A bayhead or baygall is a specific type of

wetland A wetland is a distinct ecosystem that is flooded or saturated by water, either permanently (for years or decades) or seasonally (for weeks or months). Flooding results in oxygen-free (anoxic) processes prevailing, especially in the soils. The ...

swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...

habitat.Watson, Geraldine Ellis (2006) Big Thicket Plant Ecology: An Introduction, Third Edition (Temple Big Thicket Series #5). University of North Texas Press. 152 pp. Natural Communities of Louisiana:
Bayhead Swamp/Forested Seep
'. Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. Retrieved 7 July 2020. The name ''baygall'' is derived from sweetbay magnolia (''

Magnolia virginiana ''Magnolia virginiana'', most commonly known as sweetbay magnolia, or merely sweetbay (also laurel magnolia, swampbay, swamp magnolia, white bay, or beaver tree), is a member of the magnolia family, Magnoliaceae. It was the first magnolia to be ...

'') and sweet gallberry holly (''

Ilex coriacea Ilex coriacea, sometimes known as large gallberry or sweet gallberry, is a shrub in the Holly family native to coastal areas in the United States from Virginia to Texas. It exists primarily as an understory plant in pine forests, and is some ...

'').Ajilvsgi, Geyata (1979) Wild Flowers of the Big Thicket: East Texas, and Western Louisiana. Texas A&M University Press. College Station, Texas 361 pp. Baygalls are recognized as a discrete ecosystem by ecologists and the swamps have been described as "distinct wetland communities in the Natural Communities of Louisiana". Baygall swamps are most often found in the low lying margins of floodplains and bottomlands with little or poor drainage to the main creek, bayou, or river channel. Baygall or bayhead swamps found on slopes and hillsides are sometimes referred to as a forest seep or hanging bogs. Hanging bogs are typically found in hardwood-pine forests. Most baygall swamps are semi-permanently saturated, or flooded.Texas Parks and Wildlife. Ecological Mapping systems of Texas:
West Gulf Coastal Plain Seepage Swamp and Baygall
' Retrieved 7 July 2020 Baygall

The characteristics of a bayhead swamp are mostly broad, shallow drains, which can be found near margins of bottomlands and floodplains with little or no drainage. They most often receive a slow, but steady supply of water from seepage at the base of slopes and bluffs. Baygalls are relatively shallow wetlands, ranging from wet and saturated soils and leaf litter, to a few inches of stagnate or very slowly moving water, although some may occasionally be deeper depending on topography and rainfall. Most are also under closed or nearly closed canopies. Occasionally, larger and deeper baygalls may have open water at the center with floating vegetation such as the fragrant water-lily (''

Nymphaea odorata ''Nymphaea odorata'', also known as the American white waterlily, fragrant water-lily, beaver root, fragrant white water lily, white water lily, sweet-scented white water lily, and sweet-scented water lily, is an aquatic plant belonging to the g ...

''). High acidity levels distinguish baygalls from other wetlands and they often support plant communities that are distinct form adjacent areas.

Sphagnum ''Sphagnum'' is a genus of approximately 380 accepted species of mosses, commonly known as sphagnum moss, peat moss, also bog moss and quacker moss (although that term is also sometimes used for peat). Accumulations of ''Sphagnum'' can store wa ...

is often associated with baygalls. Sometimes referred to as acid bog baygalls, baygalls typically have very low pH levels. Levels as low as 4.5 are not uncommon in the baygalls of the

Big Thicket The Big Thicket is the name given to a somewhat imprecise region of a heavily-forested area of Southeast Texas in the United States. This area represents a portion of the mixed pine-hardwood forests of southeast US. The National Park Service esta ...

region of Southeast Texas, USA. The acidic waters that drain from baygalls can contribute significantly to

blackwater river A blackwater river is a type of river with a slow-moving channel flowing through forested swamps or wetlands. As vegetation decays, tannins leach into the water, making a transparent, acidic water that is darkly stained, resembling black te ...

s and creeks in the bottomlands. A baygall may be no more than a small pool or they can be a mile across. The Jack Gore Baygall Unit of the

National Preserve at 12 square miles is said to be is the largest in the world.Peacock, Howard (1994) Nature Lover's Guide to the Big Thicket. Texas A&M. University Press. College Station, Texas. 169 pp.

Flora

Baygalls are typically found in densely forested areas. Over-story trees associated with baygalls include baldcypress (''

Taxodium distichum ''Taxodium distichum'' (bald cypress, swamp cypress; french: cyprès chauve; ''cipre'' in Louisiana) is a deciduous conifer in the family Cupressaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States. Hardy and tough, this tree adapts to a wide r ...

''), swamp tupelo or swamp blackgum (''

Nyssa biflora ''Nyssa biflora'', commonly referred to as the swamp tupelo, or swamp black-gum is a species of tupelo that lives in wetland habitats. Swamp tupelo grows chiefly in the coastal plains from Delaware, eastern Maryland, and southeastern Virginia, ...

''), red maple (''

Acer rubrum ''Acer rubrum'', the red maple, also known as swamp maple, water maple, or soft maple, is one of the most common and widespread deciduous trees of eastern and central North America. The U.S. Forest Service recognizes it as the most abundant nati ...

''), green ash (''

Fraxinus pennsylvanica ''Fraxinus pennsylvanica'', the green ash or red ash, is a species of ash native to eastern and central North America, from Nova Scotia west to southeastern Alberta and eastern Colorado, south to northern Florida, and southwest to Oklahoma an ...

''), laurel oak (''

Quercus laurifolia ''Quercus laurifolia'' (swamp laurel oak, diamond-leaf oak, water oak, obtusa oak, laurel oak) is a medium-sized semi-evergreen oak in the red oak section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''. It is native to the southeastern and south-central the Uni ...

''), water oak (''

Quercus nigra ''Quercus nigra'', the water oak, is an oak in the red oak group (''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''), native to the eastern and south-central United States, found in all the coastal states from New Jersey to Texas, and inland as far as Oklahoma, Kent ...

''), sweetgum (''

Liquidambar styraciflua American sweetgum (''Liquidambar styraciflua''), also known as American storax, hazel pine, bilsted, redgum, satin-walnut, star-leaved gum, alligatorwood, or simply sweetgum, is a deciduous tree in the genus ''Liquidambar'' native to warm temper ...

''), and sweetbay (''

''). Longleaf pine (''

Pinus palustris The longleaf pine (''Pinus palustris'') is a pine species native to the Southeastern United States, found along the coastal plain from East Texas to southern Virginia, extending into northern and central Florida. In this area it is also known as ...

'') are usually associated with hanging bogs or forest seeps. Understory species include smooth or hazel alder (''

Alnus serrulata ''Alnus serrulata'', the hazel alder or smooth alder, is a thicket-forming shrub in the family Betulaceae. It is native to eastern North America and can be found from western Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick south to Florida and Texas. D ...

''), swamp titi or leatherwood (''

Cyrilla racemiflora ''Cyrilla racemiflora'', the sole species in the genus ''Cyrilla'', is a flowering plant in the family Cyrillaceae, native to warm temperate to tropical regions of the Americas, from the southeastern United States (coastal areas from southeastern ...

''), sweet gallberry (''

''), American holly (''

Ilex opaca ''Ilex opaca'', the American holly, is a species of holly, native to the eastern and south-central United States, from coastal Massachusetts south to central Florida, and west to southeastern Missouri and eastern Texas. Description ''Ilex opaca ...

''), Virginia willow or sweetspire (''

Itea virginica ''Itea virginica'', commonly known as Virginia willow or Virginia sweetspire, is a small North American flowering shrub that grows in low-lying woods and wetland margins. Virginia willow is a member of the Iteaceae family, and native to the southe ...

''), wax-myrtle (''

Morella cerifera ''Myrica cerifera'' is a small evergreen tree or large shrub native to North and Central America and the Caribbean. Its common names include southern wax myrtle, southern bayberry, candleberry, bayberry tree, and tallow shrub. It sees uses both i ...

''), red bay (''

Persea borbonia ''Persea borbonia'' or redbay is a small, evergreen tree in the laurel family (Lauraceae), native to the southeastern United States. It belongs to the genus '' Persea'', a group of evergreen trees including bays and the avocado. ''Persea borbonia ...

''), swamp redbay (''

Persea palustris ''Persea palustris'', also known as swamp bay or swampbay, is a small tree or shrub found throughout the Southeastern United States and the Bahamas, with much of its range overlapping with that of its relative ''Persea borbonia''. It is generally ...

''), bamboo-vine (''

Smilax laurifolia ''Smilax laurifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the Smilacaceae, greenbrier family known by the common names laurel greenbrier, laurelleaf greenbrier, bamboo vine, and blaspheme vine. It is native to the southeastern United States, where ...

''), poison sumac (''

Toxicodendron vernix ''Toxicodendron vernix'', commonly known as poison sumac, or swamp-sumach, is a woody shrub or small tree growing to 9 metres (30 feet) tall. It was previously known as ''Rhus vernix''. This plant is also known as thunderwood, particul ...

''), possum-haw viburnum ('' Viburnum nudum''), muscadine grape (''

Vitis rotundifolia ''Vitis rotundifolia'', or muscadine, is a grapevine species native to the southeastern and south-central United States. The growth range extends from Florida to New Jersey coast, and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma. It has been extensively ...

''). Ferns such as net-veined chain fern ('' Lorinseria'' 'Woodwardia areolata''''areolata''), sensitive fern (''

Onoclea sensibilis ''Onoclea sensibilis'', the sensitive fern, also known as the bead fern, is a coarse-textured, medium to large-sized deciduous perennial fern. The name comes from its sensitivity to frost, the fronds dying quickly when first touched by it. It is ...

''), cinnamon fern (''

Osmunda cinnamomea ''Osmundastrum'' is genus of leptosporangiate ferns in the family Osmundaceae with one living species, ''Osmundastrum cinnamomeum'', the cinnamon fern. It is native to the Americas and eastern Asia, growing in swamps, bogs and moist woodlands. I ...

''), and royal fern (''

Osmunda regalis ''Osmunda regalis'', or royal fern, is a species of deciduous fern, native to Europe, Africa and Asia, growing in woodland bogs and on the banks of streams. The species is sometimes known as flowering fern due to the appearance of its fertile fr ...

'') may be found in the herbaceous layer. Several species of orchid (Orchidaceae) are also associated with baygalls.

Species of conservation concern

The baygall swamps have around 20

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

which are considered to be

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

or of conservation concern in various states and countries.

References

{{Authority control Swamps