The Systematic Description of Plant Communities by the Use of Symbols

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Abstract
A field method for the rapid and systematic description of plant communities in respect to appearance, structure, height, density and floristic composition is described. A formula of figures and letters is built up from symbols representing the stories, their component layers, and the density and height of each in the community. The floristic composition is shown by lists of abbreviated species names placed under the appropriate portions of the formula. The dominant species are indicated. The formula has been used successfully on a series of broad-scale ecological surveys in Northern Australia and has proved to be a reliable, accurate and rapid method of recording observations on plant communities, and of summarizing voluminous data for subsequent collation. This method of description is a logical beginning for the classification of plant communities into structural categories.

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