414 Harper : On the Flora of South Georgia 



The average annual temperature of Americus is 68° F., with 

 the following averages for the four seasons : spring, 68°; sum- 



& ~* ^*~t> 



mer, 8i°; autumn, 69 ; winter, 54 . The average rainfall is for 

 spring, 13 inches; summer, 16; autumn, 8; winter, 10 ; total 

 for the year, 47. It will be noticed that over one third of the 

 total annual precipitation occurs in the summer, a fact which, no 

 doubt, has its effect on the character of the flora. 



Of the numerous floral and agricultural regions into which 

 South Georgia is divided, I have noticed but two principal ones in 

 Sumter County : the red-clay hill region and the pine-barren re- 

 gion. The former seems to correspond with the Lower Eocene 

 formation and the latter with the Middle Eocene. The red-clay 

 hills form a belt extending across the northwestern part of the 

 county, and consist of low, rounded ridges, with broad valleys 

 between them. The pine-barrens are in the southeastern part, 

 and are almost perfectly level throughout. Both regions, like 



* 



the whole of South Georgia, are characterized by the scarcity of 

 surface rocks, the few that do occur being in the form of small 

 boulders or pebbles. 



The city of Americus lies near the dividing line between these 

 two regions, so that I had equal facilities for studying both. With 

 the exception of two trips into Dooly County, on the east, and one 

 each into Schley and Macon Counties on the north, my botanical 

 operations during these three summers were confined to Sumter 

 County. This vicinity is remarkable for the large number of coast 

 plants which here reach their inland limits, 125 miles from the 

 Gulf coast and about 200 from the Atlantic. The region I ex- 

 plored is nearly all north oHat. 3 2° N. and west of long. 84 W., 

 and at a higher altitude and, of course, farther inland than any 

 point in Florida. 



In a preceding number of the Bulletin I have mentioned 



the great difference between the floras of Middle and South 

 Georgia. Probably less than one half of the species of sper- 

 matophytes in Clarke County are common to Sumter .County. 

 On comparing the two floras we find the same kind of differ- 

 ences between them as are said to exist between temperate and 

 tropical regions. In South Georgia the species seem to be more 

 numerous and the individual plants fewer and farther apart (this 



