Notes on convergence and identity in relation to environment

Any community of plants is characterized in four main ways — by a definite floristic composition, by definite life-forms, by a definite structure and by a definite habitat or environment. Of these four characters, floristic composition is the most important in defining a plant community in any particular locality. It is a commonplace fact that many parts of the world may show communities of higher plants identical in life-form, structure and habitat but differing widely in their floristic composition. By utilising the three last named characters of a plant community we can group our unit biocoenoses into larger groups.