BIG SPRING PRAIRIE. IS 



In treating of the plant societies of any region, it is 

 not neccessary or even expedient to enumerate all the 

 plants occurring in them. The rare or accidental ones 

 are sometimes of interest only as they may be remnants 

 of some past society or prophecies of some future one,, 

 generally difficult of interpretation. The common 

 plants which give character to the landscape are the 

 ones of most interest as they have proven their fitness 

 of survival by their successful struggle with their rivals. 

 The divisions under which the plants of these ridges 

 can be divided are the Woodland Societies, The Road- 

 side Societies, the Cultivated Field Societies, and the 

 Pasture-land Societies, the last two constituting the 

 troublesome weeds. The Woodland societieis of the 

 summits of ridges, steep slopes, and outcrops shall be 

 considered separately from those of the median plane 

 and drainage valleys, while in regard to the remaining 

 societies, it is not necessary to thus subdivide them. 



The plants of the woodland areas are conveniently 

 arranged under the horizontal strata of trees, shrubs, 

 and herbs. The forests on the summits of the ridges^ 

 the steepest slopes, and the outcrops of the Niagara 

 limestone are xeromesophytic and of the White-oak,, 

 Black-oak, Hickory type of forest. 



Considerably over one-half of the trees are species 

 of Quercus (Oak), less than one-fourth are Hicoria 

 (Hickories), the remainder are a variable mixture of 

 Cornus (Dogwood), Cercis (Redbud), Sassafras (Sassa- 

 fras), Acer (Maple), Crataegus (Hawthorn), Juglans 

 (Walnut) Celtis (Hackberry), and Ostrya (Ironwood). 

 Of the latter the dogwood and redbud are perhaps 

 the more abundant, the walnut the least abundant. 



The most characteristic tree is Quercus alba h. 

 (Wliite oak). The next most common ones of the oaks 

 are Quercus rubra L,. (Red oak) and Quercus velutina 

 Lam. (Black oak). Besides these, the following occur: 

 Quercus minor (Marsh), Sarg. (Post or iron oak),. 



