196 Rhodora [October 



It has every appearance of being indigenous here. Upon this 

 point Miss Shelley writes me : " My father has known of its growing 

 there for all of twenty-five years." 



I m.iy add that the identification has been confirmed by Dr. 

 Greenman of the Gray Herbarium, who has also kindly supplied me 

 with the following facts regarding the occurrence of the genus else- 

 where in New England. 



As shown in the Gray Herbarium the genus Valcrianella is repre- 

 sented in New England by specimens collected by Mr. C. L. Shear 

 at Stockbridge, Massachusetts, June, 1891, and also by specimens 

 secured, near Springfield, Massachusetts in July, 1892, and communi- 

 cated to the Gray Herbarium by Mrs. Maria L. Owen. These two 

 plants, however, differ from typical Vakrianella radiata Dufr. in 

 having the fruit quite glabrous instead of pubescent, and hence well 

 represent the form V. radiata Dufr., var. leiocarpa Krok. 



The species has been reported from Chenango County, New York, 

 by Coville, 1 and is said to have been collected by Prof. Peck at New 

 Baltimore, Kings County, New York; but no record appears to have 

 been hitherto made regarding the occurrence of either the species or 

 the variety in New England. 



New London, Connecticut. 



The Occurrence of Empetrum in Franklin County, Maine. 

 — As a note to Mr. Fernald's article on Empetrum? I would add the 

 following, based on field observations made in Franklin County, 

 Maine, the past summer : 



Empetrum nigrum, L., there grows best in peat-moss, and the 

 prostrate habit is not particularly prominent, as most of the branch- 

 lets are sub-erect. 



E. nigrum, var. andinum, DC, prefers as a soil the gravel formed 

 by the decomposition of coarse granite, usually containing very little 

 vegetable matter. It is spreading in habit, and forms large prostrate 

 mats. On July 16, in company with Mr. E. B. Chamberlain, I dis- 

 covered a new station for this plant, on Bald Mt., Perkins, two or 

 three miles north of the lesser Saddleback, where I found the plant 

 in 1899. This variety grows here in the greatest luxuriance, espe- 



1 Bull. Torr. Hot. CI. XII, 53. 



2 Rhodora, iv. 147. 



