Ill] 



SCRUB ASSOCIATIONS 



99 



be placed in the same plant formation as the ash woods. 

 There is, so far as one can judge, little or no essential change 

 in the essential nature of the habitats of the various woods and 

 their related scrub; and intermediate examples are so very 

 numerous and varied that it would seem to be quite impossible 

 to decide on any natural line of demarcation between woodland 

 and related scrub. 



In subordinate associations such as these, which are "on 

 the move," i.e., which are kinetic and not static, it is a difficult 

 matter to give really satisfactory lists of plants. If the 

 localities are not very carefully chosen, one finds, in the case of 

 scrub, for example, that one takes a list of species almost 

 characteristic of a wood or a list almost characteristic of grass- 

 land. The following lists, however, are taken from typical 

 cases of scrub, though another observer might easily include 

 either more woodland species or more grassland species. As it 

 is, it will be seen there are very few species of the scrub which 

 do not occur either in the woodland or grassland associations ; 

 and from this point of view alone, it is not possible to regard 

 the different types of scrub that occur in this district as consti- 

 tuting a natural group of plant communities. 



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