1899] Fernald, — Oxytropis campestris in America 87 
identified, with slight hesitation, with large specimens of me western 
O. Lamberti, Pursh, var. sericea, Gray. . 
Hundreds of specimens recently collected or examined in the St. 
John and Aroostook valleys show conclusively, however, that the large 
eastern plant cannot be referred to any form of O. Lambertí. In its 
longer thin slightly silky or glabrate leaves, closely flowered spikes, and 
especially in the thin papery texture of the legumes, the northeastern 
plant is well distinguished: from the more western species with its 
thickish densely silvery-silky leaves, loosely-flowered spikes, and firm 
coriaceous legumes. In fact, the leaves and dense spikes, though 
large, are not unlike the general type found in the forms of O. campes- 
tris; and in their thin papery texture the legumes are certainly very 
like that species, with which for some years it has generally been asso- 
ciated. That it is, however, neither the true O. campestris nor its var.’ 
caerulea has already been sufficiently emphasized. Apparently no 
other form has been described which includes this attractive plant, 
and little hesitation is felt in proposing for it a new varietal name by 
which it may hereafter be distinguished from the overcrowded forms 
with which it has been confused. 
Although this large plant of the St. Lawrence and St. John valleys is 
clearly different from Oxytropis campestris and its variety caerulea, its 
confusion with the latter form has been a natural one, for the larger 
plant has been represented in our herbaria only by scanty fruiting 
material. As already stated, however, Dr. Gray, in commenting upon 
the American plants, noted a slight difference between the legumes of 
the Maine specimens and those from Europe ; and later he found in the 
Labrador specimens the same * slight introflexion of the dorsal suture " 
which he had already mentioned in the European plant. Notwith- 
standing this slight difference in the legumes, Dr. Gray then treated 
the Maine and Labrador plants as one form. The more southern rosy- 
flowered plant has been already sufficiently discussed. Judging from 
descriptions, the Labrador plant, on the other hand, referred by him 
to O. campestris, var. caerulea, does not differ appreciably from that 
European variety. n 
The two northeastern forms may be characterized as follows : — 
OXYTROPIS CAMPESTRIS, DC., var. CAERULEA, Koch. Perennial from 
a stout multicipital caudex : leaves 3 to 15 cm. long; the 15 to 23 thin 
more or.less sericeous or glabrate elliptic-oblong to linear-lanceolate 
leaflets generally 1 cm. (rarely 13 mm.) or less long: peduncles .5 to 
