Natural vegetation

Beard's 1949 work, The Natural Vegetation of the Windward and Leeward Islands discusses "seasonal formations". When the evaporation from freshwater ponds and streams and the transpiration from plants exceeds the rainfall, a drought begins to occur. This is estimated to be at around 4 inches of rainfall per month (Charter, 1941). If the period of drought is short, the vegetation will be little affected, but longer droughts, as are characteristic during the dry season December through June, will adversely affect the diversity of flora. As a result, the smaller Islands are represented by a Dry Thorn Scrub - Cactus - Legume Association at its best developed stage. The plants have leaves during the rainy season, and with the exception of a few species, are leafless during the dry season, hence the plant association Dry Deciduous Seasonal Forest.

Areas deforested and left to "old field succession" generally come back in pure stands depending on adjacent seed source, relief, and soils. Vegetative tufts of Croton, Cordia, or Leucaena can be found, as can Bauhinia ungula and Cuidosolus ureus (Howard, 1950) (Beard, 1949). These forest type sub-climaxes are found primarily on the leeward side of the Islands.

On the windward side of the Islands, Coccoloba uvifera, Hippomane manchinella and Cocos nucifera are found on the beaches on the moist lowlands which descend to sea level. On the slopes which begin from the wave cut cliffs, the contorted, wind sheared and salt sprayed growth of Randia aculeata, Tabebuia pallida, Coccoloba caribaea, and various species of Capparis predominate. Opuntia dilleiri and Agave caribaeicola are found on the most extreme rocky steep cliffs. More inland the typical spiny Acacia - Albizzia - Pithecellobium Association may be identified.

Dominants in the open woodland are Bursera simaruba, Brosimum alicastrum, Pisonia fragrans, Ficus lentiginosa, in order of frequency.

Three epiphytic air plants are noted. These are Aechmea lingulata, Tillandsia utriculata and Tillandsia flexuosa. The latter two are in the pineapple family.

Two rare and unusual plants found on Carriacou are Morisonia americana or jumbie sapodilla and Lemna perpusilla which has been found growing on the surface of ponds.