ee ee oes eee ЛҮҮ у, ГР С ЖОК T. 
1909] Deane,— Matricaria inodora, var. salina 239 
MATRICARIA INODORA, VAR. SALINA IN MASSACHU- 
SETTS. 
WALTER DEANE. 
On October 4, 1909, in company with Mr. C. F. Batchelder, I made 
a botanical trip to the extensive stretch of made land in South Boston, 
familiarly known as the “South Boston Flats." This large area is 
bordered by railroad tracks and grain elevators and is bounded on one 
side by the harbor. It is therefore a famous spot for introduced 
plants and has been a favorite mecca for botanists. Among other 
interesting plants which we found was a Matricaria which has been 
growing there for a number of years and is extremely abundant. Mr. 
C. E. Perkins collected it as early as 1882. It has been known as 
Matricaria inodora L. by the various collectors. 
I later submitted specimens of this plant to Prof. M. L. Fernald 
who noticed that it differed from typical Matricaria inodora and, on 
comparison, found it to be M. inodora L., var. salina (Wallr.) DC. 
This variety was first described by Wallroth in Schedulae Criticae de 
Plantis Florae Halensis selectis, in 1822, page 485, as “Pyrethrum 
inodorum В. salinum W. pinnis foliolorum linearibus confertissimis 
brevibus mucronatis subtus parce pilosis," etc. De Candolle in the 
Prodromus, VI, 1837, page 52, refers to the plant as a variety of 
Matricaria inodora L. with the following description, “‘caule rubente, 
foliorum lobis brevioribus crassiusculis confertis." "The short, crowded, 
thick lobes of the leaves readily distinguish it from the typical M. 
inodora which has much longer, less crowded, and thinner lobes of 
the leaves. Measurements of the ultimate lobes of typical leaves of 
European specimens show the average length to be 9.4 mm. for M. 
inodora and 3.3 mm. for M. znodora, var. salina. The variety, like 
true M. inodora, is an annual and is now generally distinguished by 
European authors from M. maritima L., a perennial species with which 
M. inodora, var. salina was formerly confused. 
Matricaria inodora L., var. salina (Wallr.) DC. inhabits the saline 
regions of Europe and is now reported apparently for the first time from 
America. It is interesting to note that plants occurring in the halo- 
phytic regions of Europe are adapting themselves to similar conditions 
in this country, as is illustrated by the plant under consideration and 
