Name:
Bursera simaruba - Coccoloba diversifolia - Eugenia sp. Caribbean Coastal Lowland Dry Forest Macrogroup
Reference:
NatureServe Biotics 2019
Description:
This macrogroup encompass tropical and subtropical forests characterized by a dry season of several months that occur in coastal lowlands and low hills, littoral or sublittoral flatlands with rock outcrops and higher terraces facing the sea, on limestone coral shelves, humic carbonate soils, shallow red ferralitic soils, or sandy soils of stabilized, old coastal dunes in south Florida, the Florida Keys, the Greater Antilles, and other Caribbean islands such as those of the Bahamas and Virgin Islands archipelagos. The species composition and structure of these forests vary depending upon the substrate and climate across their distribution. They are broadleaf semi-deciduous to evergreen forests with a canopy between 6-10 m of height. The density of stems tends to be very high. The woody understory is mostly evergreen. The herb layer is poorly developed or completely lacking. In the continental U.S., the Caribbean dry forest occurs in two settings: the hardwood hammock forest in southern Florida, on elevated outcrops of limestone, and the strand forest - a narrow band of hardwood forest and tall shrublands lying just inland of the coastal dune system in south Florida. The latter occur on stabilized, old coastal dunes, often with substantial shell components. In both cases the vegetation is characterized by hardwood species with tropical affinities, with <i>Eugenia axillaris</i> as the most commonly shared species. The Florida hammock forest occurs in three discrete regions, including the Florida Keys, southeastern Big Cypress, and the Miami Rock Ridge. Tropical hardwood species likely to be encountered include <i>Ardisia escallonoides, Bursera simaruba, Coccoloba diversifolia, Eugenia axillaris</i>, and <i>Guapira discolor</i>. The northward ranges of these species are limited by the incidence of frost. These forests tend to have a dense canopy that produces deeper shade, less evaporation, and lower air temperature than surrounding vegetation in these locations. This microclimate, in combination with high water tables, tends to keep humidity levels high. A number of orchid and bromeliad species thrive in such conditions. Unlike much U.S. coastal plain vegetation, fire is a major threat to these hardwood hammock forests.<br /><br />Dry forests of the Caribbean islands share some features with the Florida dry forests, such as the high density of stems, low stature and relative low floristic diversity, with several shared species among the dominant ones (<i>Bursera simaruba, Coccoloba diversifolia, Eugenia foetida, Gymnanthes lucida</i>). Diagnostic species of this type include <i>Amyris elemifera, Bursera simaruba, Bucida buceras, Coccoloba diversifolia, Coccoloba uvifera, Coccoloba krugii, Eugenia axillaris, Eugenia foetida, Erithalis fruticosa, Exostema caribaeum, Haematoxylum campechianum, Gymnanthes lucida, Guettarda krugii, Guaiacum officinale, Guaiacum sanctum, Jacquinia armillaris, Krugiodendron ferreum, Nectandra coriacea, Pisonia albida, Sabal palmetto, Simarouba glauca, Savia sessiliflora</i>, and <i>Thouinia striata var. portoricensis</i>. These forests also share the limestone substrate which is widespread among the coastal Antilles. Caribbean coastal dry forests in Cuba are slightly taller and have two canopy layers; with the upper layer reaching 12-15 m. This macrogroup also includes lowland semi-deciduous forests on richer substrates in Cuba, Hispaniola, and several smaller Caribbean islands. However, centuries of human occupation and agricultural land use have largely replaced these natural forests described in the literature as more diverse, semi-deciduous, and with the canopy up to 15-20 m height.
Accession Code:
urn:lsid:vegbank.org:commConcept:40519-{85019DCD-5816-4934-BE1F-9EDBCD1DA09A}
Plot-observations of this Community Concept:
0
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