Hammocks growing on a Florida marshland, in the southeast. In Geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of Wetland which is subject

Hammocks are dense stands of hardwood trees that grow on natural rises of only a few inches higher than surrounding marshland that is otherwise too wet to support them. The term hardwood is used to describe Wood from broad-leaved angiosperm Trees mostly Deciduous, but not necessarily in the case of tropical Hammocks are distinctive in that they are formed gradually over thousands of years rising in a wet area through the deposits of their own decomposing organic material. Decomposition (or spoilage) refers to the break down of tissue of a formerly living Organism into simpler forms of matter Organic matter (or organic material) is Matter that has come from a once-living Organism; is capable of As a result they typically have a large and diverse density of various forms of plant and animal life. They appear as teardrop-shaped islands shaped by the flow of water in the middle of the slough. Many tropical species such as mahogany (Swietenia mahogoni), gumbo limbo (Bursera simaruba), and cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco) grow alongside the more familiar temperate species of live oak (Quercus virginiana), red maple (Acer rubum), and hackberry (Celtis laevigata). The name mahogany is used when referring to numerous varieties of dark-colored wood originally the wood of the species Swietenia mahagoni, known as West Bursera simaruba ( Gumbo-limbo) is a Tree Species in the family Burseraceae, native to tropical regions of the The cocoplum ( Chrysobalanus icaco) is a shrub (1 to 3 m or bushy tree (2 to 6 m rarely to 10 m that is found near sea beaches and inland throughout tropical This article is about the treeThis is Georgia's state tree For places named Live Oak see Live Oak. Acer rubrum ( Red Maple, also known as Swamp or Soft Maple) is one of the most common and widespread deciduous Trees of eastern For the German Renaissance scholar see Conrad Celtes. For the town see Celtis Missouri.

Because of their slight elevation, hammocks rarely flood. Acids from decaying plants dissolve the limestone around each tree island, creating a natural moat that protects the hammock plants from fire. Shaded from the sun by the tall trees, ferns and airplants thrive in the moisture-laden air inside the hammock. A fern is any one of a group of about 20000 Species of Plants classified in the phylum or division Pteridophyta, also known as Filicophyta The Plant genus Tillandsia, a member of the Bromeliad family (Bromeliaceae is found in the Deserts Forests and Mountains

Hammocks are one of the habitats found in the Florida Everglades. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. Everglades is also the name of a city in Collier County Florida

References

Everglades National Park Habitats page (public domain)

An Ecological Characterization of Coastal Hammock Islands in South Carolina

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