lo6 Journal of the Mitchell Society [March 



knowing of the existence of anything unusual along there would not 

 have been likely to walk out from the road to the river through the 

 almost pathless forest, or even if he did so, to walk along the river 

 very far if he happened to strike it at one of the less interesting 

 spots. 



M}^ acquaintance with the botanical treasures under consideration 

 began during the first month of my connection with the Geological 

 Survey of Alabama. On Dec. 5, 1905, I walked up the railroad above- 

 mentioned (a branch of the Mobile & Ohio) to a point about ten miles 

 above Tuscaloosa, primarily to study the vegetation of the Paleozoic 

 area where it approaches the fall-line.^ The results were so interesting 

 that I have since made similar trips at all seasons of the year, and 

 taken several visiting scientists along the same route. 



In this brief paper no detailed discussion of the vegetation by 

 habitats or associations is attempted. The plants observed along and 

 near the left bank of the river from the southernmost cliffs to the 

 mouth of Daniels Creek (where the railroad leaves the river) are put 

 in a single list, divided into trees, shrubs, etc., and arranged as nearly 

 as possible in order of abundance in each group. No definite lateral 

 limit can be set for the area treated, but the plants growing in dry 

 woods on the coastal plain material a little back from the top of the 

 bluffs, where fire is frequent, are excluded as far as possible. There 

 are however all gradations between that type of vegetation and the 

 "lithophile" vegetation of the cliffs and the "mesophile" (or more 

 correctly speaking pyrophobic^) vegetation of the ravines, affording 

 problems enough to keep ecologists and suecessionists hnsy for many 

 years. 



In this list the names of evergreens are printed in italics. The 

 letter A after a name indicates that the species is believed to be 

 more abundant in Alabama than anywhere else, S means near its 

 southern limit or farther south than Dr. Mohr reported it, and L 

 indicates species which are commonly supposed to be partial to lime- 

 stone. The usual habitat of each species in this locality is given in 

 a word or two. 



* Some of the interesting finds were described in the Phuit World for May, 1906, but 

 the narrative was marred by the insertion of .several essentially fictitious common names 

 by the editors without my consent, with the avowed purijose of makine the .article more 

 "popular." 



•For an earlier use of this term see Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 45:33. 1918. 



