Okefenokee Swamp Education and Information Center

Welcome to the Okefenokee Natural Garden. The Okefenokee Swamp is covered with cypress, blackgum and bay forests scattered throughout a flooded prairie made up of grasses, sedges and various aquatic plants. The peripheral upland and the almost 70 islands within the swamp are forested with pine interspersed with hardwood hammocks. Lakes of varying sizes and depths and floating sections of the peat bed are also a part of the Okefenokee terrain.

There are 621 species of plants growing in the swamp! You are likely to encounter carnivorous plants, such as pitcher plants and bladder worts, as well as cinnamon ferns, sphagnum moss and many other plants. As these plants partially decay, they accumulate in layers as peat on the sandy bottom of the swamp. By definition, part of the Okefenokee Swamp is not a swamp at all. It is actually a bog, a peat-accumulating wetland, which receives most of its water from rainfall.

Native Americans taught early European settlers to find both medicine and food from the plants growing in and around the Okefenokee. The swamp is a living grocery store and pharmacy if you only know where to look. This page will introduce you to a few of the important plants that are known in the Okefenokee Swamp.

Common North American White Water Lilly
(Nymphaea odorata)

Water Lilly c.1995 Michael E. Abrams

It is difficult to imagine a water hole of any size in the southern United States without a bed of water lilies and Lilly pad (leaves) floating at the water's edge; anchored in the soft bottom below. The "pads" provide critical shade for game fish as well as ideal hunting grounds. Smaller fish, insects, crayfish, and frogs thrive in a bed of lilies due to the shelter afforded and the continuous food supply available. A hungry traveler can always find food, or at least find fish bait in the swamp. Simply watching the egret and heron will serve as testimony to the bounty of the water lilly.

Golden Club / Neverwet
(Orontium aquaticum)

Never Wet c.1995 Michael E. Abrams

The waxy leaves of the perennial herb, Golden Club, repel water like new paint, giving this plant the "nickname" of Neverwet. Yellow bunched flowers bloom in late spring and dot the prairies of the Okefenokee late into July. Later in the year, the Golden Club yields an expected harvest of large seeds for the wintering wood ducks. These seeds can be boiled up into a respectable pot of "swamp peas".

Swamp Willow
(Salix caroliniana)

The inner bark and leaves of many willows, including the bark of the swamp willow, yields the medicinal extract, salicin (salicylic acid). This chemical is the active ingredient in common aspirin. Native Americans chewed or boiled tea from the leaves and inner bark of this medicinal tree to relieve fever, and minor pain from toothache, arthritis, and headache. The willow is a sturdy and well anchored tree growing at water's edge. Willow branches also provide straight and sturdy shafts for making arrows. One of Willow's nicknames around the Okefenokee is the "toothache tree".

Hooded Pitcher Plant
(Sarracenia minor)

Hooded Pitcher Plants c.1995 Jim Bickerstaff

One of Okefenokee's carnivorous plants, the hooded pitcher plant feeds mostly on insects that are lured to the sticky trap in the bottom of "pitcher" shaped leaf. Pitchers are very sensitive to disturbances in their environment and are classified as "unusual" in the state of Georgia to regulate commercial activity in swampy habitat.

Saw Palmetto
(Serenoa repens)

Saw Palmetto c.1995 Jim Bickerstaff

An extremely important plant in the pine forests of Okefenokee, the Saw Palmetto provides a plentiful source of fire tinder, vegetable food for humans, and shelter from the rain. The leaves of the palmetto can be used as "shingles" for the roof of a temporary shelter. The fiber protecting the inner bark of the plant remains dry inside the tight outer shield making a ready source of fire starting material, even during wet weather. Cutting deeper into the palmetto, the heart can be extracted to provide a quality food source. Fat berries are produced on the plant during autumn, a favorite of the Okefenokee's black bear population. A recent visitor to the Natural Garden requested information on the use of Saw Palmetto Berries as medicine to treat prostate disorders. In researching this information on the World Wide Web, we discovered the following URLs that may be of interest:

Natural Treatments for Prostate Problems - Dr. Glenn S. Rothfeld, M.D. describes natural treatments for prostate problems. Very informative.
Herbs from A to Z - Retail supply house for herbal medications.

Sassafras
(Sassafras)

Sassafras c.1995 A. J. Anderson

Also found on the higher ground (hammock) areas of the piney woods is the Sassafras tree. The roots and bark of the Sassafras give off a distinctive and pleasant scent. Historically, the root has been used in a tea to control an array of maladies, including fever and kidney disorders.

Old Time Recipe:
Scrub and cut the Sassafras root into pieces. Place the pieces into a pot of water (1 gal.).Simmer until the tea has a yellowish-red hue, a rich smell, and a pleasing taste. A pound of roots will make 4 quarts of tea. Drink as is or thin with milk or cream. Add sugar to sweeten.

Many of the photos here are on loan by Michael Abrams.
For more of his work, please visit the Florida Wildflowers site.
The Georgia Wildlife Federation has a more extensive listing of flowers in the Okefenokee.

Back to Okefenokee Swamp Education and Information Center

Golden Club / Neverwet (Orontium aquaticum)

Swamp Willow (Salix caroliniana)

Hooded Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia minor)

Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens)