The Ragland Hills are a rugged, largely forested series of hills and ravines in Forrest and

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...

counties,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. They formed by water erosion of thick clay, gravel and sand deposits, with the Leaf River and its tributaries responsible for the downcutting. Part of

Camp Shelby Camp Shelby is a military post whose North Gate is located at the southern boundary of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on United States Highway 49. It is the largest state-owned training site in the nation. During wartime, the camp's mission is to se ...

is in the Ragland Hills. Many plant community types occur. The mesic beech-magnolia forest of ravines is especially interesting due to its mix of subtropical species including ''

Magnolia grandiflora ''Magnolia grandiflora'', commonly known as the southern magnolia or bull bay, is a tree of the family Magnoliaceae native to the Southeastern United States, from Virginia to central Florida, and west to East Texas. Reaching in height, it is a ...

'', ''

Tillandsia usneoides Spanish moss (''Tillandsia usneoides'') is an epiphytic flowering plant that often grows upon large trees in tropical and subtropical climates. It is native to much of Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Central America, South America, the Southern Uni ...

'' and ''

Sabal minor ''Sabal minor'', commonly known as the dwarf palmetto, is a small species of palm. It is native to the deep southeastern and south-central United States and northeastern Mexico. It is naturally found in a diversity of habitats, including maritime ...

'' with northern inland species such as ''

Fagus grandifolia ''Fagus grandifolia'', the American beech or North American beech, is a species of beech tree native to the eastern United States and extreme southeast of Canada. Description ''Fagus grandifolia'' is a large deciduous tree growing to tall, w ...

'', ''

Arisaema dracontium ''Arisaema dracontium'', the dragon-root or green dragon, is a herbaceous perennial plant in the genus ''Arisaema'' and the family Araceae. It is native to North America from Quebec through Minnesota south through Florida and Texas, where it is ...

'', ''A. triphyllum'', ''

Medeola virginiana ''Medeola virginiana'', known as Indian cucumber, cucumber root, or Indian cucumber-root, is an eastern North American plant species in the lily family, Liliaceae. It is the only currently recognized plant species in the genus ''Medeola''. It gro ...

'', ''

Phryma leptostachya ''Phryma leptostachya'', or lopseed, is a perennial herb of the genus ''Phryma''. When distinguished from ''Phryma oblongifolia'' and ''Phryma nana'', it is native to eastern North America. The plant stands about 0.3 to 1.0 meters tall, and the ...

'', ''

Sanguinaria canadensis ''Sanguinaria canadensis'', bloodroot, is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America. It is the only species in the genus ''Sanguinaria'', included in the poppy family Papaveraceae, and is most closely related to ' ...

'', '' Trillium cuneatum'', ''

Uvularia perfoliata ''Uvularia perfoliata'', the perfoliate bellwort, is a perennial forb indigenous (ecology), native to the eastern United States and Canada, which produces pale yellow flowers in spring. Description The smooth slender stem of ''Uvularia perfoli ...

'' and ''U. sessilifolia''.ROGERS, K. (1977). VASCULAR FLORA OF THE RAGLAND HILLS AREA, FORREST AND PERRY COUNTIES, MISSISSIPPI. SIDA, Contributions to Botany, 7(1), 51–79. Retrieved August 18, 2020, from www.jstor.org/stable/41966516

References

Landforms of Forrest County, Mississippi Landforms of Perry County, Mississippi {{PerryCountyMS-geo-stub