Tropical Hardwood Hammock Ecosystem

Tropical hardwood hammocks can occur within marshes pinelands and mangrove swamps.

Tropical hardwood hammock ecosystem.

A hardwood hammock is a dense stand of broad leafed trees that grow on a natural rise of only a few inches in elevation. Subject to thin soils and a tropical climate hardwood hammocks form a dense canopy with a tangle of shrubs and vines at the ground level and its outer edges. The soils are well drained and therefore many forests have been converted into housing developments and towns. For example marshland can quickly transition to tropical hardwood hammocks with a dense canopy thin soil and no water inundation.

Hammocks can be found nestled in most all other everglades ecosystems. Occurring on uplands 2 to 8 feet above sea level hammocks are hardwood forests consisting of a wide diversity of evergreen and semi deciduous trees and shrubs many of west indian caribbean islands origin. Ecosystem tropical hardwood hammocks are the climax terrestrial plant community in the florida keys. Bahama strongback bourreria succulenta bay cedar suriana maritima beeftree guapira discolor bitterbush picramnia pentandra blackbead pithecellobium keyense black ironwood krugiodendron ferreum buttonwood conocarpus erectus cape sable thoroughwort chromolaena frustrata.

The tropical hardwood hammock is an ecosystem consisting of broad leafed trees shrubs and vines nearly all of which are native to the west indies with live oak quercus virginiana being the only significant temperate species. In the deeper sloughs and marshes the seasonal flow of water helps give these hammocks a distinct aerial teardrop shape.