Shrub Zone

Shrub Zone / Shrub Forest
.....As the soil conditions on the beach further improve, woody shrubs such as the wax myrtle begin to appear. The cover produced by these plants begins to shade out many of the meadow plants. As the woody plants of the shrub zone begin to proliferate, the area gradually succeeds into a shrub forest. Vines soon begin to weave their way through the shrubs, making this area a well protected habitat for barrier island wildlife. Due to the lack of an obvious boundary between the shrub zone and shrub forest, I have combined the plants from both zones on this page. Click on a plant image to see a higher resolution image. All plant illustrations on this page are courtesy of Taylor Schoettle's A Guide to a Georgia Barrier Islands. Click here for ordering and contact info.
		Common Name: Catbrier Linnaeus Classification: Smilax sp. Description: vine w/ shiny leaf, thorns and black berry
		Common Name: Pepper-Vine Linnaeus Classification: Ampelopsis arborea Description: vine w/ many leaflets, black berry
		Common Name: Muscadine Grape Linnaeus Classification: Vitis rotundifolia Description: vine w/ grapes
		Common Name: Red Bay Linnaeus Classification: Persea borbonia Description: small tree w/ aromatic leaf
		Common Name: Virginia Creeper Linnaeus Classification: Parthenocissus quinquefolia Description: vine w/ five leaflets per leaf
		Common Name: Hercules' Club Linnaeus Classification: Xanthoxylem clava-herculis Description: pointed warty growth on bark and thorns
		Common Name: Wax Myrtle Linnaeus Classification: Myrica cerifera Description: shrub w/ aromatic clusters of small grey berries
		Common Name: Yaupon Holly Linnaeus Classification: Ilex vomitoria Description: shrub w/ shiny evergreen leaf, red berry in winter
		Common Name: Buckthorn Linnaeus Classification: Bumelia lycoides Description: small tree w/ thorns among whorls of leaves