A SKETCH OF THE SAND MOUNTAIN FLORA 



During the past three years I have made a number of visits to 

 the Sand Mountain region of Alabama, and believing that some 

 of my observations may be of interest I venture to give a few 

 notes from my field-book. The Sand Mountain region, taken in 

 its broadest sense, comprises an area of more than four thousand 

 square miles, lying principally within the counties of Jackson, 

 DeKalb, Marshall, Blount, Cullman and Winston in Alabama, 

 and Dade county in Georgia. This region is drained by the 

 Black Warrior, Coosa and Tennessee rivers. 



The Sand Mountain proper, as understood by the inhabitants 

 of that region, includes only that portion lying north and east of 

 the depression which separates the main range from its western 

 extension in Blount and Cullman counties and comprises an area 

 of about one thousand six hundred square miles, lying principally 

 within Marshall, Jackson and DeKalb counties in Alabama, and 

 Dade county in Georgia. This table-land is drained by tributaries 

 of the Tennessee river. The altitude of the Sand Mountain 

 plateau varies from three hundred meters in the southern por- 

 tions to five hundred and fifty meters in the northern portion at 

 the crest of the bluff overlooking the Tennessee river, near Bryant, 

 Jackson county, Alabama. The surface rocks of the entire plateau 

 are carboniferous sandstones and conglomerates, and the soil re- 

 sulting from the decompositions of these rocks varies from a 

 coarse rocky, sterile soil on the ridges, to a sandy loam in the 

 swales and small bottoms. 



In the spring of 1901 I entered this region at Cullman, Cull- 

 man county, Alabama. I had visited this locality in 1900 and 

 found much of interest to me, but the immediate region was so 

 thoroughly explored by the late Dr. Charles Mohr that I can 

 report but little of interest not already mentioned by him. 



Along a small stream in a rocky wood, associated with Viola 

 tripartita Ell. 80 and Ane?uone quinquefolia L., 87 I found Waldsteinia 



s« Bot. S. C. & Ga. 1 : 302, 1817. 

 Sp. PI. 541, 1753- 



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