THE CLIMAX FOREST AND ITS PREDECESSOR 



205 



The climax forest is distinctly stratified (Fig. 252). Beeches 

 (Fig. 249) and hard maples (Fig. 253) rear their crowns in the 

 intense sunlight. In such 

 a superb example of the 

 climax forest as is found 

 in Warren's Woods near 

 Three Oaks, Michigan, a 

 forest preserved for all 

 time to nature-lovers by 

 the munificence of its 

 owner, the late E. K. War- 

 ren, the trees rear unrivaled 

 columns, 75 feet or more, 

 without a branch. The 

 Gothic aisles of this vast 

 temple are ornamented 

 with trees of less stature 

 such as pawpaw, hop horn- 

 beam, water beech, flower- 

 ing dogwood, redbud, 

 Juneberry, chokecherry 

 (Fig. 1 1 6) whose tops form 



a second stratum. 



FIG. 250. American elm, Ulmus americana 



FIG. 251. Leaf and fruit 

 of sycamore, Platanus occi- 

 denlalis. 



Then comes the tall 

 shrub stratum with witch-hazel, spice- 

 bush, high bush cranberry, maple-leaved 

 viburnum, nannyberry, wahoo, black 

 currants, gooseberry, leatherwood, elder- 

 berry. Beneath these is a lower stratum 

 of low shrubs, herbs, and ferns. Among 

 the low shrubs are strawberry bush, 

 pigeon berry (Fig. 265), shinleaf (Fig. 93), 

 wintergreen (Fig. 94). 



The pawpaw (Fig. 256) has a trunk 

 from 5 to 10 inches in thickness with 

 dark brown smooth bark; the leaves are 



