The Pterocarpus Forest at Palmas del Mar, a unique 51-acre Pterocarpus swamp forest nature preserve opened in March 2013 with the installation of the first 510 feet of its new boardwalk. This is one of the largest known swamp Forest in Puerto Rico and serves as habitat to 44 species of flora and 52 species of fauna, of which 13 are considered endemic. The Forest grows in an area permanently flooded by fresh water and its predominant specie in this type of wetland is the Pterocarpus tree, commonly known in Spanish as "palo de pollo". The tree may grow more than 65 feet tall, with large buttress type roots that allow it to grow in flooded soil.
