12 PLANT LIFK (»F A I. A HAM A. 



rcrt'lil y»';U"s fl'oin Plot". M . C Wilson, of the Normal School iit F1(M'- 

 (Mice. Tlic lur«;(' collt'ctioiis mad*' in iM'ti. uiul in tin- early part of the 

 foUowiiii.'- season. Iiy the l)iol()«ifists o\' the Aericultiiial Kxi)erin)ent 

 Station, iindei- the auspices of the BioloLiieal Sur\ey of Alaltaina. con- 

 nected with the Aericultiiral and Mechanical College at Aiduirn. and 

 kindly sul)initted to the writer foi- examination attoi'ded many |)lants 

 fioui localities not I'epresented l)efore in the Normal Ilerltarium. 

 an<l from a section of the State of peculiai' interest to the student of 

 plant distribution, hut hei'etofore almost uid<nown to botanists. They 

 included a number of foi'uis not ])re\iously oltserv cd in the State, some 

 of them new to science. 



PLAN OF THE PRESENT WORK. 



In tho geneial part of the work a short sketch of tho physiographical 

 features of the State precedes a chapter on the jufenerul aspect of the 

 flora of Alabama, and its relation to that of adjoinintr States, and to 

 the continental and extra-continental floras. In the ijara^iraphs on 

 geological and climatic conditions, the publications of the (reological 

 Survey of the State and of Prof. P. H. Mell. in charge of the meteor- 

 ological service of the State, have been depended upon. 



In the general discussion of the geographical distribution of plants, 

 the principles leading Dr. ]\Ierriam to the establishment of his life 

 zones on the North American Continent north of Mexico have l)een 

 adopted, these having already been successfully applied in the investi- 

 gation of the distribution of animal as well as plant life in the part of 

 our country west of the l)asin of the Mississippi River by Messrs. 

 Merriam and Coville. 



The delimitation of the floral divisions of the State introduced by 

 the writer can only be regarded as tentative. The area, as yet, has 

 been but superflcially explored, and in many parts the borders of the 

 divisions are but obscurely outlined, and need to be cleared \ip and 

 rectifled, while several gaps remain to be flUed. 



No ettort has been spared to ascertain the distril)ution of each species 

 and variety known from the State, flrst, over the globe, then, within 

 the life zones of this continent, and last, within the floral divisions of 

 the State. For this purpo.se the leading works on systematic botany, 

 particularly North American botan}'. and all the available State and 

 local floras and catalogues have been consulted. 



SY.STEMATIC ARRANCJEMENT. 



In the catalogue of the plants growing without cultivation in Ala- 

 bama the natural system of Engler and PrantP has been followed. 

 This embodies the results of the latest investigations of the natural 

 relations of plants and their aflSnities in the light of the development 



^Ender und Praiitl. Die Natuerlichen Pflanzenfamilien, 1887 to 1900. 



