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A plant community (sometimes "phytocoenosis" or "phytocenosis") is a collection or association of plant species within a designated geographical unit, which forms a relatively uniform patch, distinguishable from neighboring patches of different vegetation types.
A plant community can be described floristically (the species of flowers or flora the plant community contains) and/or phytophysiognomically (the physical structure or appearance of the plant community). For example, a forest (a community of trees) includes the overstory, or upper tree layer of the canopy, as well as the understory,a layer consisting of trees and shrubs located beneath the canopy but above the forest floor. An example is a grassland on the northern Caucasus steppes.
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