Botanical Study of the Five Islands of Louisiana

Along the gulf coast in Louisiana and Texas are a number of curious geological structures that are upthrust above the surrounding lowlands and are referred to geologically as salt domes. Five of these, known as the “Five Islands,” lie in a more or less straight line about 47 miles long, running approximately northwest and southeast across the central gulf coast of Louisiana (Fig. 1). The Five Islands, one of which attains a height of more than 150 feet, are of particular interest ecologically inasmuch as they offer a wide variety of habitats not otherwise afforded in this vast level region of marshlands and prairie terraces.