Within the Horne Wetlands Park and adjourning Edisto Memorial Gardens, there are many species of plants that are indigenous to the state of South Carolina or the East-Atlantic region of the United States. The study and classification of these plant species is termed as dendrology, or forest dendrology, within the science community.

<aside> <img src="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/d9e2fb48-fd34-4963-86a9-4371ce1787db/britannica.png" alt="https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/d9e2fb48-fd34-4963-86a9-4371ce1787db/britannica.png" width="40px" /> "Dendrology is defined as the study of the characteristics of trees, shrubs, lianas, and other woody plants. It is usually focused on the taxonomy of these plant species." - (Petruzzello, M., 2018)

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One of the most recognized trees within the Horne Wetlands Park is the Bald Cypress, or Swamp Cypress, that grows on the land as well as along the waterbed of the Edisto River. The Bald Cypress is one of the trees that is a trademark of the southeast United States and especially within South Carolina.

Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) trees located in the Edisto Memorial Gardens near the entrance of the Horne Wetlands park.

Needle-like leaves on the branches of the Bald Cypress tree along with some gray Spanish Moss hanging down.

Many of the other woody plants found within the Horne Wetlands Park have been introduced into the ecosystem from other countries for their visual appeal and use in parks or gardens, such as the Azalea bush. The Azaleas were brought over to the United States in the 1830s from their native lands of Asia, more specifically China and Japan.

Along with the numerous trees, shrubs and woody plants, there are a few invasive species that have been seen within the ecosystem throughout the past few years. One of the invasive species that was found during the exploration of the Horne Wetlands Park was the Wisteria Vine (Wisteria frutescens) which can be found in some Asian countries, southern Canada and eastern United States.

These plants have integrated into the local ecosystem and are now commonly found within the state or near the study area. The PowerPoint below includes more information on the different types of trees, shrubs and woody plants that were found within the Horne Wetlands Park in during an exploration study conducted in June 2021.

Dendrology Report for Horne Wetlands Park

Source

Fortey, R. (2016) Dendrology: The community of trees. Nature. 537, 306. doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/537306a

Petruzzello, M. (2018, August 20). Dendrology. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/dendrology

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/native-azaleas-natural-color-in-the-shade-garden/