ABSTRACT
Formerly, there was a forest along Florida’s eastern coast. The continuous canopy ranged from Key West to a little north of Cape Canaveral. This narrow strip of trees was composed of virtually all tropical taxa in the south, and an increasing number of temperate species toward the north. Yet, this whole length, from latitude 24°55″ to 29° N, contained torchwood, Amyris elemifera. From Key West, the same species grew south through the Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, the Lesser Antilles from St. Martin to St. Vincent, Grenadines, Grenada, and in Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. Curiously, it has never been found in Mexico.
