Hitchcock — Ecological Plant Geography of Kansas. 6 7 



meadows are usually subject to overflow during the wet sea- 

 son and may be quite dry during the dry season. They are 

 commonly known as bottom lands. Also much of what are 

 termed sloughs come under this class, though they may have 

 a hydrophytic formation in the center. Grasses (especially 

 Spartina cynosuroides) and sedges predominate, but have a 

 mixture of various perennial herbs scattered through. It is 

 scarcely worth while to give more than a short list of the 

 species which will serve as examples. 



In eastern Kansas the bottom land flora would be illustrated 

 by Desmanlhus brachylobus, Vernonia Baldwinii, Solidago 

 lanceolata, Aster paniculatus, Erigeron Canadensis, Iva 

 ciliata, Ambrosia trifida, Helianthus grosse-serratus, Poly- 

 gonum incarnatum and other species, Carex straminea and 

 other species, Spartina cynosuroides. 



CLASS X. FIELDS. 



This formation is found on dryer ground than the pre- 

 ceding and in the wooded region would be replaced by 

 forest if this were not prevented by man. In other regions 

 the tendency is to return to prairies. In cultivated fields 

 the plants which intrude are known as weeds. These have 

 already been discussed in the Bulletins of the Kansas Experi- 

 ment Station (Nos. 50, 52, 57, 66, 76). In fields formed by 

 breaking prairies the weeds should in most cases be classed as 

 mesophytes. 



CLASS XI. DECIDUOUS FORESTS. 



As previously stated considerable of the area in the east- 

 ern part of the State is covered with forests. These forests 

 are best developed in the valleys of the rivers, especially the 

 Missouri, Kansas, Marais des Cygnes, Neosho and Verdigris. 

 The forest extends in many places onto the uplands, but 

 becomes then quite sparse. As one travels west the belt of 

 timber along the streams becomes narrower and the species 

 fewer till it entirely disappears in the western part of the 

 State. It is noticeable that in many parts of the State where 

 the timber may be scattering or absent along the main river, 

 one can find a much better representation at the heads of the 



