﻿188 
  McAtee: 
  Jack 
  Pine 
  Plains 
  of 
  Michigan 
  

  

  there 
  are 
  larger, 
  essentially 
  flat 
  areas, 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  also 
  long 
  but 
  

   low 
  parallel 
  ridges. 
  

  

  As 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  other 
  regions 
  In 
  the 
  eastern 
  United 
  States 
  

   called 
  Barrens, 
  the 
  distinctive 
  appearance 
  of 
  the 
  Jack 
  Pine 
  Plains 
  

   IS 
  due 
  chiefly 
  to 
  unusually 
  wide 
  spacing 
  of 
  the 
  arborescent 
  vegeta- 
  

   tion, 
  giving 
  a 
  pleasing 
  open 
  effect 
  to 
  the 
  landscape. 
  Upon 
  closer 
  

   inspection 
  the 
  humbler 
  vegetation 
  also 
  is 
  seen 
  to 
  leave 
  an 
  unusual 
  

   proportion 
  of 
  soil 
  surface 
  uncovered. 
  There 
  is 
  no 
  turf, 
  there 
  

   are 
  no 
  thickets; 
  to 
  this 
  extent 
  then, 
  the 
  region 
  is 
  barren, 
  even 
  to 
  

   its 
  specially 
  adapted 
  inhabitants. 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  as 
  seen 
  by 
  the 
  writer 
  the 
  Michigan 
  Plains 
  may 
  be 
  divided 
  

   into 
  three 
  types, 
  grading 
  in 
  Intensity 
  toward 
  the 
  typical 
  Jack 
  

   Pine 
  country. 
  Chiefly 
  about 
  the 
  margins 
  of 
  the 
  Plains, 
  but 
  scat- 
  

   tered 
  elsewhere, 
  are 
  areas 
  where 
  the 
  dominant 
  tree 
  growth 
  is 
  

   oaks 
  and 
  maples. 
  In 
  this 
  type, 
  pin 
  and 
  choke 
  cherries, 
  witch- 
  

   hazel 
  and 
  willow 
  are 
  most 
  abundant; 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  plants 
  are 
  

   scattered 
  also 
  in 
  the 
  other 
  types. 
  A 
  second 
  type 
  of 
  barren 
  is 
  

   dominated 
  by 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  aspen, 
  Populus 
  tremuloides 
  and 
  P. 
  

   grandidentata, 
  and 
  is 
  better 
  supplied 
  with 
  sand 
  cherry, 
  service 
  

  

  berry 
  

  

  nd 
  

  

  most 
  characteristic 
  type 
  of 
  barren 
  is 
  that 
  dominated 
  by 
  the 
  Jack 
  

   Pine; 
  it 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  more 
  bear-berry. 
  New 
  Jersey 
  tea 
  and 
  

   bush 
  honeysuckle, 
  also, 
  than 
  the 
  other 
  types. 
  

  

  However, 
  the 
  undergrowth 
  in 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  types 
  of 
  Plains 
  iS 
  

   very 
  similar. 
  Brake, 
  sweet 
  fern, 
  and 
  blueberries 
  are 
  the 
  dominant 
  

   ground 
  cover; 
  under 
  and 
  between 
  them 
  are 
  scattered, 
  more 
  

   commonly 
  than 
  other 
  things, 
  the 
  following: 
  trailing 
  arbutus, 
  

   wintergreen, 
  ground 
  pine 
  {Lycopodium 
  complanatum 
  and 
  L. 
  

   clavatum) 
  and 
  reindeer 
  "moss" 
  {Cladonia). 
  The 
  keynote 
  of 
  the 
  

   Plains 
  vegetation 
  Is 
  resistance 
  to 
  drought 
  and 
  fire. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  

   plants 
  have 
  long 
  deep 
  roots 
  or 
  persistent 
  rootstocks, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  

   Beal 
  notes 
  that 
  of 
  seventy 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  common 
  plants, 
  sixty-eight 
  

   are 
  perennials. 
  There 
  are 
  few 
  biennials 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  annuals 
  

   seen 
  in 
  the 
  Plains 
  are 
  scattered 
  specimens 
  of 
  widespread 
  weeds, 
  

   which 
  are 
  introduced 
  to 
  some 
  extent 
  wherever 
  man 
  and 
  his 
  domes- 
  

   tic 
  animals 
  penetrate. 
  

  

  As 
  a 
  contribution 
  to 
  a 
  future 
  complete 
  enumeration 
  of 
  the 
  

   Plains 
  flora 
  the 
  following 
  lists 
  of 
  plants 
  collected 
  or 
  observed 
  

   at 
  various 
  points 
  are 
  presented: 
  

  

  