Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Potential Natural Vegetation Group: Palmetto Prairie

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Palmetto prairie, also called dry prairie, is a mostly treeless grass dominated community that occupies broad flat regions where fire is very frequent because there are no major natural fire barriers. Interspersed throughout the community are areas occupied by wet prairie, ephemeral depression ponds, marshes, flatwoods, and mesic hammocks. Soils are sandy, poorly to somewhat poorly drained, acidic, and nutrient poor. The subtropical climate of the region has a pronounced wet and dry season. During the wet season the water table often is at or above the soil surface, while during the dry season it is a meter or more below the surface. The diverse ground cover is dominated by wiregrass (Aristida beyrichiana) with scattered saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) and patches of runner oak (Quercus minima). Other common plants include bottlebrush three awn (A. spiciformis), broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus), fetterbush (Lyonia lucida), rusty lyonia (L. fruiticosa), dwarf blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinities), and yelloweyed grasses (Xyris spp.)

Citation

Outcalt, Kenneth W. 2004. Potential Natural Vegetation Group: Palmetto Prairie. In: Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) Interagency Handbook Reference Conditions, May 18, 2005, 1-8
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/21265