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reaches the ground resulting in a plentiful undergrowth of 

 shrubs and rather scanty grass. One is impressed with the rusty- 

 appearance of this undergrowth. An investigation shows that 

 it is due to the abundance of scrub oaks of several kinds, Chap- 

 man's Oak, Quercus Chapmani, and a Live Oak, Quercus gemi- 

 nata, being the most common in many places. The shrub, one 

 of the Staggerbush group, Xolisma ferruginea, adds greatly to 

 this effect as it is often plentiful. 



In this growth the Saw Palmetto, Serenoa repens, is perhaps 

 the most conspicuous as it forms dense patches. Its prostrate 

 stems curve over the ground like great rough-skinned pythons. 

 They rear their heads in tufts of fan-shaped blades on long 

 saw-toothed stems to a height of five or six feet making an 

 almost impenetrable mass. 



An evergreen shrubby St. John's-wort, Hypericum aspalan- 

 thoides, is conspicuous with its orange yellow blossoms and 

 clusters of needle-like leaves, which remind one of those of the 

 larch. 



The mint family is not usually associated in our minds with 

 shrubs, yet here in the "piney woods" is a heath-like shrub of 

 this family with short needle-like whorled leaves. The blossoms 

 are one-half inch long, pale purple with darker spots. This is 

 Conradina grandiflora. 



Not only is St. John honored in the "piney woods" but St. 

 Peter as well in the form of St. Peter's-wort, Ascyrum tetra- 

 petalum. In this rather low shrub the four petals are bright 

 yellow. The sepals are unusual in that the two outer are broad 

 ovals while the two inner are elliptical. Here again we have 

 clusters of short needle-like leaves. 



Rabbit-tobacco, Pterocaulon undulatum, a composite with 

 nearly cylindrical long heads of small white blossoms; a large 

 yellow milkwort, Poly gala Rugelii; a yellow heliotrope, Helio- 

 tropium Leavenworthii ; and a blueberry, Vaccinium nitidans, are 

 a few of the many other plants which add beauty and interest. 



It is in the "piney woods" that the Florida Jay dwells. It is 

 darker blue and less noisy than our Jay and has no crest. There, 

 too, we find the Pine-woods Sparrow, some parts of its attrac- 

 tive song suggesting the song of a thrush. The White-eyed 

 Towhee finds a congenial home in the low bushes and searches 

 for food by scratching away the vegetable debris on the ground. 



