1909] Fernald,— Variations of Arenaria peploides 113 
variety of a broadly distributed polar type rather than a distinct spe- 
cies. But since the name maritima has twice been used for species in 
the genus Arenaria and as a varietal designation would be quite 
meaningless for a local variation of a uniformly maritime ' species, 
a more appropriate name is proposed for the plant now first treated as 
a variety. 
The American variations of Arenaria peploides may be briefly 
defined as follows. 
* Flowers few to many in terminal leafy cymes. 
ARENARIA PEPLOIDES L. Rooting and usually much branched 
deep in the sand; the leafy branches of the season procumbent, 0.5— 
2 dm. high, usually much forked, somewhat fleshy, 1.5-3 mm. in 
diameter (when dry): leaves ovate or elliptic, somewhat fleshy, 0.5- 
2 em. long: flowers few, on short pedicels, in small terminal leafy 
cymes, usually more or less unisexual; sepals 4—5 mm. long, ovate, 
obtuse or acutish: capsule globose, thick-walled, 6-8 mm. in diam- 
eter: seeds compressed-pyriform, 3-4 mm. long, dark brown, some- 
what lustrous and rugulose.— Sp. Pl. 423 (1753); Eng. Bot. in. t. 
189 (1794); Pursh, Fl. i. 317 (1814); and subsequent Am. auth. in 
small part only. Alsine peploides Crantz, Inst. ii. 406 (1766). Aren- 
aria portulacea Lam. Fl. Fr. iii. 38 (1778). Honkenya peploides 
Ehrh. Beitr. ii. 181 (1788); Reichenb. Ic. Fl. Germ. v. t. 213, fig. 
3670 — as Honckenya (1841). Arenaria littoralis Salisb. Prodr. 299 
(1796). Halianthus peploides Fries, Fl. Hall. 75 (1817). Aden- 
arium marina S. F. Gray, Nat. Arr. Brit. Pl. ii. 545 (1821). Aden- 
arium peploides Raf. New Fl. pt. 1, 62 (1836). Merckia peploides 
G. Don. Gen. Syst. 1. 441 (1831). Honkeneja peploides, a. latifolia 
Fenzl in Ledeb. Fl. Ross. i. 358 (1842). Ammadenia peploides Rupr. 
in Beitr. PA. Russ. Reich. ii. 25 (1845).— Coastal sands of boreal 
regions. In America known only from Labrador and arctic Alaska. 
Var. maxima, n. var. ramis subsimplicibus vel aliquid furcatis 
1.2-3.5 dm. altis paulo succulentibus 2-4 mm. crassis; folis late 
lanceolatis vel elliptico-ovatis basin versus angustatis aliquid car- 
nosis, eis mediae partis 2-4.5 cm. longis 1-2 cm. latis; cymis multi- 
floris; sepalis ovatis vel ovato-lanceolatis 5-7 mm. longis; capsula 
7-9 mm. diametro tenui (siccatate translucenti); seminibus levibus 
et lucidis pallide rufo-brunneis. 
Branches subsimple or slightly forked, 1.2-3.5 dm. high, slightly 
succulent, 2-4 mm. thick: leaves broadly lanceolate to elliptic-ovate, 
narrowed at base, slightly fleshy, the middle ones 2-4.5 сш. long, 
1-2 em. broad: cymes several-flowered: sepals ovate to ovate-lan- 
1 The reference in the Synoptical Flora to an imperfect specimen from Yellowstone 
Lake as perhaps belonging to Arenaria peploides was based on an immature plant 
which does not satisfactorily match any known form of this species, 
