40 THE VEGETATION OF THE UNITED STATES. 



are much richer in deciduous broad-leaved associates. In the pine 

 forests of New Jersey the floor is extremely shrubby, and this is often 

 the case as far south as South Carolina. In southern Georgia and the 

 Gulf region the floor is much more open. In both of these cases it is 

 difficult to decide how much the normal conditions may have been 

 disturbed by fire and by clearing. Under present conditions, at least, 

 the Gulf pinelands present a very clean floor, closely carpeted by 

 grasses, palmetto, pitcher-plants, and a multitude of other herbaceous 

 species. Along the branches and other depressions there is a dense 

 stand of shrubbery and a sHghtly different type of forest. 



The half dozen species of pine which dominate the different sections 

 of the Southeastern Mesophytic Evergreen Forest are very similar in 

 their appearance, and there is consequently a general resemblance 

 between the pinelands of the entire Coastal Plain. In Long Island and 

 New Jersey the scrub pine (Pinus rigida) is the dominant species, and 

 is scarcely found elsewhere in this forest. In Maryland, Virginia, and 

 North Carolina the loblolly pine (Pinus tceda) is the leading species, 

 while in peninsular Florida the Cuban pine {Pinus carihea) is the chief 

 form. Throughout the remaining major portion of the forest the long- 

 leaf pine (Pinus palustris) is always the dominant tree, or at least 

 abundantly represented in company with the loblolly pine. Through- 

 out the Gulf region the slash pine (Pinus heterophylla) is found in moist 

 soils and the pond pine (Pinus elliottii) in wet soils. Throughout the 

 interior portions of this forest the shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata) is a 

 characteristic tree, seldom found in company with the longleaf pine. 



In the northern and interior portions of the Southeastern Forest, the 

 broad-leaved deciduous oaks are frequent associates of the pines. 

 The post oak (Quercus minor) and the Spanish oak (Quercus digitata) 

 are common from Maryland to Texas, and the blue-jack oak (Quercus 

 brevifolia) and turkey oak (Quercus cateshcei) from Georgia to Missis- 

 sippi. The red gum (Liquidamhar styraciflua), the black gum (Nyssa 

 biflora), and the red maple (Acer rubrum) are also common broad- 

 leaved deciduous elements of this forest, although usually most com- 

 mon in poorly drained soil. From South Carolina to Texas the branches 

 and moist depressions of the forest are characterized by many ever- 

 green broad-leaved trees. Some of these are always evergreens, as 

 the magnolia (Magnolia grandifiora) and the live oak (Quercus virgin- 

 iana), while others are evergreen in the Gulf region and deciduous 

 further north, as the water-oak (Quercus nigra) and the laurel oak 

 (Quercus lourifolia). 



Throughout the portions of the area which are poorest in associated 

 deciduous trees there are a number of evergreen broad-leaved shrubs 

 which form a conspicuous element of the vegetation. The most notable 

 of these are the gallberry (Ilex glabra), the red bay (Persea Carolina), 

 the waxberry (Myrica caroliniana) , the ti-ti (Cliftonia monophylla), 



