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Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory

Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory

Florida Scrub (Scrubby Pine Flatwoods)

The scrubby pine flatwood community dominates in drier areas. South Florida slash pines (Pinus elliotti var. densa) are the only tall trees.

Scrub oaks

Three kinds of scrub oaks are prevalent. Scrub live oak (Quercus geminata) will its narrow, leathery leaves is the most common scrub oak. Myrtle oak (Quercus myrtifolia), with its rounded leaves, is the scrub oak with the widest distribution and also can be found growing along mosquito impoundment dikes. Chapman oak (Quercus chapmanii) is the least common scrub oak.

Understory shrubs

Tarflower (Befaria racemosa), gallberry (Ilex glabra), shiny lyonia (Lyonia lucida), rusty lyonia (Lyonia ferruginea), saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites), and the hemi-parasite tallowwood (Ximenia americana) compose the understory.

Along the sunny open edges, scrub mint (Conradina grandiflora), pennyroyal (Piloblephis rigida), and pawpaw (Asiminia reticulata) can be found. Reindeer moss (Cladonia sp.) and sensitive briar (Shrankia microphylla) also are present.