This is a series of caches focused on the Ecological Communities of Rainbow Springs State Park. This cache is located in the middle of a oak hammock.
Description: This hammock is a well-developed evergreen hardwood and/or palm forest on soils that are rarely inundated. The canopy is typically closed and dominated by live oak (Quercus virginiana), with cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto) generally common in the canopy and subcanopy. Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora) and pignut hickory (Carya glabra) may be occasional in the subcanopy. These species become less important where they reach their southern extent just north of Lake Okeechobee. Water oak (Q. nigra) and laurel oak (Q. hemisphaerica) may also be frequent in this community.
The shrubby understory may be dense or open, tall or short, and is typically composed of a mix of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), American holly (Ilex opaca), gallberry (I. glabra), sparkleberry (Vaccinium arboreum), hog plum (Ximenia americana), common persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), Carolina laurelcherry (Prunus caroliniana), yaupon (I. vomitoria), wild olive (Osmanthus americanus), and/or wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera).
Mesic hammocks occupy soils that, although well-drained, maintain high moisture by heavy shading of the ground layer and accumulation of litter (USFWS 1999). Although mesic hammock is not generally considered a fire-adapted community, some small patches of hammock occurring as islands within marshes or prairies may experience occasional low-intensity ground fires.
Source: Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) Ecological Communities Guide