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FRANCIS RAMALEY 
foothill, montane, and subalpine zones and to the lower part of the alpine. 
In the montane zone, where it is most abundant, it is associated with the 
plants named later as characteristic of the Montane Meadow Association. 
Carex ehenea has much the same distribution. These species sometimes 
dominate rather definite societies. As the soil becomes better drained the 
Carices are likely to be crowded out by grasses and dicotyledons. They 
are to be considered then as belonging to edaphic rather than to climatic 
meadows. 
Carices of meadows and other mesophytic situations in addition to those 
thus far mentioned are all of less importance. The following are known to 
the writer: Carex praegracilis, C. pachystachys , C. praticola of moderate 
elevations, and C. albonigra, C. bella, C. illota, and C. nova in the subalpine 
and alpine zones. C. chalciolepis occurs in moist parts of alpine meadow. 
C. douglassii is a dry grassland species which is found to some extent in 
foothill meadow, while C, siccata, a species of dry hillsides and forest open- 
ings, is sometimes locally frequent in meadows of the montane zone. 
The more typical meadows of northern Colorado may be distinguished 
as follows: 
(a) Plains- Foothill Streamhank Meadow Association, originally domi- 
nated by Poa pratensis but now much modified by the presence of Trifolium 
repens and Phleum pratense. This type of meadow is commonly without 
Carex. 
(b) Prairie Grass Association, of Vestal (lo, ii), belonging to lower 
alluvial slopes of mesas and foothills. Carices are of slight importance. 
Carex heliophila may be locally abundant in drier parts which have not yet 
reached the true meadow stage. In moister situations, especially where 
the soil has been recently carried in and the meadow is still in an inceptive 
stage, Carex festivella, C. praegracilis, and others may be present; their stay 
is quite temporary. 
(c) Montane Meadow Association, of streambanks and pondsides, highly 
variable in floristic composition and with many consociations and societies 
as shown by Reed (8) ; often including Potentilla pulcherrima, Erigeron 
macranthus, Fragaria glauca, Valeriana edulis, Pentstemon procerus, Tium 
alpinum, Pedicularis parryi. Here there is often a considerable amount of 
Carex, especially C. festivella and C. ebenea. 
(d) Subalpine Meadow Association, with such principal species as Erig- 
eron salsuginosus, Potentilla diversifolia, Antennaria umbrinella, Ligusticum 
tenuifolium, Castilleja lauta, and Castilleja rhexifolia. In this association 
also the Carices are C. festivella and C. ebenea, with a sprinkling of various 
relicts of the former sedge moor stage. 
{e) Alpine Meadow Association, with the following as some of the prin- 
cipal species: Acomastylis turbinata, Bistorta bistortoides , Castilleja occi- 
dentalis, Trifolium dasyphyllum and Trifolium parryi, Rydbergia grandi- 
flora. Campanula petiolata. Associated Carices are quite frequent and may 
