The Pine Rockland Ecosystem
South Florida’s pine rockland plant community is a unique mix of tropical and temperate species. With high biodiversity, pine rocklands support over 400 native plant species and dozens of native animal species. Some of these species are endemic, meaning they are found nowhere else in the world.
A Vanishing Ecosystem
Historically, the pine rocklands of Miami were found on the Miami Rock Ridge, extending continuously from downtown Miami south and west into Everglades National Park, covering a total of 185,000 acres. Today, less than 2% of pine rocklands remain in urban Miami-Dade County, outside of the National Park.
Pine rocklands are also found in:
- Monroe County (especially Big Pine Key)
- Collier County (Big Cypress National Preserve)
- The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands
They are considered critically imperiled globally by the Florida Natural Areas Inventory due to:
- Extreme rarity
- Vulnerability to extinction
- Development (homes, roads, farms, nurseries)
- Invasive species that displace native plants and animals
- Fragmentation, which reduces gene flow and natural fire regimes
Animals endemic to Florida pine rocklands
- Bartram’s hairstreak*
- Big Pine conehead katydid
- Florida leafwing*
- Key deer
- Key rice rat
- Key ringneck snake
- Keys short-winged conehead katydid
- Lower Keys rabbit
- Miami tiger beetle*
Plants endemic to Florida pine rocklands
- Big Pine partridge pea
- Blodgett’s wild mercury
- Brickell bush
- Carter’s flax
- Crenulate lead plant
- Deltoid spurge
- Florida prairie clover
- Goulds wedge sandmat
- Keys wedge sandmat
- Pineland poinsettia
- Pineland lantana
- Pineland sandmat
- Rocklands noseburn
- Sand flax
- Small’s milkpea
*Species marked with an asterisk are exclusive to pine rocklands.
How You Can Help
- Join the Native Plant Network (formerly Connect to Protect) and encourage friends, schools, or businesses to participate.
- Support land preservation and prescribed fire efforts.
- Volunteer with Miami-Dade’s Environmentally Endangered Lands Program.
- Visit a pine rockland in your area:
- Rockdale Preserve
- Larry & Penny Thompson Park
- Long Pine Key in Everglades National Park
- Learn more by exploring resources at: