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dendron radicans, bayberry, Myrica carolinensis, cactus, Opuntia 

 Opuntia, and Juniperus virginiana. The red cedar here, espe- 

 cially where it is under the influence of the strong sea winds, 

 forms a prostrate growth of unusual interest. Plants of the 

 cedar of only three to six feet in height have a diameter of ten 

 to a maximum of nearly fifty feet and are quite circular in 

 form. Some of these trees are very old and fruit heavily, afford- 

 ing abundance of food and shelter for birds which commonly 

 winter there. It is to be regretted that the constructors of the 

 development of the park saw fit to trim and thin severely this 

 shelter, allowing the winter gales to seeth through, thus de- 

 stroying this natural protection which was one of the main 

 attractions for birdlife there on the beach, as has been observed 

 by the writer for thirty years. 



The soil throughout the park is sand and gravel. There is 

 no shifting of sand on Long Beach as is prevalent on a typical 

 sand dune. There is a slight accumulation of surface humus in 

 the more wooded areas. The deposit of trash is heavy within 

 the limits of flood tides. 



No fresh -water ponds or springs occur on the beach, except 

 three small artificial holes dug years ago when the beach was 

 used for a cattle run. Therefore, fresh-water swamp flora is 

 practically unknown on the beach. 



On the ridges are found post oak, Quercus stellata, black oak, 

 Quercus velutina, pitch pine, Pinus rigida and the other species 

 mentioned above. In the gravelly salt marshes between the 

 ridges are a heavy growth of marsh elder, Ivafrutescens, ground- 

 sel-bush, Baccharis halimifolia and the salt marsh grasses and 

 sedges, Distidilis spicata, Spartina Michauxiana, Spar Una 

 patens, Spartina stricta, and black-grass, Juncus Gerardi. 

 The Narrows is vegetated by a covering of low-growth species 

 which have been mentioned above. 



The beach is rich in dry-soil mosses and lichens, especially 

 the Cladoniae. Cladonia alpestris is found there, one of the two 

 known stations on Long Island for this northern species. The 

 bark lichens are also well represented there, as are the marine 

 algae and certain groups of fungi. 



Among the higher plants found on the park the following are 

 noteworthy as species of rare occurrence or unknown elsewhere 

 on eastern Long Island. These are: 



