Development of the Vegetation of New York State 51 
5. The Upper Austral Zone.—In eastern United 
States, the Carolinian area. From the lower Hudson 
and coastal region of New Jersey to the mouth of 
Chesapeake bay and westward and southward at mod- 
erate elevations. Zone of tulip-tree, hackberry, sweet 
gum, red bud, persimmon, ete. 
6. The Lower Austral Zone.—In eastern United 
States, the Austroriparian area. The coastal plain 
from mouth of Chesapeake bay to Florida and the 
other Gulf States westward. Zone of long leaf and 
loblolly pines, bald cypress, live oak, magnolia and 
tupelo. 
Ill. Tue Tropicat Reeron. 
7. The Tropical Zone of southern Florida char- 
acterized by royal palm, mahogany, mangrove, ete. 
Applying New York to the temperature scale and having 
in mind latitude only our State would fall in the region 
rather between the zones where southerly or austral condi- 
tions give their impress and those where northerly or boreal 
conditions do it—in the Transition zone of Merriam. On 
a theoretical latitude and sea level basis, this State would 
scarcely enter the boreal forest zone of spruce, balsam and 
paper birch. But the actual climatic situation in New York 
is radically different from the theoretical one based on 
latitude and approximate sea level. This is in part due as 
mentioned previously to the influence of the ocean on the one 
hand and to the great lakes on the other, but more especially 
to elevation. In order to get the effect of elevation vividly 
in mind let us imagine the construction of the relef features 
of New York on an approximately sea level foundation." 
We construct a general plateau of say 2,000 feet elevation 
earried up to a maximum of 4,205 feet in the Catskills and 
“to 5,350 feet in the Adirondacks. Next we dissect this 
plateau down to the aspect of a hill and mountain land, 
1 Of course this imaginary construction bears no intimation of actual 
geological processes which have shaped the present configuration of the 
State. 
