Studies in Prairie and Woodland 29 



species forming a socies or it may be represented by a mictium 

 of several species. 



Certain other species of low shrubs such as Ribes gracile, 

 Ruhiis strigosus, and Ribes occidentalis together with various 

 lianas such as Smilax hispida, Rhus toxicodendron and Clematis 

 virginiana are more or less regular components of the more open 

 forests and often occur abundantly in the scrub mictium. How- 

 ever, it would take us quite beyond the limits of this paper to give 

 a thorough floristic description of the very interesting and diverse 

 developmental vegetational complex found in this portion of our 

 state. Details of the structure of the vegetation at each station 

 will be shown by means of quadrats and transects. Therefore, 

 suffice it to say that the mesophytism of these forests and their 

 approach to the more typical Ohio-Missouri parent complex is 

 indicated by the growth in the herbaceous layer of such species as 

 Podophyllum peltatum, Impatiens biflora, Sanguinaria canadensis, 

 Orchis spectabilis, Trillium nivale, and Claytonia virginica. 



LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF STATIONS 



In the spring of 191 7 a station was selected in the prairie about 

 half way up a rather steep hillside and on a slope somewhat east 

 of south, figure 11. A second station was located in the Corylus 

 thicket which occupied the north and west slopes of the same hill. 

 A third station was chosen on a typically wooded north slope at 

 a distance of about one and one-half miles from the prairie and 

 shrub stations. This last station was in the linden forest, 

 figure 12. 



At each station frequent soil moisture determinations were 

 made, some to a depth of 5 feet, while a continuous record of 

 the evaporating power of the air was obtained throughout the 

 growing season. Also certain other factor determinations to- 

 gether with a careful study of the structure of the vegetation 

 were made. 



The prairie vegetation previous to these investigations had not 

 been disturbed for several years either by fires, mowing or by 

 grazing. But early in the spring of 191 7 a prairie fire swept over 

 the hillside burning off the grasses and herbaceous vegetation and 



35 



