FLOWERS OF THE FIELDS AND MEADOWS 



The flowers which grow in our fields and meadows are intermediate 

 in character in many ways between (i) those which grow near (or in) 

 water, and require moist conditions, that is, hydrophytes, and (2) those 

 that need dry-soil conditions and grow on the highlands, that is, xero- 

 phytes. Hence they are called mesophytes. 



This group, as will be seen, also includes Woodland Plants 

 (hylophytes], plants growing on cultivated soil, and waste -ground 

 plants or ruderal plants. 



Their soil requirements are also of a different type, striking a mean 

 between those of very moist and of very dry conditions. Accordingly 

 the plants included under Sections II-V are not artificially but more 

 or less naturally grouped as here. The soil is not acid, cold, or saline, 

 but fairly moist and well drained, not barren or containing acid humus. 

 These plants range over the Temperate Zones. Generally speaking, 

 a large number are perennials. 



The meadow community consists largely of grasses, rushes, sedges, 

 and "herbs" generally. Such communities are in a sense artificial, 

 having been derived from primeval forest lands, since enclosed and 

 cultivated, with lines of hedges, ditches, and artificially-disposed trees. 

 A few meadows only on hills and near water may be still aboriginal. 



This type consists of wide expanses of grass land, variegated with 

 other herbaceous perennials, in which, of course, though not here 

 shown, grasses predominate. It is much more exposed to frost than 

 woodlands, as are all other wide lowland types of communities. 



In the fields and meadows insect life is most abundant, and it is 

 here that the processes of pollination and seed dispersal are best seen. 



Nearly all the plants are perennials, and only a few are annual. A 

 few have creeping underground stems, which contribute to the expan- 

 sive character of the vegetation, but most are caespitose or tufted. 



Certain types of meadow flora may be characterized by their 



