THE VEGETATION OF SHACKLEFORD BANK 13 



h. Thicket woodland formation. 

 The soil here is a light sandy loam. The vegetation is very dense 

 and consists of a large numher of species of trees, shrubs, herbs, and 

 woody vines. The trees comnionly occurring are Persea puhescens, 

 Quercus nigra, Osmanthus americanus, Pinus taeda, and Juniperus 

 virginiana. Of shrubs the most striking are Ilex vomitoria, Myrica 

 cerifera, Callicarpa arnericana.. Ilex glabra, and Sabal glabra. Charac- 

 teristic herbs are Asplenium platyneuron, Anychistrum Baldwinii, 

 Lechea villosa, Hieracium Gronovii, Elephantopus nudatus, Acalypha 

 gracilens, Ascyrum liypericoides, (lalactia roluhUi.s-. Desmodium 

 paniculatum, and species of Panicum. "Woody vines are very con- 

 spicuous. Berchemia scandcns, Smilax Bona-nox, S. laurifolia, Vitis 

 rotundifolia, and Psedera (Parthenocissus) quinquefolia are most abun- 

 dant. (See Plate III B and- Plate IV A and B.) 



c. Woodland formation. 

 On all the higher parts of the island except the dunes, the soil is a 

 deep light sandy loam. On this trees reach a considerable size. The 

 vegetation is much less dense than that of the previously described thicket 

 woodland. Common trees are Quercus virginiana, Carpinus caroliniana. 

 Ilex opaca, Morus rubra, and Quercus phellos (laurifolia). Ilex vomi- 

 toria and Zanthoxylum Clava-Herculis occur commonly as well devel- 

 oped shrubs. The characteristic herbs are Stipa avenacea, Uniola laxa, 

 Jatropha stimulosa, and Eustachys petraea. Woody vines, while of com- 

 mon occurence, are less conspicuous than in the thicket woodland for- 

 mation. (See Plate Y A.) 



II. Marsh vegetation. 



1. Salt marsh formation. 



This formation occurs commonly along the border of the sound. The 

 soil is a blackish mud about 2 feet deep, very impenetrable to surface 

 water. The surface is usually covered with salt water at high tide, yet 

 the soil water, about 12 inches below the surface, may remain perfectly 

 fresh. 



The only plants occurring always in this formation are Spartina 

 glabra (stricta), Salicornia ambigua, and occasionally Borrichia frutes- 

 cens. At one point opposite Cape Lookout Salicornia mucronata (Bige- 

 lowii) replaces the elsewhere universal S. ambigua. On the next Bank 

 to the north, Ocracoke Island, Kearney^ reports, in a similar formation, 

 Salicornia europaea {lierbacea) associated with Spartina stricta (gla- 

 bra). (See Plate V 5.) 



iKearney, 1. c. 



