ABSTRACT
Almost as soon as I arrived in Florida, I began exploring areas that were still wild. In nearby ponds, I found a shrubby herb that had inconspicuous flowers. The stem was soft and corky, and I soon learned that it was corkwood. Old-timers in southeastern Florida told me that the stems floated nicely and made good corks for fishing. Alvin Wentworth Chapman had named the pond plants Stillingia aquatica (of wetlands) in 1860.
