ABSTRACT
A hammock is a localized, mature hardwood forest. By hardwood, the distinction is made that broad-leaf trees are prevalent, as opposed to pines, which normally have softer wood. The term hammock is of uncertain origin, but it may have been derived from a Seminole Indian word that means house or home, and many hammocks were used by Seminoles as encampments. In southern Florida, hammocks occur in marshes, pinelands, mangrove swamps, and the upstream heads of the larger tree islands of the Shark River Slough. In order for hammocks to exist, the ground must be high enough so that seasonal flooding does not occur.
