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Congaree National Park (S.C.)

Set in South Carolina, the Congaree Swamp is a national treasure. Housed in more than 22,000 acres, it is one of the best and last remaining examples of a mature forested floodplain. Numbers of plants, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals live in this pristine environment. Congaree Swamp was designated as a National Monument in 1976 and became a part of the International Man and Biosphere Program, preserving genetic diversity. In 2003, the swamp received the honor of becoming a National Park, thus becoming the first and only National Park in South Carolina.

The National Park is located on the floodplain between the Upper and Middle Coastal Plain provinces in South Carolina. Approximately 10 times a year, the swamp floods providing essential nutrients for plant and wild life growth stimulation. Mountain rivers from North and South Carolina help feed the swamp and contribute to the flood process from melting snow in the spring.

Resource Type
Cinnamon Fern | Congaree National Park (S.C.)

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Cinnamon Fern | Congaree National Park (S.C.)
• Osmunda cinnamomea • Has rusty-woolly stalks • Grows in arching circular clusters • Pinnately compound leaves with brown fuzzy undersides • In the center of the fronds, a tall, brown, fertile frond...
Broad Headed Skink | Congaree National Park (S.C.)

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Broad Headed Skink | Congaree National Park (S.C.)
• Eumeces laticeps • Diurnal reptile • 14 - 21.6 cm (5.5 - 8.5 inches) • Black or brown skink, adults may be uniform brown • Five narrow light stripes including dorsal stripe along fourth or fifth...
Bald Cypress | Congaree National Park (S.C.)

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Bald Cypress | Congaree National Park (S.C.)
• Taxodium distichum • Only deciduous southern conifer • Height to 150 feet with diameter to 12 feet • Light and feathery foliage • Frilly leaves • A conifer that sheds leaves all at once • Horizontal...
American Beech | Congaree National Park (S.C.)

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American Beech | Congaree National Park (S.C.)
• Fagus grandifolia • Tall tree grows to 60 - 80 feet with 2 - 3 foot diameter • Distinctive, smooth gray bark • Long, slender many-scaled buds • Egg-shaped and coarse-toothed leaves 3 - 6 inches •...