The Plants in the Everglades

Red mangrove growing at the West Lake
© 1997 - Antonio Fernandez

The West Lake trail allows the visitor to enter into a mangrove forest. Three kinds of mangrove trees could be observed in the park: red, black, and white form the mangrove swamps. They are not close botanical relatives, each belongs to different family of plants. The red mangrove is the only pertaining to the Mangrove family.

The red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), shown in the picture above, is notable for its stilt roots and pendent cigar-shaped seedlings which begin growing before they drop from the parent tree. The seedlings may float long distances in ocean currents and take root wherever they are stranded in shallow water.

Among the plants of interest that we will find in the Everglades, are the air plants or epiphytes that have adapted to the problem of crowded conditions by growing on other plants. Their roots are primarily anchors to the host plant. They are adapted to collect and maximize the utilization of the necessary water and nutrients in different ways. The best known examples of this type of plants are the orchids and the bromeliads.

To the right we can see a picture of the stiff-leaved wildpine, found in the Anhinga Trail. The bromeliads are the common air plants of the park. Most plants of this family grows as epiphytes, but the most known member of this family is the cultivated pineapple, which is terrestrial. Another member of this family is the well-known Spanish moss, which is less common in South Florida.

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