sclerophyll character slowly declines and more tree species from the tropics (specifically, the Caribbean and Mesoamerica) increase as the temperate species decline. As such, the southeastern laurel forests gives way to a mixed landscape of tropical savanna and tropical rainforest. There are several different broadleaved evergreen canopy trees in the laurel forests of the southeastern United States. In some areas, the evergreen forests are dominated by species of Live oak (Quercus virginiana), Laurel oak (Quercus hemisphaerica), southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), red bay (Persea borbonia), cabbage palm (Sabal palmetto), and sweetbay magnolia (Magnolia virginiana). In several areas on the barrier islands, a stunted Quercus geminata or mixed Q. geminata and Quercus virginiana forest dominates, with a dense evergreen understory of scrub palm Serenoa repens and a variety of vines, including Bignonia capreolata, as well as Smilax and Vitis species'''. Gordonia lasianthus, Ilex opaca and Osmanthus americanus also may occur as canopy co-dominant in coastal dune forests, with Cliftonia monophylla and Vaccinium arboreum as a dense evergreen understory (Box and Fujiwara 1988). The lower shrub layer of the evergreen forests is often mixed with other evergreen species from the palm family (Rhapidophyllum hystrix), bush palmetto (Sabal minor), and saw palmetto (Serenoa repens), and several species in the Ilex family, including Ilex glabra, Dahoon holly, and Yaupon holly. In many areas, Cyrilla racemiflora, Lyonia fruticosa, wax myrtle Myrica is present as an evergreen understory. Several species of Yucca and Opuntia are native as well to the drier sandy coastal scrub environment of the region, including Yucca aloifolia, Yucca filamentosa, Yucca gloriosa, and Opuntia stricta. Ancient California During the Miocene, oak-laurel forests were found in Central and Southern California. Typical tree species included oaks ancestral to present-day California oaks, as well as an assemblage of trees from the Laurel family, including Nectandra, Ocotea, Persea, and Umbellularia.Michael G. Barbour, Todd Keeler-Wolf, Allan A. Schoenherr (2007). Terrestrial vegetation of California. Berkeley: University of California Press, , p. 56 Only one native species from the Laurel family (Lauraceae), Umbellularia californica, remains in California today. There are however, several areas in Mediterranean California, as well as isolated areas of southern Oregon that have evergreen forests. Several species of evergreen Quercus forests occur, as well as a mix of evergreen scrub typical of Mediterranean climates. Species of Notholithocarpus, Arbutus menziesii, and Umbellularia californica can be canopy species in several areas. Central America The laurel forest is the most common