232 



PLANT SOCIETIES 



plants may grow 

 along side each 

 other. In most 

 cases, however, 

 there is overgrowth 

 and undergrowth : 

 one k i n d grows 

 beneath another. 

 Plants that endure 

 shade (381) are 

 usually under- 

 growths. In a cat- 

 tail swamp, grasses 

 and other narrow- 

 leaved plants grow 

 in the bottom, but 

 they are usually un- 

 seen by the casual 

 observer. Search 

 the surface of the 



400. The farmer mows part of his roadside. ground in any SWale 



or meadow. Note the undergrowth in woods or under trees. 

 (Fig. 402.) Observe that in pine and spruce forests there 

 is almost no undergrowth, 

 because conditions are not 

 favorable. (Fig. 388.) 



393. On the same area 

 the societies may differ at 

 different times of the year. 

 There are spring, summer 

 and fall societies. The 

 knoll that is cool with 

 grass and strawberries in 

 June may be aglow with 

 other plants in September. 



401. An aquatic society in which several 

 kinds of plants grow side by side. 



