82 PLANT LIFE OF ALABAMA. 
(Liriodendron tulipifera), cucumber tree (Magnolia ucuminata), per- 
simmon (Diospyros virginiana), sassafras (Sassafras sassafras), buck- 
eye (Aesculus spp.), sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua), the chestnut 
oak (Quercus acuminate), and Spanish oak (Quercus digitata) make 
their appearance. Chestnut (Castanea dentata) and black gum (Vyssa 
syliwtics) are common, and of cone-bearing trees the yellow pine 
(Pinus echinata) and scrub pine (/. nérginiana) are met with. In this 
division the cultivation of Indian corn exceeds that of small grain. 
Sorghum and the sugar beet are successfully grown. The cultivation 
of the grape and peach adds to the variety of the fruits, as also in the 
corresponding division of the preceding zone. 
The Upper Sonoran Area.—This, the arid western division of the 
Upper Austral life zone, extends from the vaguely defined limits of 
the last division over the great western plains; beyond the Rocky 
Mountains it covers much of the great basin and parts of California, 
LOWER AUSTRAL ZONE, 
The Lower Austral zone, like the Upper Austral, is divided into a 
humid eastern and an arid western area. 
Austroriparian Area or Louisianian Flora.—This consists of the 
eastern or humid division of the Lower Austral zone, and embraces 
in its southern reach the subtropical belt of North America. Begin- 
ning with a narrow strip of the Atlantic ceast near the southern 
shores of Chesapeake Bay, this area covers the coastal plain of the 
Southern Atlantic States nearly to the southern extremity of Florida 
and the Gulf States to the center of Texas and the southern section 
of Indian Territory, finding its western limit between longitude 90° 
and 95°. It follows the lowlands of the Mississippi River toward its 
junction with the Ohio. This Louisianian flora has been designated 
as the realm of the magnolia, southern pine, and dwarf palmetto. 
The greatest part of the arable land is devoted to the cultivation of 
cotton. Rice and sugar cane, particularly in the lower part of this 
division, contribute to home demands and furnish staple products for 
export. The subtropical cowpea takes the place of clover for forage 
and as an ameliorating crop. ‘The sweet potato is the chief root crop, 
and corn is the only grain crop cultivated for breadstuff. Peaches 
and grapes are successfully grown, and in the lower belt the loquat 
or Japanese medlar, while in proximity to the Gulf the orange ripens 
its fruit. 
Lower Sonoran Area.—This flora, consisting of the western and 
arid extension of the Lower Austral zone, extends from the plains of 
western Texas to the Pacific Ocean. It is generally recognized as the 
cactus region, or the Mexico-Californian region. 
