palmetto; Hawthorns, Craetaegus spp.;
 Laurel oak, Quercus laurifolia; Live oak, Quercus virginiana;
 Red bay, Persea borbonia; Red maple, Acer rubrum; Sweetbay,
 Magnolia virginiana; Sweetgum, Liquidambar stvraciflua; Water
 oak, Quercus nigra; Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora

 SHRUBS Waxmyrtle, Myrica cerifera; Witchhazel, Hamamelis virginiana;
 Sawpalmetto, Serenoa repens