The upland hardwood forests of Florida are closed canopy forests dominated by deciduous and evergreen trees, and shrubs.

Description

The upland hardwood forest biome is a closed canopy forest containing deciduous and evergreen trees in the canopy and subcanopy, as well as shrubs in the subcanopy. Limestone outcrops are common in Upland Hardwood Forests. Common species of Upland Hardwood Forests are Southern Magnolia ('' Magnolia grandiflora''), Pignut Hickory ('' Carya glabra''), American Sweetgum ('' Liquidambar styraciflua''), Florida Maple (''

Acer floridanum ''Acer floridanum'' (syn. ''Acer saccharum'' subsp. ''floridanum'' (Chapm.) Desmarais, ''Acer barbatum'' auct. non Michx.), commonly known as the Florida maple and occasionally as the southern sugar maple or hammock maple, is a tree that occurs ...

''), Live Oak ('' Quercus virginiana''), Laurel Oak ('' Quercus hemisphaerica''), Swamp Chestnut Oak (''

Quercus michauxii ''Quercus michauxii'', the swamp chestnut oak, is a species of oak in the white oak section ''Quercus'' section ''Quercus'' in the beech family. It is native to bottomlands and wetlands in the southeastern and midwestern United States, in coastal ...

''), White Ash ('' Fraxinus americana''), Loblolly Pine ('' Pinus taeda''), American Beech ('' Fagus grandifolia''), and Spruce Pine ('' Pinus glabra''). The mid-story canopy consists of American Holly ('' Ilex opaca''), Redbay ('' Persea borbonia''), American Hornbeam ('' Carpinus caroliniana''), Gum bully (''

Sideroxylon lanuginosum ''Sideroxylon lanuginosum'' is a shrub or small tree of the family Sapotaceae. It is native to the Sun Belt and Midwest of the United States as well as Northeastern Mexico. Common names include gum bully, black haw, chittamwood, chittimwood, s ...

''), Devil's Walkingstick ('' Aralia spinosa''), American Hophornbeam ('' Ostrya virginiana''), Flowering Dogwood (''

Cornus florida ''Cornus florida'', the flowering dogwood, is a species of flowering tree in the family Cornaceae native to eastern North America and northern Mexico. An endemic population once spanned from southernmost coastal Maine south to northern Florida ...

''), Eastern Redbud ('' Cercis canadensis''), Winged Elm (''

Ulmus alata ''Ulmus alata'', the winged elm or wahoo, is a small- to medium-sized deciduous tree endemic to the woodlands of the southeastern and south-central United States. The species is tolerant of a wide range of soils, and of ponding, but is the leas ...

''), and Black cherry (''

Prunus serotina ''Prunus serotina'', commonly called black cherry,World Economic Plants: A Standard Reference, Second Edition'. CRC Press; 19 April 2016. . p. 833–. wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a deciduous tree or shrub of the g ...

''). In the

Florida Panhandle The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...

the Upland Hardwood Forest contains several species that are more common north of there. In the Florida

Peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

the amount of evergreens increases and species richness decreases as northern deciduous species (American Beech, White Oak) reach their southern limits. Upland Hardwood Forest in Central Florida, at the southern end of its range (especially along the Brooksville Ridge), is often hard to differentiate from

Mesic Hammock Hammock is a term used in the southeastern United States for stands of trees, usually hardwood, that form an ecological island in a contrasting ecosystem. Hammocks grow on elevated areas, often just a few inches high, surrounded by wetlands that ...

References

{{reflist Plant communities of Florida Plant communities of Georgia (U.S. state) Plant communities of Alabama Plant communities of Mississippi Plant communities of South Carolina Plant communities of North Carolina Plant communities of Louisiana Plant communities of Texas