90 I'LANT l.IFK OF ALABAMA. 



the limit of the nictanioipliic hills, 'riic cliiiiitrc in llu; chanictor of 

 tlif lloiu in this ill tl<'linc<l region is indicated hy the absence of or 

 dccrrasr in the nunittrr ol' species possessed in connuoii with the north- 

 ern AilcLiiianics and tiie ()lli()^'alley and (he appearance of Southern 

 forms which nc\ cr or l)ut rai-ely occur in the mountain region. These 

 hills havt> a numl)er of specie's in common with the northern extension 

 t)f tiie Carolinian area which find tlu'ir southern limit in this region 

 and impait to its llora a northern aspect. For this reason it might 

 hotanicallv he icuarded as a sululivision of the mountain region of 

 which these lower hills in their descent to the Coastal plain form the 

 hist tei-race and of which stratigraphically they are an integral part. 



GHAVKLLY lULl.S OK SIIOKT-I-EAK I'lNK AM) HARDWOOD TREES. 



On the western desc^ent of the Warrior table-land the coal measures 

 disappear under heavy (U'posits of sand and gravels of a more recent 

 formation, through ^vhich the water courses have cut their beds, result- 

 ing in the foiinaticm of rounded hills from 250 to a little over 300 feet 

 high down to low undulating ridges, of considerable length and width 

 between the hills. This belt of drifted deposits extending along the 

 western ])order of the State across the Tennessee River forms the 

 divide between the waters of the Tombigbee River and the Warrior 

 basin, and is the northern extension of the central belt of drifted 

 deposits which separates the older from the recent geological forma- 

 tions. It embraces nearly allot Colbert, parts of Franklin and Marion, 

 all of Lamar, the western section of Fayette and Pickens, and the 

 northwestern part of Tuscaloosa counties. Notwithstanding the dif- 

 ferences in its geological condition, this subdivision can not well be 

 separated botanically from the floral region under consideration. This 

 upland area is at once distinguished by the frequency of the shortleaf 

 pine among the hardwood trees, mostly upland oaks and hickories, 

 the pine having originally constituted about one-half of the tree growth. 

 This proportion has, however, during later years, been greatly reduced, 

 and the supply of pine timber is at present nearl}^ exhausted. The 

 forest presents almost the same aspect as that found on the table-lands 

 at or below the elevation of about 800 feet above the sea, which have 

 a similar light and dry soil. 



These gravelly hills, being closel}'^ connected with the Tennessee Val- 

 le}^ and with the mountain region through the numerous prongs of the 

 western edge of the "Warrior ta))le-land intersecting this subdivision, 

 its herbaceous flora, mostly of the xerophile class, presents no peculiar 

 characteristics. 



COAL MEASURES OF THE CAHABA VALLEY AND WARRIOR BASIN. 



Crossing the southern rim of the Warrior coal basin and the Cahaba 

 coal field an extremely hilly area is entered, most rugged along its 

 southern borders. It comprises the eastern part of Marion and Fay- 



