<P> Some of the driest land in the Everglades is pineland (also called pine rockland) ecosystem, located in the highest part of the Everglades with little to no hydroperiod . Some floors, however, may have flooded solution holes or puddles for a few months at a time . The most significant feature of the pineland is the single species of South Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii). Pineland communities require fire to maintain them, and the trees have several adaptations that simultaneously promote and resist fire . The sandy floor of the pine forest is covered with dry pine needles that are highly flammable . South Florida slash pines are insulated by their bark to protect them from heat . Fire eliminates competing vegetation on the forest floor, and opens pine cones to germinate seeds . A period without significant fire can turn pineland into a hardwood hammock as larger trees overtake the slash pines . The understory shrubs in pine rocklands are the fire - resistant saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto), and West Indian lilac (Tetrazygia bicolor). The most diverse group of plants in the pine community are the herbs, of which there are two dozen species . These plants contain tubers and other mechanisms that allow them to sprout quickly after being charred . </P> <P> Prior to urban development of the South Florida region, pine rocklands covered approximately 161,660 acres (654.2 km) in Miami - Dade County . Within Everglades National Park, 19,840 acres (80.3 km) of pine forests are protected, but outside the park, 1,780 acres (7.2 km) of pine communities remained as of 1990, averaging 12.1 acres (49,000 m) in area . The misunderstanding of the role of fire also played a part in the disappearance of pine forests in the area, as natural fires were put out and pine rocklands transitioned into hardwood hammocks . Prescribed fires occur in Everglades National Park in pine rocklands every three to seven years . </P> <P> Cypress swamps can be found throughout the Everglades, but the largest covers most of Collier County . The Big Cypress Swamp is located to the west of the sawgrass prairies and sloughs, and it is commonly called "The Big Cypress ." The name refers to its area rather than the height or diameter of the trees; at its most conservative estimate, the swamp measures 1,200 square miles (3,100 km), but the hydrologic boundary of The Big Cypress can be calculated at over 2,400 square miles (6,200 km). Most of The Big Cypress sits atop a bedrock covered by a thinner layer of limestone . The limestone underneath the Big Cypress contains quartz, which creates sandy soil that hosts a variety of vegetation different from what is found in other areas of the Everglades . The basin for The Big Cypress receives on average 55 inches (140 cm) of water in the wet season . </P> <P> Though The Big Cypress is the largest growth of cypress swamps in South Florida, cypress swamps can be found near the Atlantic Coastal Ridge and between Lake Okeechobee and the Eastern flatwoods, as well as in sawgrass marshes . Cypresses are deciduous conifers that are uniquely adapted to thrive in flooded conditions, with buttressed trunks and root projections that protrude out of the water, called "knees". Bald cypress trees grow in formations with the tallest and thickest trunks in the center, rooted in the deepest peat . As the peat thins out, cypresses grow smaller and thinner, giving the small forest the appearance of a dome from the outside . They also grow in strands, slightly elevated on a ridge of limestone bordered on either side by sloughs . Other hardwood trees can be found in cypress domes, such as red maple, swamp bay, and pop ash . If cypresses are removed, the hardwoods take over, and the ecosystem is recategorized as a mixed swamp forest . </P>

The dominant vegetation in an everglades slough includes