Flora of the Allegany State Park Region 163 



At the openings of small branch valleys, the higher 

 benches, if not eroded away at such places in past time 

 by the main river, have been considerably cut down by 

 the branch streams, which in some cases have also over- 

 laid the glacial deposits with more recent and fertile de- 

 posits brought down from the Chemung shales higher up. 

 The greatest extent of the higher terraces of benches are 

 to be found on the west side of the valley between Quaker 

 Bridge and Onoville, and northward, opposite Red House. 



a Vegetation of the higher benches. The character 

 of the glacial material forming these benches or terraces 

 precludes the formation thereon of anything but the most 

 sterile soil, which in most places is now highly acid in 

 nature. Whether such was always the case is uncertain, 

 since the nature of the primeval growth on these terraces 

 is rather uncertain, although it is said to have been chiefly 

 White Pine. An occasional White Pine is even now to 

 be found on them. 



There is an abundance of arborescent species on the 

 higher benches but on account of frequent fires the growth 

 can hardly be dignified under the name of a forest. It is 

 chiefly dwarfed and stunted, bushlike or shrublike in 

 nature with an occasional spot where the growth has 

 become treelike or with scattered trees. The character 

 of this vegetation is expressed by the following lists of 

 species. 



Trees (mostly small) 



Quercus alba Amelanchier canadensis 



rubra Crataegus Boyntoni 



Populus grandidentata Prunus pennsylvaniea 



tremuloides Acer saccharum 



Carya glabra Nvssa svlvatica 



Sassafras officinale Prunus virginiana 



Cornus florida Fraxinus americana 



Quercus velutina Pi„ us Strobus 



Castanea dentata 



