CLIMAX COMMUNITIES : PRESENT DISTRIBUTION 257 



except for a few characteristic herbs. These include Euphorbia 

 ipecacuanhae, Jatropha stimulosa, Stipulicida setacea, Polygonella 

 polygama and Selaginella acanthonota. 272 



Undrained, shallow depressions in savannahs form upland bogs 

 or pocosins, sometimes acres in extent, in which evergreen shrubs 

 predominate. Ilex glabra, Myrica cerifera, Cyrilla racemiflora, 



Fig. 129. Southern white cedar bog (Chamaecy parts thyoides) in New- 

 Jersey. Note well-drained site.— U. S. Forest Service 



Persea borbonia, P. pubescens, Magnolia virginiana, and Gordonia 

 lasianthus are representative of the numerous tall shrubs or small 

 trees. With them are usually a large number of ericaceous shrubs 

 of smaller size. All are commonly overgrown with lianas, of which 

 Smilax laurifolia is most abundant. The presence of Pinus rigida 

 serotina in the bogs explains its name of pocosin pine. Sphagnum 

 is the usual ground cover. 



It is at the margins of pocosins and in wet savannahs in North 

 Carolina that the venus fly trap (Dionaea muscipirta) is found, 

 sometimes in great abundance but never continuously over an ex- 

 tensive area. With it several other insectivorous plants may occur. 

 Species of Sarracenia, Drosera, and Pinguicula are common. 



The hammocks of Florida, in contrast with pocosins, are mesic 



