Abstract
The mesophytic deciduous forest is the climax type of flora in Indiana. The trees typify the dominant life-form of such a community, but the shrubs and herbaceous plants which go to make up the undergrowth have an important t bearing on the nature of the vegetation as a whole. Within each climax formation there are numerous physiographic areas in which differences in vegetation are associated primarily with differences in topography and soil character. In Indiana there are six such areas, each with its distinctive floras (6, 11, 15). Lindsey (12) has made a study of the trees of Indiana, dealing with their distribution within the state in natural botanical areas and outside the state in their wider distribution by larger physiographic units. The present paper involves a study of the shrubs following the manner of the study of trees made by Lindsey.
