Brazillian_Pepper

Brazillian Pepper “The word ‘exotic’ has always called to mind visions of the fascinating, unusual, curious, sophisticated, and even the bizarre (Kramer, 1998:5). This term seems to allure people to investigate, comprehend, and even collect exotic paraphernalia-including plants. The phrase “exotic plant” does sound glamorous, but not to the native plants in Florida. Native plants live well with each other, sharing food, water, shelter, and space. When brought to a different environment these now non-native plants have trouble adapting with native plants. They take control of the space provided and begin to overcrowd the area, taking out many natives. Non-native species also lack natural controls such as disease and predation, which helps to keep a balance between species. Exotic plants were first introduced to south Florida in the late 1800s and the population of them has been increasing ever since (Public Affairs Office, 1997a, 1997b). Most nonindigenous plants feel welcomed in the Sunshine State’s partly tropical climate. They are able to stand the heavy rainfalls and Florida’s partial droughts (Kramer, 1998). One non-native species that has grown throughout south Florida, and has even been called the Florida Holly, is quickly spreading (Public Affairs Office, 1997b). The south Florida Water Management District surveyed an area brazilizn, plants, species, pepper, plant, florida, kramer, exotic, native, been, mangrove, tree, even, areas, south, public, office, management, disturbed, area, affairs, 1997b, water, towards, seeds, park, over, one, nonindigenous, non-native, invading, increasing, humans, hectares, funding, forests, florida’s, completely, birds, years, wildlife, white-tailed, vegetation, understory, tropical, tortoise, throughout, threat, taking, taken, surveyed