Florida peninsula inland scrub

Last updated October 05, 2019

The Florida peninsula inland scrub is a shrubland community found on the Florida peninsula. The largest remaining blocks of inland scrub are in and around the Ocala National Forest and in the Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge. The Archbold Biological Station near Lake Placid contains about 20 km² (7.7 sq mi) of scrub habitat and sponsors biological research on it. The scrub occurs on a series of north-south running ridges composed of sand derived from ancient dune fields.^[1] The soil, a type of entisol, is derived from quartz and is low in organic matter, silt, and clay.^[2] Because the low-nutrient sandy soils do not retain moisture, the ecosystem is effectively an arid one.

Florida is the southernmost contiguous state in the United States. The state is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, and to the south by the Straits of Florida. Florida is the 22nd-most extensive, the 3rd-most populous, and the 8th-most densely populated of the U.S. states. Jacksonville is the most populous municipality in the state and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. The Miami metropolitan area is Florida's most populous urban area. Tallahassee is the state's capital.

The Ocala National Forest ls the second largest nationally protected forest in the U.S. State of Florida. It covers 607 square miles (1,570 km²) of Central Florida. It is located three miles (5 km) east of Ocala and 16 miles (26 km) southeast of Gainesville. The Ocala National Forest, established in 1908, is the oldest national forest east of the Mississippi River and the southernmost national forest in the continental U.S. The word Ocala is thought to be a derivative of a Timucuan term meaning "fair land" or "big hammock". The forest is headquartered in Tallahassee, as are all three National Forests in Florida, but there are local ranger district offices located in Silver Springs and Umatilla.

The Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System, located in four separated areas on the Lake Wales Ridge east of US 27 between Davenport and Sebring Florida. The 1,194 acre (4.8 km²) refuge was established in 1990, to protect a host of plants and animals. It is also the first to be designated primarily for the preservation of endangered plants, and is not open to the general public. It contains a high proportion of remaining Florida scrub habitat. It is administered as part of the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge.

The plants generally consist of xerophytic shrubs, especially oaks, with occasional pine trees. The understory is often sparse and sometimes absent, leaving only bare ground. Sand pine ( Pinus clausa ) is the typical pine. Oaks include Chapman oak ( Quercus chapmanii ), sand live oak ( Quercus geminata ), myrtle oak ( Quercus myrtifolia ), and the endemic Inopina oak ( Quercus inopina ). Other shrubs include rusty staggerbush ( Lyonia ferruginea ), saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens ), sandhill-rosemary ( Ceratiola ericoides ), scrub holly (Ilex opaca var. arenicola), scrub olive ( Osmanthus megacarpa ), scrub pawpaw ( Asimina obovata ), silk bay ( Persea humilis ), Adam's needle ( Yucca filamentosa ), and eastern prickly pear ( Opuntia humifusa ).^[1]^[3]

Pinus clausa is a species of pine endemic to the Southeastern United States. Its common names include sand pine, Florida spruce pine, Alabama pine, and scrub pine.

Quercus chapmanii, commonly referred to as the Chapman oak, is a species of oak that grows in the southeastern United States.

Quercus geminata, commonly called sand live oak, is an evergreen oak tree native to the coastal regions of the subtropical southeastern United States, along the Atlantic Coast from southern Florida northward to southeastern Virginia and along the Gulf Coast westward to southern Mississippi, on seacoast dunes and on white sands in evergreen oak scrubs.

Endangered plants of the Florida scrub include Florida golden aster ( Chrysopsis floridana ), Ashe's savory ( Calamintha ashei ), pygmy fringetree ( Chionanthus pygmaeus ), sandlace ( Polygonum dentoceras ), scrub plum ( Prunus geniculata ), short-leaved false rosemary ( Conradina brevifolia ), etonia rosemary ( Conradina etonia ), yellow scrub balm ( Dicerandra christmanii ), scrub beargrass ( Nolina brittoniana ), scrub blazingstar ( Liatris ohlingerae ), scrub lupine ( Lupinus aridorum ), and scrub morning glory ( Bonamia grandiflora ).^[4]

Chrysopsis floridana is a rare species of flowering plant in the aster family, known by its common name, Florida golden aster. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it is known from Hillsborough, Hardee, Manatee, and Pinellas Counties. It is considered an endemic of the west-central coast of the state in the general vicinity of Tampa Bay. There are 17 to 20 occurrences, many of which have few individuals, but one of which has over one million plants. In 1986 the plant was added to the US endangered species list because it was becoming increasingly rare, it was growing only on private property, and its habitat was unprotected and being destroyed and degraded by a number of forces. It is found at Bell Creek Nature Preserve in Riverview, Florida.

Calamintha is a genus of plants that belongs to the family Lamiaceae. Commonly called the calamints, there are about eight species in the genus which is native to the northern temperate regions of Europe, Asia and America.

Chionanthus pygmaeus is a rare species of flowering plant in the olive family known by the common name pygmy fringetree. It is endemic to Florida, where there are 46 known occurrences as of 2010. The plant is found in increasingly rare habitat in Central Florida that is being consumed for development, and some protected areas are not managed adequately. Most populations are small. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Notable animals of the Florida scrub include the Florida scrub jay ( Aphelocoma coerulescens ), Florida mouse ( Podomys floridanus ), sand skink ( Neoseps reynoldsi ), bluetail mole skink ( Eumeces egregius lividus), Florida scrub lizard ( Sceloporus woodi ), and Florida worm lizard ( Rhineura floridana ).^[5]

This community is often adjacent to Florida longleaf pine sandhills, which have a markedly different appearance.^[1]

The Florida longleaf pine sandhill is a forest system found on sandhills in the coastal plains of northern Florida, ranging from the panhandle to the central peninsula. Particular examples can be found in Ocala National Forest and Eglin Air Force Base.

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The Florida sand skink is a species of lizard in the family Scincidae, the skinks. It is endemic to Florida in the United States.

Ceratiola is a genus of flowering plants with a single species, Ceratiola ericoides, the sand heath, sandhill-rosemary or Florida-rosemary, is a species of shrub usually included in the plant family Ericaceae, though treated by some botanists in the Empetraceae. It is the sole species in the genus Ceratiola.

Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park is a Florida State Park located on the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida, southeast of Niceville. The address is 4281 Highway 20. Native American middens and artifacts can be seen throughout the park.

Scrub oak is a common name for six species of small, shrubby oaks. It may refer to:

Florida scrub Ecological region in Florida, US

Florida sand pine scrub is an endangered subtropical forest ecoregion found throughout Florida in the United States. It is found on coastal and inland sand ridges and is characterized by an evergreen xeromorphic plant community dominated by shrubs and dwarf oaks. Because the low-nutrient sandy soils do not retain moisture, the ecosystem is effectively an arid one. Wildfires infrequently occur in the Florida scrub. Most of the annual rainfall falls in summer. It is endangered by residential, commercial and agricultural development, with the largest remaining block in and around the Ocala National Forest. Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge also holds a high proportion of remaining scrub habitat, while the Archbold Biological Station near Lake Placid contains about 20 km² (7.7 sq mi) of scrub habitat and sponsors biological research on it.

The Mediterranean woodlands and forests is an ecoregion, of the Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and scrub biome, in the coastal plains, hills, and mountains bordering the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean in North Africa.

Conradina is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. Its common name is false rosemary, or rarely, short leaf rosemary. There are 7 species of Conradina, all native to the southeastern United States. Conradina verticillata grows on the Cumberland Plateau in Kentucky and Tennessee. The other five grow mainly in Florida. All of the species are closely related and there is some doubt about whether they are all separate. Most species occupy xeric habitats with well-drained soils composed of white sand. The genus Conradina was established by Asa Gray in 1870. It was named for the American botanist Solomon White Conrad.

Conradina brevifolia is a rare species of shrub in the mint family known by the common name short-leaved false rosemary. It is endemic to Central Florida, where it is known only from the Lake Wales Ridge. There are perhaps 36 occurrences of the plant remaining, and 10 of these are likely to be destroyed as their habitat is fragmented in the coming years. About 15% of the Lake Wales Ridge, the only home territory of the plant, remains today, the rest having been cleared for development and citrus groves. Few of the extant populations have more than 25 plants. This is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Conradina etonia is a rare species of shrub in the mint family known by the common name Etonia rosemary. It is endemic to Putnam County, Florida, where it is known from about 8 populations on Etoniah Creek State Forest containing fewer than 1000 total individuals. It has a specific habitat requirement and the main threat it faces is destruction and degradation of its habitat. It is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Conradina glabra is a rare species of shrub known by the common name Apalachicola rosemary. It is endemic to Liberty County, Florida, where it is known from about ten populations. It is found only in a small area and it is threatened by habitat destruction. It is a federally listed endangered species.

Dicerandra cornutissima is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name longspurred mint, longspurred balm, and Robin's mint. It is endemic to Florida in the United States. It is found in Marion County, and possibly Sumter County, but it may have been totally extirpated from the latter. There are 15 known occurrences remaining. The plant was federally listed as an endangered species in 1985.

Dicerandra frutescens is a rare species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common names scrub mint and scrub balm. It is endemic to Highlands County, Florida, where it is known only from the Lake Wales Ridge. Its habitat is quickly being lost as it is converted to residential and agricultural use. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1985.

Eryngium cuneifolium is a rare species of flowering plant in the carrot family known by the common names wedgeleaf eryngo, wedge-leaved button-snakeroot, and simply snakeroot. It is endemic to the state of Florida in the United States where it is known only from Highlands County. It is one of many rare species that can be found only on the Lake Wales Ridge, an area of high endemism. It was federally listed as an endangered species of the United States in 1987.

<i>Lupinus aridorum</i> species of plant

Lupinus aridorum is a rare species of lupine known by the common name scrub lupine. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where there were 10 known populations remaining in 2003. Fewer than 6000 individual plants were counted. It is threatened by the loss and degradation of its habitat. The scrub lupine is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Prunus geniculata is a rare species of plum known by the common name scrub plum. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it occurs on the Lake Wales Ridge in the central ridges of the peninsula. It is threatened by the loss of its habitat and is a federally listed endangered species of the United States.

Conradina grandiflora is a species of flowering plant in the mint family known by the common name largeflower false rosemary, or large-flowered rosemary. It is endemic to Florida in the United States, where it occurs on the Atlantic coastal ridge. Its distribution spans Brevard, Broward, Dade, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Osceola, Palm Beach, Polk, St. Lucie, and Volusia Counties.

The Southeastern conifer forests are a temperate coniferous forest ecoregion of the southeastern United States. It is the largest conifer forest ecoregion east of the Mississippi River.

The Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area, created in 2012, the newest addition and 556th unit of the United States National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) System, began with 10 acres (4.0 ha) donated to the conservation effort as part of the Obama administration's America's Great Outdoors Initiative.

References

1 2 3 "Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 21 February 2013.
↑ "Florida Scrub". The Croc Docs. Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
↑ "Plants of the Florida Scrub". The Florida Scrub. Floridata. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
↑ "Endangered Plants of the Scrub". The Florida Scrub. Floridata. Archived from the original on 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2009-01-20.
↑ World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Florida sand pine scrub". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2009-01-20.

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[natureserve-1] 1 2 3 "Florida Peninsula Inland Scrub". NatureServe Explorer. Retrieved 21 February 2013.

[CrocDocs-2] "Florida Scrub". The Croc Docs. Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. Retrieved 2009-01-20.

[3] "Plants of the Florida Scrub". The Florida Scrub. Floridata. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-01-20.

[4] "Endangered Plants of the Scrub". The Florida Scrub. Floridata. Archived from the original on 2008-10-24. Retrieved 2009-01-20.

[NatGeo-5] World Wildlife Fund, ed. (2001). "Florida sand pine scrub". WildWorld Ecoregion Profile. National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 2010-03-08. Retrieved 2009-01-20.