South Florida Rocklands - Pine Rockland

Pine Rockland

The pine rockland community canopy is dominated almost exclusively by South Florida slash pine (Pinus elliotti var. densa). Beneath this canopy lies a rich understory composed of grasses, sedges, palms, vines, and shrubs of temperate and tropical origin, such as broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus), coontie (Zamia integrifolia), fivepetal leaf-flower (Phyllanthus pentaphyllus), Florida bluestem (Andropogon floridanus), Florida clover ash (Tetrazygia bicolor), Florida Keys noseburn (Tragia saxicola), Pineland Snakeherb (Dyschoriste angusta), Pineland spurge (Euphorbia pinetorum), silver bluestem (Bothriochloa saccharoides), and Beyrich threeawn (Aristida beyrichiana). The pine rockland community is South Florida’s most floristically diverse plant community and includes several endemic species. A subclimatic community, pine rocklands have depended on wildfire to keep them from transitioning into hardwood hammocks.