The Southeastern conifer forests are a

temperate coniferous forest Temperate coniferous forest is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Temperate coniferous forests are found predominantly in areas with warm summers and cool winters, and vary in their kinds of plant life. In some, needlel ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

of the southeastern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It is the largest conifer forest ecoregion east of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

. It is also the southernmost instance of temperate coniferous forest within the

Nearctic realm The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...

Climate

This ecoregion has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

with significant precipitation year-round.

Plant communities

Historic vegetation was dominated by open woodlands of 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 ...

'') with an understory of wiregrass (''

Aristida stricta ''Aristida stricta'' is a warm-season grass, native to North America, that dominates understory vegetation in sandhills and flatwoods coastal plain ecosystems of the Carolinas in the Southeastern United States. It is known as wiregrass (due to i ...

''). Other natural communities include to pine savannas,

flatwoods Flatwoods, pineywoods, pine savannas and longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem are terms that refer to an ecological community in the southeastern coastal plain of North America. Flatwoods are an ecosystem maintained by wildfire or prescribed fire an ...

(pine forests with woody understories), and

xeric Deserts and xeric shrublands are a biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Deserts and xeric (ancient Greek xērós, “dry") shrublands form the largest terrestrial biome, covering 19% of Earth's land surface area. Ecoregions in this h ...

hardwood forests.

Upland longleaf pine woodland

These are woodlands dominated by longleaf pine (''

'') and subject to frequent fires. The

Atlantic coastal plain upland longleaf pine woodland The Atlantic coastal plain upland longleaf pine woodland is plant community found on the southern Atlantic coastal plain, in the states of southern Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and northeastern Florida. These woodlands are do ...

s occur on uplands and on the higher parts of upland-wetland mosaics, while the

east Gulf coastal plain interior upland longleaf pine woodland East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

s occur on rolling dissected uplands, inland of the coastal flatlands. Soils are well- to excessively drained. Scrub oaks such as turkey oak (''

Quercus laevis ''Quercus laevis'', the turkey oak, is a member of the red oak group of oaks. It is native to the southeastern United States. The name turkey oak derives from the resemblance of the leaves to a turkey's foot. A Turkish and southern European sp ...

'') and bluejack oak (''

Quercus incana ''Quercus incana'' is a species of oak known by the common names bluejack oak, upland willow oak, sandjack oak, and cinnamon oak. It is native to the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains of the United States, from Virginia around Florida to Texas and ...

'') are often in the understory. The

herbaceous layer Stratification in the field of ecology refers to the vertical layering of a habitat; the arrangement of vegetation in layers. It classifies the layers (sing. ''stratum'', pl. ''strata'') of vegetation largely according to the different heights to w ...

is dominated by grasses, particularly wiregrass: (''

'') in the north and (''

Aristida beyrichiana ''Aristida'' is a very nearly cosmopolitan genus of plants in the grass family. ''Aristida'' is distinguished by having three awns (bristles) on each lemma of each floret. The genus includes about 300 species found worldwide, often in arid warm ...

'') in the south.

Longleaf pine sandhill

Florida longleaf pine sandhill 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, Withlacoochee State ...

s consist of stands of longleaf pine (''

'') on very well-drained, sandy hills of the coastal plains of Florida. These stands are maintained by frequent fires. Turkey oak (''

'') is common in the understory. Wiregrass (''

'') makes up the ground layer.

Near-coast pine flatwood

East Gulf coastal plain near-coast pine flatwoods The east Gulf coastal plain near-coast pine flatwoods are forests and woodlands found in the eastern Gulf coastal plain, in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. They take the form of forests and woodlands on broad, s ...

are forests and woodlands on broad, sandy flatlands along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Trees are typically longleaf pine (''

'') or slash pine ('' Pinus elliottii''). Fires are naturally frequent, occurring every one to four years. Understory vegetation ranges from open and grassy to dense and shrubby, depending on fire history. Shrubs include swamp titi (''

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 ...

''), gallberry (''

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 ...

''), Appalachia tea (''

Ilex glabra ''Ilex glabra'', also known as Appalachian tea, dye-leaves, evergreen winterberry, gallberry, and inkberry, is a species of evergreen holly native to the coastal plain of eastern North America, from coastal Nova Scotia to Florida and west to Lo ...

''), fetterbush lyonia (''

Lyonia lucida ''Lyonia lucida'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae known by the common names fetterbush lyonia, hurrahbush, and staggerbush. Other plants may also be called fetterbush. This broadleaved evergreen plant grows on the coastal ...

''), and saw palmetto (''

Serenoa repens ''Serenoa repens'', commonly known as saw palmetto, is the sole species currently classified in the genus ''Serenoa''. It is a small palm, growing to a maximum height around . It is endemic to the subtropical and tropical Southeastern United S ...

'').

Nonriverine cypress dome

Southern coastal plain nonriverine cypress dome The southern coastal plain nonriverine cypress dome is a forested wetland community found in the southern Atlantic coastal plain, in the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi. They are small forested wetlands characteri ...

s are small forested wetlands characterized by their dome-shaped appearance, with taller trees in the center and shorter trees around the perimeter. These wetlands occur on poorly drained depressions surrounded by pine flatwoods. Pond cypress (''

Taxodium ascendens ''Taxodium ascendens'', also known as pond cypress, is a deciduous conifer of the genus ''Taxodium'', native to North America. Many botanists treat it as a variety of bald cypress, ''Taxodium distichum'' (as ''T. distichum'' var. ''imbricatum'') ...

'') dominates the canopy, which it shares with swamp tupelo (''

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, ...

'') and 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 ...

'').

Oak dome and hammock

The

southern coastal plain oak dome and hammock The Southern coastal plain oak dome and hammock is a forest type occurring in small patches in Florida, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. These forests consist of thick stands of evergreen oaks on shallow depressions or sligh ...

occurs as thick stands of evergreen oaks in small patches on shallow depressions or slight hills. These forests are distinct from their surrounding habitats, which are often longleaf pine-dominated. On mesic sites, common species are southern live oak (''

Quercus virginiana ''Quercus virginiana'', also known as the southern live oak, is an evergreen oak tree endemic to the Southeastern United States. Though many other species are loosely called live oak, the southern live oak is particularly iconic of the Old South. ...

''), sand laurel oak (''

Quercus hemisphaerica ''Quercus hemisphaerica'' (sand laurel oak, laurel oak, Darlington oak, laurel-leaf oak) is a species of oak native to the southeastern and south-central United States. It is in the red oak section ''Quercus'' sect. ''Lobatae''. It is often co ...

''), and American persimmon (''

Diospyros virginiana ''Diospyros virginiana'' is a persimmon species commonly called the American persimmon, common persimmon, eastern persimmon, simmon, possumwood, possum apples, or sugar plum. It ranges from southern Connecticut to Florida, and west to Texas, ...

''). The understory is sparse, with trumpet creeper (''

Campsis radicans ''Campsis radicans'', the trumpet vine, yellow trumpet vine, or trumpet creeper (also known in North America as cow itch vine or hummingbird vine), is a species of flowering plant in the family Bignoniaceae, native to the eastern United States, ...

'') and greenbrier (''

Smilax ''Smilax'' is a genus of about 300–350 species, found in the tropics and subtropics worldwide. In China for example about 80 are found (39 of which are endemic), while there are 20 in North America north of Mexico. They are climbing flowering ...

'' spp). On xeric sites, common species are sand live oak (''

Quercus geminata ''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 al ...

''), longleaf pine (''

''), southern live oak (''

''), wiregrass (''

''), and southern dawnflower ('' Stylisma humistrata'').

Hydric hammock

Southern coastal plain hydric hammock The southern coastal plain hydric hammock is a wetland hammock community found on the flat lowlands of the southern and outermost parts of the Atlantic Coastal Plain in the states of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. These forests of evergreen and de ...

s are found on the flat lowlands of the southern and outermost parts of the coastal plain, usually over limestone substrates. These forests of evergreen and deciduous hardwood trees occur near the floodplains of spring-fed rivers with relatively constant flows. They can be large areas of broad, shallow wetlands. Common trees include Atlantic white cedar (''

Chamaecyparis thyoides ''Chamaecyparis thyoides'' (Atlantic white cedar, Atlantic white cypress, southern white cedar, whitecedar, or false-cypress), a species of ''Cupressaceae'', is native to the Atlantic coast of North America and is found from southern Maine to ...

''), elm (''

Ulmus americana ''Ulmus americana'', generally known as the American elm or, less commonly, as the white elm or water elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America, naturally occurring from Nova Scotia west to Alberta and Montana, and south to Flor ...

''), 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 ...

''), swamp 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 ...

''), southern live oak (''

''), american sweetgum (''

''), sugarberry (''

Celtis laevigata ''Celtis laevigata'' is a medium-sized tree native to North America. Common names include sugarberry, Southern hackberry, or in the southern U.S. sugar hackberry or just hackberry. Sugarberry is easily confused with common hackberry ('' C. oc ...

''), and cabbage palm (''

Sabal palmetto ''Sabal palmetto'' (, '' SAY-bəl''), also known as cabbage palm, cabbage palmetto, sabal palm, blue palmetto, Carolina palmetto, common palmetto, Garfield's tree, and swamp cabbage, is one of 15 species of palmetto palm. It is native to the So ...

''). Dahoon holly (''

Ilex cassine ''Ilex cassine'' is a holly native to the southeastern coast of North America, in the United States from Virginia to southeast Texas, in Mexico in Veracruz, and in the Caribbean on the Bahamas, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. It is commonly known as dahoo ...

'') is a typical shrub.

Maritime forest

On the Gulf coastal plain, maritime forest consists of a mosaic of forests and shrublands on barrier islands and strands. It occurs in sheltered areas behind coastal dunes and grasslands. Forests are dominated by a mixture of needle-leaved and broad-leaved evergreen trees, including sand pine (''

Pinus clausa ''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. Distribution The tree is found in two separate locations, one across central ...

''), slash pine ('' Pinus elliottii''), longleaf pine (''

''), southern live oak (''

''), cabbage palm (''

''), pignut hickory (''

Carya glabra ''Carya glabra'', the pignut hickory, is a common, but not abundant species of hickory in the oak-hickory forest association in the Eastern United States and Canada. Other common names are pignut, sweet pignut, coast pignut hickory, smoothbark ...

''), and sand hickory ('' Carya pallida''). Wetland areas are dominated by pond cypress (''

'') and 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 ...

''). Wind and salt spray from the ocean can make these forests appear pruned and sculpted. On the Atlantic coastal plain, maritime forest consists of forests and shrublands on stabilized upland dunes of barrier islands and strands. Oaks tend to dominate the overstory, often southern live oak (''

'') and sand live oak (''

''). Woodlands dominated by pine species include southern species such as longleaf pine (''

''), pond pine (''

Pinus serotina ''Pinus serotina'', the pond pine, marsh pine or pocosin pine, is a pine tree found along the Southeastern portion of the Atlantic coastal plain of the United States, from southern New Jersey south to Florida and west to southern Alabama. This pi ...

''), and slash pine ('' Pinus elliottii''). The understory is dense and shrubby, including southern live oak (''

''), sand live oak (''

''), laurel oak (''

''), Chapman oak (''

Quercus chapmanii ''Quercus chapmanii'', commonly referred to as the Chapman oak, is a species of oak that grows in the southeastern United States. Description ''Quercus chapmanii'' is a shrub or small tree occasionally reaching a height of 6 meters (20 feet) bu ...

''), myrtle oak (''

Quercus myrtifolia ''Quercus myrtifolia'', the myrtle oak, is a North American species of oak. It is native to the southeastern United States (Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South Carolina). It is often found in coastal areas on sandy soils. It is an eve ...

''), and southern magnolia (''

Magnolia grandiflora ''Magnolia grandiflora'', commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching in height, it is a ...

'').

Dry upland hardwood forest

This includes a variety of deciduous oak forests and mixed evergreen forests dominated by oak. Pines are often present as well. This forest is found in fire-sheltered locations surrounded by pine-dominated uplands, including slopes near rivers and sinkholes. Sand laurel oak (''

'') is the typical oak species; post oak (''

Quercus stellata ''Quercus stellata'', the post oak or iron oak, is a North American species of oak in the white oak section. It is a slow-growing oak that lives in dry areas on the edges of fields, tops of ridges also grows in poor soils, and is resistant to ro ...

''), southern red oak ('' Quercus falcata''), and white oak (''

Quercus alba An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

'') are associates. The forest canopy can be diverse, including hickories and other hardwood species. Common pines include loblolly pine (''

Pinus taeda ''Pinus taeda'', commonly known as loblolly pine, is one of several pines native to the Southeastern United States, from East Texas to Florida, and north to southern New Jersey. The wood industry classifies the species as a southern yellow pine. ...

''), spruce pine (''

Pinus glabra ''Pinus glabra'', the spruce pine, is a tree found on the coastal plains of the southern United States, from southern South Carolina south to northern Florida and west to southern Louisiana. This pine is a straight-growing, medium-sized specie ...

''), or shortleaf pine (''

Pinus echinata ''Pinus echinata'', the shortleaf pine, is a species of pine native to the southeastern United States. Description The tree is variable in form, sometimes straight, sometimes crooked, with an irregular crown. The tree reaches heights of with a ...

''). To the south, this becomes the southern coastal plain oak dome and hammock.

Mesic slope forest

On the southern Atlantic coastal plain, mesic slope forest is found on steep slopes, bluffs, and sheltered ravines. Fire is rare. They occur on mesic soils, and contain species not found in other forest systems in the area. These include American beech (''

Fagus grandifolia ''Fagus grandifolia'', the American beech or North American beech, is a species of beech tree native to the eastern United States and extreme southeast of Canada. Description ''Fagus grandifolia'' is a large deciduous tree growing to tall, w ...

''), southern magnolia (''

''), and purple anise (''

Illicium floridanum ''Illicium floridanum'' (also known as purple anise, Florida anise, stink-bush, or star-anise) is an evergreen shrub native to the Gulf Coast area of the Southern United States, from Florida to Louisiana. Description The Florida anise tree has ...

''). The related east Gulf coastal plain northern mesic hardwood slope forest occurs to the north and has more deciduous trees. On the inland east Gulf coastal plain, mesic slope forest consists of deciduous hardwood forests found in slopes and ravines. They inhabit mesic sites between drier uplands and moister streams. American beech (''

''), white oak (''

''), and cherrybark oak (''

Quercus pagoda ''Quercus pagoda'', the cherrybark oak, is one of the most highly valued red oaks in the southern United States. It is larger and better formed than southern red oak and commonly grows on more moist sites. Its strong wood and straight form make ...

'') are the distinguishing tree species. Loblolly pine (''

'') is common in the southern part of the range. The related southern coastal plain mesic slope forest is found to the south.

Dry and dry-mesic oak forest

These forests occur on dry and dry-mesic sites and are dominated by oaks and hickories. These habitats are protected from fires by either steep topography, isolation, or limited flammability of the vegetation. Typical canopy species include white oak (''

''), sand laurel oak (''

''), mockernut hickory (''

Carya tomentosa ''Carya tomentosa'', (mockernut hickory, mockernut, white hickory, whiteheart hickory, hognut, bullnut) is a tree in the Juglandaceae or walnut family. The most abundant of the hickories, common in the eastern half of the US, it is long lived, ...

''), and pignut hickory (''

'').

Highlands freshwater marsh

Floridian highlands freshwater marsh The Floridian highlands freshwater marsh is a wetland community found on the Florida peninsula. These are upland marshes occurring in shallow peat-filled valleys, the basins of dried lakes, and the borders of existing lakes. The vegetation mosaic i ...

es are highland marshes found in shallow peat-filled valleys, the basins of dried lakes, and the borders of existing lakes. The vegetation mosaic includes a range of mostly herbaceous plant communities, varying based on water depth. Deep water supports various submerged and floating plants. Meter-deep water supports emergent

herbaceous Herbaceous plants are vascular plants that have no persistent woody stems above ground. This broad category of plants includes many perennials, and nearly all annuals and biennials. Definitions of "herb" and "herbaceous" The fourth edition of t ...

perennial A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wide ...

s, typically in dense, monospecific stands; species include bulrush (''

Typha latifolia ''Typha latifolia'' (broadleaf cattail, bulrush, common bulrush, common cattail, cat-o'-nine-tails, great reedmace, cooper's reed, cumbungi) is a perennial herbaceous plant in the genus '' Typha''. It is found as a native plant species in North a ...

''), pickerelweed (''

Pontederia cordata ''Pontederia cordata'', common name pickerelweed (USA) or pickerel weed ( UK), is a monocotyledonous aquatic plant native to the American continents. It grows in a variety of wetlands, including pond and lake margins across an extremely large ...

''), and American lotus (''

Nelumbo lutea ''Nelumbo lutea'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Nelumbonaceae. Common names include American lotus, yellow lotus, water-chinquapin, and volée. It is native to North America. The botanical name ''Nelumbo lutea'' Willd. is the c ...

''). Shallow areas only submerged during wet season support more graminoid vegetation, including maidencane (''

Panicum hemitomon ''Panicum hemitomon'' is a species of grass known by the common name maidencane. It is native to North America, where it occurs along the southeastern coastline from New Jersey to Texas. It is also present in South America.Walsh, Roberta A. 1994 ...

'') and southern cutgrass (''

Leersia hexandra ''Leersia hexandra'' is a species of grass known by the common names southern cutgrass, clubhead cutgrass, and swamp rice grass.

'').

Subsidence Subsidence is a general term for downward vertical movement of the Earth's surface, which can be caused by both natural processes and human activities. Subsidence involves little or no horizontal movement, which distinguishes it from slope move ...

and drainage pattern changes make these habitats shift and change over time. Soils can be mucky, loamy, or sandy, but they are generally above permeable subsoils that create standing water much of the year. These marshes may also be called meadows or prairies.

Nonriverine basin swamp

Taxodium_ascendens_in_the_Black_Water,_Okefenokee

Southern coastal plain nonriverine basin swamp Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

s occur in large, seasonally-flooded depressions away from rivers. Sites are often forested by trees including bald cypress (''

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 (''

''), evergreen shrubs, and hardwoods. Slash pine ('' Pinus elliottii'') is sometimes found. Characteristic shrubs include buckwheat tree (''

Cliftonia monophylla ''Cliftonia monophylla'', the buck-wheat tree, buckwheat tree or black titi, is a tree native to the southeastern United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is ...

''), swamp cyrilla (''

''), fetterbush lyonia (''

''), and laurelleaf greenbrier (''

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 ...

'').

Blackwater river floodplain forest

Southern coastal plain blackwater river floodplain forest The southern coastal plain blackwater river floodplain forest is a forest system found in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia. These forests occur in the drainages of blackwater rivers and streams whose dark water is caused by high levels o ...

s occur in the drainages of

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 streams. Typical trees include bald cypress (''

''), water tupelo (''

Nyssa aquatica ''Nyssa aquatica'', commonly called the water tupelo, cottongum, wild olive, large tupelo, tupelo-gum, or water-gum, is a large, long-lived tree in the tupelo genus ''(Nyssa)'' that grows in swamps and floodplains in the Southeastern United Stat ...

''), and Atlantic white cedar (''

'').

Fauna

Mature longleaf pine forests are important habitat for the vulnerable red-cockaded woodpecker ('' Picoides borealis'') and gopher tortoise (''

Gopherus polyphemus The gopher tortoise (''Gopherus polyphemus'') is a species of tortoise in the family Testudinidae. The species is native to the southeastern United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows that provide s ...

'').

Areas of natural habitat

Today, nearly all mature stands of longleaf pine are gone, and only a few isolated sites still contain substantial natural habitat. In many areas, longleaf pine forests have been replaced with plantations of slash pine ('' Pinus elliottii''), which are less biologically diverse than native habitat.

References

{{reflist Temperate coniferous forests of the United States Ecoregions of the United States Nearctic ecoregions Ecoregions of Florida

Climate

Plant communities

Upland longleaf pine woodland

Longleaf pine sandhill

Near-coast pine flatwood

Nonriverine cypress dome

Oak dome and hammock

Hydric hammock

Maritime forest

Dry upland hardwood forest

Mesic slope forest

Dry and dry-mesic oak forest

Highlands freshwater marsh

Nonriverine basin swamp

Blackwater river floodplain forest

Fauna

Areas of natural habitat

See also

References