You are standing in a small, swampy Sabal Palm hammock. Hammocks form in areas where fire is rare and large trees shade the ground. They are important areas for wildlife to shelter from the daytime heat. The Sabal Palm grows well in drought or deluge but the presence of the Giant Leather Fern indicates that this is a low-lying area where the ground stays damp all year.
The Giant Leather Fern (Acrostichum danaeifolium), the largest of Florida's native ferns, is at its northern range here in Florida and grows in no other state. The leaves can grow to 12 ft long and, when reproductive, the underside of each leaflet is coated with tiny brown spore cases which makes the leaf look like suede. The Seminoles used the fronds for thatch and made a body rub from the leaflets that relieved fever. Giant Leather Fern grows in freshwater wetlands but also can tolerate salt well enough to be found in mangrove swamps. Another name for it is Mangrove Fern.
Look down on the path and you will see patches of plants with small, rounded succulent leaves and tiny pastel flowers. This is The Water Hysop (Bacopa monnieri) which you will see along the trail where it is damp or flooded. It is the source for the nutritional suppliment Bacopa. The Peacock Butterfly (Anartia jatrophae) uses the Water Hysop as a host plant for its caterpillars.
