The scrub's disappearing plants...
Take a side trip through Floridata's Gallery of Endangered Plants for a look at some of these rare beauties.
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
Copyright 1997-2001 |
|||||
The scrub's disappearing plants...
Take a side trip through Floridata's Gallery of Endangered Plants for a look at some of these rare beauties.
|
|||||
|
|||||
|
Copyright 1997-2001 |
|||||
Plants and animals whose natural
occurrence is restricted to one area are said to be
endemic to that area, and such species are called
endemics. There are no fewer than 40 species of plants
that are endemic to Florida scrub. Of these, about 20 are
endemic to scrubs on the Lake Wales Ridge only. Most of
these are considered Endangered or Threatened
by the US Department of Interior and the State of Florida
because their distributions are so small that they are
vulnerable to extinction. Some are known from only 2 or 3
localities and may go extinct within a few years. One
species, a thorny shrub in the jujube genus Ziziphus,
was thought to be extinct but was recently rediscovered
near Avon Park after 40 years. The beautiful flower
pictured here belongs to the Endangered
long-spurred balm (Dicerandra cornutissima)
which is endemic to a handful of scrubs in the vicinity
of I-75 and the Marion-Sumter County line. 
