Moist Forests
Moist forests are generally found in areas receiving about 45-55 inches of rain annually; usually at the high elevations or in valleys along the north shore of the island.

Trees found in the moist forests form canopies that can be 75 feet high or higher.

Common trees of the moist forest include genip, strangler fig, kapok, mango, hog plum, West Indian locust, bay rum, guavaberry and sandbox. Shade tolerant plants such as teyer palms, false coffee, sweet lime, anthuriums and bromeliads grow under the canopy.

Dry Forests
Dry forest vegetation is found predominantly on the western end of the island and in low-lying southern valleys.

Common dry forest trees include turpentine, mampoo, manjack, white cedar and West Indian birch. Lignum vitae once the dominant species in the dry forest, is now scarce as a result of over-forestation.

Cactus Scrub
Cactus scrub environments are found in the drier areas such as the East End.

Plants typically found in these locations include cacti such as prickly pear, barrel and pipe organ varieties, maran bush, guinea grass, century plants (agaves), acacia (casha bush), night blooming cereus, wild tamarind, catch-and-keep and wild frangipani.

Guts
When rain falls on the mountainous slopes of St. John, the surface and ground water travel downhill and collect in natural rocky drainage channels locally called “guts.” (Sometimes spelled “ghuts.”)

The guts run down the valley and empty into collecting basins that might be bays, salt ponds or mangrove forests. The land adjacent to guts is wetter and more fertile than other sections of the valley and are more lushly forested.

St. John USVI Environment: Inland Terrestrial Environments

Excerpted from St. John Off the Beaten Track © 2006 Gerald Singer