Vol. 46 No. 2 
BULLETIN 
OF THE 
TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB 
FEBRUARY, I919 
Xerophytic grasslands at different altitudes in Colorado 
FRANCIS RAMALEY 
(WITH TWO TEXT FIGURES) 
The first comprehensive study of xerophytic grassland in 
Colorado was reported by Shantz (16) for the mesas at Colorado 
Springs. Later the same author (17, 18) published articles dealing 
with grasslands of the plains. Important work in the Pikes 
Peak region has been done by Clements (1, 2) and by Schneider 
(15). During the past few years the present writer (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 
11, 12) has published a number of papers dealing with dry grassland 
of the montane zone at Tolland, Colorado. In a contribution 
devoted chiefly to successions from marsh vegetation Robbins 
(14) also has given some points on dry grassland at Tolland. 
A rather brief but very clear and definite account by Vestal (20) 
of foothill grasslands, chiefly near Boulder, is included in a survey 
by him of the various associations of the foothill zone. An 
earlier paper by the same author (19) characterized the grasslands 
of the plains in the same locality. Fuller (3) has recently made 
a comparison of the dry grassland at Tolland with black soil 
prairie in Illinois. 
Up to the present time there is no printed comparison of 
xerophytic grasslands at different altitudes in Colorado. Since 
- these communities occur in large or small stretches all the way 
from the plains to alpine heights it is evident that very decided 
ecological and floristic differences must exist. These differences — 
it is the aim of the present paper to report. Observations have 
been made on some of the areas for ten seasons. Certain localities 
have, however, been visited only a few times. During the Pprog- 
[The BULLETIN for January (46: 1-36. pl. 1, 2) was issued January 20, 1919.1 
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