Physiognomy and Structure: No Data Available

Floristics: These woodlands have an open to sparse canopy dominated by Taxodium ascendens, with or without Nyssa biflora, Pinus taeda, Pinus serotina, Liquidambar styraciflua, and other wetland trees or shrubs; rarely lacking a canopy. Shrubs include Ilex amelanchier, Eubotrys racemosa (= Leucothoe racemosa), Cyrilla racemiflora, and Lyonia lucida. The herb stratum may be dominated by Woodwardia virginica. Other important herbs include Panicum hemitomon, Panicum verrucosum, Dichanthelium spp., Saccharum alopecuroides (= Erianthus alopecuroides), Carex striata (= Carex walteriana), Woodwardia virginica, Rhynchospora inundata, Rhynchospora tracyi, Rhynchospora corniculata, other Rhynchospora spp., Scleria muehlenbergii (= Scleria reticularis var. pubescens), Andropogon virginicus, Eleocharis melanocarpa, Lachnanthes caroliana, Leersia hexandra, Boltonia sp., Sagittaria isoetiformis, Utricularia inflata, and Pluchea rosea (Schafale and Weakley 1990).

Dynamics:  These communities are apparently dependent on a combination of flooding and fire to maintain their open savanna structure. After several years without flooding due to drought, young pine and hardwoods begin to invade many sites. It remains to be seen if subsequent flooding in wetter years will eliminate them. Cypress savannas undoubtedly burned periodically under natural conditions, and this would have helped restrict the establishment of woody species. The frequency of natural burning is not known. Because the natural fire season was primarily in the summer when bays are often dry, cypress savannas may have burned fairly frequently. Peroni (1988) found that the physiognomy of cypress savannas had remained relatively constant for the past 50 years despite grazing and lack of fire.