. Botany for high schools. Botany. PLANT SOCIETIES 451 638. Edaphic plant societies.—These are societies the plants of which are chiefly controlled by the peculiar conditions of the soil. There are a number of different kinds of edaphic plant societies determined by the character of the physiographic areas. First. Sphagnimi moors. These are formed in shallow basins originally with more or less water. The growth of the sphagnum. Fig. 410. Perennial rosette plant from alpine flora of the Andes, showing short stem, rosette of leaves, and large flower. (After Schimper.) moss along with other veget
. Botany for high schools. Botany. PLANT SOCIETIES 451 638. Edaphic plant societies.—These are societies the plants of which are chiefly controlled by the peculiar conditions of the soil. There are a number of different kinds of edaphic plant societies determined by the character of the physiographic areas. First. Sphagnimi moors. These are formed in shallow basins originally with more or less water. The growth of the sphagnum. Fig. 410. Perennial rosette plant from alpine flora of the Andes, showing short stem, rosette of leaves, and large flower. (After Schimper.) moss along with other vegetation and its partial decay in the water builds up ground rapidly so that in course of time the pond may be completely filled in. This filling in proceeds from the shore toward the center, and in the early stages of course there would be a pond in the center. The partial decay of vege- tation creates an excess of humus acid which retards absorption by the roots. The conditions are such, then, as require aerial structures for retarding the loss of water, and plants growing in such moors are usually xerophytes. Some of the plants are identical with those growing in the arctic tundra. Second. Sand strand or beach.^ The quantity of sand with very little or no admixture of humus or plant food makes it difficult for plants to obtain a sufficient amount of water even where rainfall is abundant. The same may be said of the sand dunes farther back from the shore. The plants of these areas are then usually * See Chapter LIV of the author's College Text-book of Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original Atkinson, George Francis, 1854-1918. New York, H. Holt and Company
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