NATIVE WOODY PLANTS OF THE UNITED STATES 31 
times in half shade. In the list under Site these facts are designated 
by the single words “dry,” “moist,” “well-drained,” “sun,” “Shade,” 
and “half shade.” Certain species of sagebrush, ordinarily occurring 
on plains, for instance, would be characterized as “dry, sun.” Cer- 
tain species of osiers, ordinarily growing along streams, would be 
noted as “Moist, sun.” Species of spice-bush, ordinarily occurring 
in rich woodlands, would be noted as “Well-drained, moist, shade.” 
Designation of a soil as dry, well-drained, or moist, depends to some 
extent on the opinion of the worker and the region in which he may 
be. Dry soil in the Great Plains or Piedmont is presumably much 
drier than dry soil in New England or western Oregon. Even moist 
soil might be considered wetter in New England than in Arizona. 
For this reason, only general designations are placed under each spe- 
cies in the list. Some common sense and a good deal of additional 
information about a plant may be needed, or further observation of 
its native habitat, especially when an unusually difficult position is 
to be its site. 
GROWTH HABITS 
Woody plants are here considered under growth-habit categories 
characterized as small shrubs, large shrubs, small trees, large trees, 
or vines. Small shrubs do not grow higher than 5 feet; large shrubs 
are 5 feet or more in height; small trees grow to 20 feet; large trees 
are more than 20 feet in height. The intermingling of such types 
must be done with care, since taller forms easily overshadow and 
repress smaller ones. 
The habit of a plant may be materially altered by its habitat. 
Some grapes, for instance, are definitely shrubs on poor, dry soil 
while on better, more moist soil they may become vines. Certain 
shrubs become trees if plenty of moisture and good soil is available. 
Many species that are ordinarily large trees, may be only small ones 
or large shrubs in poor soils. Some species are shrubby in the 
northern part of their range and treelike in the southern part, or vice 
versa. The ability of species to change habit should be considered in 
planting. 
Consideration of the general habit of a plant may assist the tech- 
nician in selecting species to suit his needs. If he desires a cover 
on the soil during the winter, he will necessarily choose an ever- 
green species. If escape cover for wildlife is desired, his choice will 
be a plant with thorns, dense foliage, or one intricately branched. 
He may want a species that will permit the growth of herbaceous 
vegetation beneath it, in which case he will look for a sparsely 
branched type with thin foliage. 
Tn the list, unless a plant is stated to be evergreen, it is understood 
to be deciduous. If it is not mentioned as spiny or thorny, it is 
understood to be free of any sort of spines or thorns. Otherwise 
characteristics are definitely stated for each plant. 
FRUITING 
Under each species in the list will be found the designation, 
“Fruit.” Here the kind of fruit is indicated, as pome (applelike), 
drupe (cherrylike), berry (drupelike but with more than one seed), 
achene (seedlike), capsule, nut. Immediately after the kind of fruit 
is designated the time of availability, very often expressed by 2 
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