The New International Encyclopædia/Savannas

SAVANNAS (OSp. savana, sheet, from Lat. sabanum, from Gk. σάβανον, linen cloth, towel). Plant societies intermediate between forests and grasslands and associated with transitional conditions. Climatic savannas, which are abundant in many tropical and warm regions, are park-like, the undergrowth being largely grassy and the trees scattered irregularly. Occasionally edaphic savannas, probably influenced by the grazing of animals, may occur in temperate regions, especially in river bottoms.