The trees of Cumberland Island have stood witness to centuries of cultural and natural history. Their resiliency through periods of logging, wildfire, disease, and hurricanes has shaped the forest we see today. From the Mocoma people to today’s visitors, people have lived and played under the canopy. You can enjoy the presence of the wise trees of Cumberland Island, too! Scroll for an introduction to a few species you may encounter and check out the video below to learn how to identify a few trees on Cumberland Island.

Southern Live Oak

Quercus Virginiana
Fittingly named Georgia’s state tree, the Southern live oak is a visitor favorite on Cumberland Island. Reaching heights of 60-80 feet with elaborately curved branches stretching 120 feet in any direction, this tree leaves a lasting impression. The thick, oval shaped leaves are dark green on top and pale green underneath. Most oak species are deciduous (drop their leaves in fall) but the live oak is semi-evergreen to evergreen. This means that instead of losing its leaves in the fall it holds on to them throughout the entire year. Looking down at the forest floor you are likely to see live oak acorns that are oval shaped, about ¾ inch long, and a rich brown color. The popular saying, “live oaks take a hundred years to grow, a hundred years to live, and a hundred years to die,” attests to the species’ lifespan than can be measured in centuries.

Common associates of live oak trees add even more character to the landscape. Upon taking your first steps on the island you’ll notice the silvery-grey Spanish moss draped from live oak branches. Spanish moss is a native epiphyte that absorbs water from the air via its hair-like scales and aerial roots. Along the trunk and branches you’ll notice dense patches of resurrection ferns. As the name hints, in dry weather the ferns crinkle up and turn brown until they are “resurrected” with the next rain allowing them to perk up and turn vibrant green.

A common question we get asked is, “where is the oldest tree on the island?” In order to determine the age of a tree you must count the annual rings. An incremental borer is a tool used to extract a sample from a tree to count the rings without having to cut the tree down. While no survey has been conducted to determine the age of trees on Cumberland Island, we are quite confident in guessing it would be one of the long-lived, live oaks.

Southern Magnolia

Magnolia grandiflora
Southern magnolia is a broadleaf evergreen native to Cumberland Island. It can grow up to 80 feet tall and tends to have a columnar form as it is much taller than it is wide. The thick, waxy leaves are shiny green on top with a fuzzy, rusty colored underside and can be up to 8 inches long. The splotchy grey bark is smooth but develops scaly plates as the tree matures. Southern magnolia is Florida’s state tree.

Perhaps the best time to enjoy southern magnolias is late spring and throughout summer when the fuzzy, pale green flower buds bloom. Large 8-inch diameter flowers are noticeable by their bright white color and fragrant smell. As flowering season comes to an end, fuzzy brown cones develop and ripen to reveal vibrant red seeds that are a great food source for birds and other wildlife throughout winter. You can find these fuzzy brown cones on the ground throughout winter and early spring.

One of the best places to see southern magnolia is near Dungeness. You will find a few of these tall, beautiful trees scattered along the sides of the main road as it approaches the gates of the Dungeness mansion. Follow the dirt road to the left and you’ll walk along an avenue lined with southern magnolias. The intentional planting of this species speaks to the Carnegie family’s appreciation for its aesthetic beauty.

Redbay

Persea borbonia

Redbay is a medium sized evergreen found in the maritime forests of Cumberland Island. While it can grow to be 30-50 feet tall, most are 15-25 feet as they grow under the live oak canopy. The thick, leathery leaves are dark green and 2-6 inches long. Redbay bark is reddish brown with irregular furrows and flat ridges. The buds are small, smooth, and shaped like a Hershey’s kiss. Fruit develops in the summer in bunches of small green drupes and ripens in late fall to a dark blue color. Redbay fruit holds on throughout winter providing ample food source for birds on the island.

Are you familiar with the common household seasoning, bay leaf? If you tear a fresh redbay leaf in half and give it a good whiff you’ll notice it has a nice, spiced scent. However, the leaf used to season your food doesn’t actually come from a redbay tree. It comes from the sweet bay (Laurus nobilis)! Both species are closely related and in the family Lauraceae.

Redbay trees in the southeastern US, including on Cumberland Island, are threatened by laurel wilt, a fungal disease rapidly spread by the invasive redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborous glabratus) from Asia. The female beetles are smaller than a tick and can fly. They burrow holes in the wood of live redbay trees to lay their eggs which introduces the fungus to the tree’s vascular system leaving it unable to uptake water and nutrients. This is a pretty serious concern because infected trees usually die within two years, with some documented cases of trees dying within 4 weeks. Researchers regularly visit the island to assess the spread of the disease.

Wax Myrtle

Myrica cerifera

As you emerge from the maritime forest along the Sea Camp boardwalk, the view opens to vast rolling sand dunes. Wax myrtle is a native shrub species inhabiting the dunes that you are sure to encounter. Its round form is usually 10-20 feet tall with branches spreading equally wide. A dense shield of evergreen foliage hides multiple twisted trunks with smooth gray bark. The 2-4 inch oblong leaves range from dark green to a lighter yellow green at the branch tips. Along the branches of female waxmyrtles you’ll see clusters of tiny grey-blue berries that are a good food source for birds. The sand dunes are a very extreme environment, but wax myrtle can survive because it has adapted to be salt tolerant and thrive in full sun.

For centuries, wax myrtle has been a fruitful resource for people. Native Americans used its medicinal properties to treat headaches, sore throats, and dysentery. They also crushed the leaves to rub on their bodies as insect repellent. If you’ve spent time in southern Georgia, you know the importance of insect repellent!

Wax myrtle berries, also known as bayberries, can be used to make candles. The properties of the berries give the candles a nice fragrance and flammability. Wax can be collected from the berries by boiling them in water. While it takes a couple pounds of the tiny berries to make enough wax, the aroma can be worth it. Remember, waxmyrtle is a protected resource on the island so no collecting berries here.

Rusty staggerbrush

Lyonia ferruginea

Rusty staggerbrush is one of the most common understory trees on Cumberland Island. It is noticeable by its unique grey bark which has long vertical furrows and narrow ridges. The trunk can be single or multi-stemmed and curvy. This species gets its name from the rusty colored pubescence (fuzziness from small hairs) on the twigs, buds, and leaf undersides. The evergreen leaves are simple with entire margins and usually 2-3 inches long. As new leaves emerge in the spring, they are light green with orange hues and stand out from the rest until they mature.

On Cumberland Island, many rusty staggerbrush trees have lichen growing on their bark. Lichen is a symbiotic relationship (two organisms working together) between an alga and a fungus. The alga turn energy from the sun into food for the fungus which, in return, provides protection from the elements for the alga. Bubblegum lichen is a common species found on rusty staggerbrush trees on the island. It gets its name from its bright pink color! Bubblegum lichen only grows where there is excellent air quality, so while you are sure to see it on the island you probably won't see it in the city.

Rusty staggerbrush grows throughout the maritime forest, but one of the most accessible places to view them is along the Sea Camp trail. The bark is its most distinctive feature and will likely be the first thing you notice that makes you say, “I found one!” Make sure to take a closer look at the rusty colored twig to confirm its identity. Once you get familiar with rusty staggerbrush you’ll see it all along the trail from the Sea Camp dock to the campground.