1902] Fernakl, — Variations of Glaux in America 215 



Old World material is quite like the smaller plants of Bathurst and 

 Cutler ; and the larger subsimple or diffuse specimens from Europe 

 are matched by plants collected by the writer in Maine — at Cape 

 Elizabeth and Southport. The same narrow-leaved plant, though 

 sometimes with a stronger tendency to fastigiate erect branching, 

 occurs in the alkaline district of North America, from Minnesota to 

 the Rocky Mountains. 



The other form of Glaux, the common erect plant of the New 

 England coast with larger oval or broad-oblong round-tipped leaves 

 and larger fruit, does not seem to occur in Europe, although closely 

 approached by a large simple Scandinavian plant which, however, 

 has narrower blunt-pointed leaves. But, as shown in the Gray Her- 

 barium, this broad-leaved form of our Atlantic coast is also on the 

 Pacific shores from Alaska to California, and even in the interior of 

 the latter state, and like many other characteristic plants of eastern 

 America it occurs upon the coasts of Japan and Amur. 



The distinguishing features and the distribution of the two forms 

 of Glaux as now understood are : 



Glaux maritima, L. Sp. 207. Diffusely branched (rarely simple), 

 the branches-prostrate, loosely ascending, or sometimes erect : leaves 

 linear to oblong, the larger 3 to 12 mm. long, 1.5 to 6 mm. broad, 

 bluntly pointed: flowers 3 to 5 mm. long, variously colored with 

 white, rose pink or lavender, and crimson : mature capsule 2 to 3 mm. 

 long, 2 to 2.5 mm. broad. — Locally along the coast from Baie des 

 Chaleurs, New Brunswick, to eastern Massachusetts; in alkaline 

 districts inland from Minnesota to Saskatchewan, Nevada and 

 Oregon ; and in Europe and interior Asia. Passing to 



Var. obtusifolia. Erect (0.5 to 3 dm. high), simple or with few 

 erect branches : leaves oval or broadly oblong, the principal ones 8 to 1 5 

 mm. long, 4 to 8 mm. broad, with rounded tips : mature capsule 3 mm. 

 long, 2.5 to 4 mm. broad. — Salt marshes and wet muddy or sandy sea- 

 shores (rarely inland), Gulf of St. Lawrence to Nantucket ; Alaska to 

 California; and Amur and Japan. Specimens examined — Quebec, 

 Anticosti (Pursh) : New Brunswick, Bathurst, July 24, 1902 

 ( Williams &» Fcrtiald) : Prince Edward Island, Tracadie Beach, 

 Aug. 6, 190 1 (Churchill) : Nova Scotia, Grand Narrows, Cape 

 Breton, July 27, 1898 (John Macoun, Herb. Geol. Surv. Can. no. 

 19,849) : Maine, Cutler, July 4, 1902 (Kennedy, Williams, Collins 

 <$- Femald) ; Mt. Desert Island, June 23, 1890 (Faxon) ; Great 



