114 



rock outcrops (constituting perhaps about one one-hundredth of 

 one per cent, of the area), pine-barrens (over half the area), 

 swamps, ponds, sandhills, hammocks and bluffs, some of these 

 with several subdivisions. 



Civilization has influenced the flora principally through agri- 

 culture, lumbering, turpentining and fires. Only a small propor- 

 tion of the land may be said to be under cultivation. Lumbering 

 has little effect on the herbaceous flora, for the removal of the 

 pine trees does not appreciably diminish the amount of shade. 

 The turpentine operators have been practically all over that part 

 of the country, and have done great damage to the forests. 

 Fires sweep over most of the region every spring, being set pur- 

 posely by stock-raisers to burn off the dead grass, but the fires 

 do little damage where lumbering and turpentining operations 

 have not been carried on. 



The known flora of the Altamaha Grit region consists of about 

 725 native species of flowering plants, 75 weeds, 20 pteridophytes 

 and 60 bryophytes and thallophytes. The lower cryptogams 

 have been little studied. The largest families are Compositae, 

 100 species, Cyperaceae, 83, Gramineae, 68, Leguminosae, 50, 

 Scrophulariaceae, 30. 



Some of the commonest species of the region are Piinis palus- 

 tris, P. Elliottii, P. scrotina, Taxodinvi iinbricari/im, Aristida 

 stricta, Screnoa scrnUata, Eriocaulon decangiilarc, Qucrcjis Ca- 

 tcsbaci, Eriogonuni toincntosuui. Magnolia virgiinaiia, Sarracciiia 

 flava, S. minor, Kiihnistcra pijuiata, Cliftoiiia uioiiopliylla, Nyssa 

 biflora, N. Ogcchc, Oxypolis filiforinis and Pinckncya pubcns. 



The following species are common in the wire-grass country 

 (each being known from at least three counties), but are seem- 

 ingly confined to Georgia : Sporobolus (a species with terete 

 leaves), R/iyiic/iospora solitaria Harper, pjiocaidoii lincarc Small, 

 Polygonclla Crooinii Chapm., SipJioiiychia paiiciflora Small, Viola 

 dcnticulosa Pollard (with leaves a foot and a half long), Diccrandra 

 odoratissima Harper, Pcntstciiwn dissectus Mil., Haldioinia atro- 

 pnrpurca Harper, MarsJiallia raiuosa Beadle & l^oynton, and 

 Mesadcnia sp. (near lanccolata^. 



One of the most interesting features of the piac-barrcn flora, 



