Flatwoods

Flatwoods, pineywoods, pine savannas and longleaf pine-wiregrass ecosystem are terms that refer to an ecological community in the Southeastern coastal plain of North America. Flatwoods are an ecosystem maintained by wildfire or prescribed fire and are dominated by longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), and slash pine (Pinus elliotii) in the tree canopy and saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), gallberry (Ilex glabra) and other flammable evergreen shrubs in the understory, along with a high diversity of herb species. It was once one of the dominant ecosystem types of southeastern North America [1]. Although grasses and pines are characteristic of this system, the precise composition changes from west to east, that is, from Texas to Florida. In Louisiana, savannas even differ between the east and west side of the Mississippi River. The key factor maintaining this habitat type is recurring fire. Without fire, the habitat is rapidly invaded by other species of woody plants.

A number of rare and endangered animals are typical of this habitat including red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis), gopher tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus), frosted flatwoods salamanders (Ambystoma cingulatum), and striped newts (Notophthalmus perstriatus). Many rare and usual herbaceous plants are found here, particularly orchids (e.g. Calopogon species, Pogonia ophioglossoides), sedges (e.g. Rhynchospora species) and carnivorous plants (e.g. Sarracenia species).

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