4§ MISSISSIPPI STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY [Bull. 
In this brief sketch it will be necessary to notice only the 
flora of the typical prairie, since the flora of the adjacent Brown 
Loam region, already considered, gives a representative impres- 
sion of the vegetation of that part of the region overlain by the 
Brown Loam. The sandy soil division is sufficiently lke the 
region lying immediately south that a discussion of the cne wil! 
bring out the salient characteristics of both. 
Most of the surface of even the prairie soil is now or has 
been, occupied by a somewhat undersized tree growth, in places 
quite open, in others rather dense. Further, while the trees in 
the western part are mostly hardwocds of a few species, in the 
more eastern parts pine, both long-leaf and short-leaf, is the 
dominant tree, affording commercial stands. These are prob- 
ably invasions, the long-leaf pine coming from the sand regions 
to the south, and shortleaf pine from the sandy hills to the north 
of the prairie region. That the pine is normally not a tree 
of the loess soil is evident, though it invades that region as a 
second growth. Practicallly all the commercial pine of the 
state lies east of the Loess and Brown Loam regions. 
The trees growing chiefly in the western loam part of the 
prairie region are hardwoods, consisting of oaks of a few spe- 
cies, as post oak, black jack, Spanish oak, tan-bark oak, and 
Texas oak. With these, cecasional hickories, persimmon, and 
cedar occur. Along with the pines in the more eastern parts 
black jack and post oak are common, and occasionally the tur- 
key oak extends into the sandy ridges. 
Some characteristic herbaceous species of the prairies pro- 
per are given below: 
Rhus copallina Penstemon pubescens 
hus glabra Petalostemon candidus 
Tephrosia spicata Petalostemon violaceus 
Rhynchosia tomentosa Baptisia leucantha 
Delphineum azureum Silphinm integrifolium 
Linum Virginianum Silphium scaberrimum 
Aesculus pavia Liatris spicata 
Polygala Boykinii Aster virgatus 
Desmanthus luteus Rudbeckia hirta 
Desmanthus brachylobus Rudbeckia triloba 
