Weeks Bay Reserve, Alabama

Flora (Plant Life)

Fish River, Magnolia River and several small tidal streams in the Weeks Bay area are bordered by a forested wetland type known as bay, tupelo, cypress swamp. The vegetation of these swamps varies depending partly on the amount and duration of flooding. If flooding is extensive, pond cypress and swamp tupelo may dominate the canopy. Red maple, swamp tupelo, swamp bay and tulip may also occur there. White cedar becomes increasingly more common in swamps along upper reaches of streams, especially along Fish and Magnolia rivers. Few plants live under the dense shade of these trees, some of the exceptions being Virginia willow, star anise and fetterbrush.

The more open borders of these swampy woods may be covered by dense thickets of swamp cyrilla, black titi and large gallberry. The transition zone between these forested wetlands and the upland pine-oak forests supports plants adapted to somewhat better drainage conditions, such as water oak and laurel oak. The shoreline of Weeks Bay supports marshes dominated by salt tolerant herbs and grass-like plants, with black needlerush dominating portions of the marsh in the area.

Two species of cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora and S. cynosuroides) are locally abundant in the intertidal zone. Other frequent species are salt grass, saltmeadow cordgrass, salt marsh aster, marsh gardenia and sea lavender. Submerged grassbeds have decreased over the decades. Remaining grassbeds are dominated by four species. The most abundant is widgeon grass. Other species are Eurasian waterfoil, tapegrass and slender pondweed.