1916] Long, — Primus cuneata in southern New Jersey 69 



plowed field — between the edge of the field and the fence. The soil 

 was rather sandy and in the immediate vicinity was a good deal of 

 scrub oak with small openings between. I, however, found no other 

 specimens of Primus. Hence I have often doubted whether it was 

 native in this particular locality." But, as he says further on, in 

 general comment, "whether Prunvs cuneata is native or not at any 

 particular location would have to be decided by a consideration of all 

 factors involved," and no doubt arguments could be advanced on the 

 possibility of this being a really indigenous colony. — The species is 

 not known in the immediate vicinity of this new locality at Lacy, 

 while the nearest well known stations are along the coast of Connecti- 

 cut, the Highlands of the Hudson, the summits or upper slopes of the 

 Kittatinny Mountains of northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsyl- 

 vania, and very locally in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania — a dis- 

 tance averaging nearly a hundred miles. Distance always removes 

 certain possibilities of chance introduction, but on the other hand a 

 distance of a hundred miles is not at all to be construed as too far 

 removed for the outposts of a natural distribution. There are too 

 many well known cases of even greater distances between outlying 

 stations to require specific comment. — The fruit is scarcely palatable 

 and does not seem to be collected. L. H. Bailey says: "Not in the 

 trade, so far as known." ' and W. F. Wight in his comprehensive 

 treatment of Native American Species of Prunvs states: "It has 

 apparently not been utilized in horticulture." 2 



The above facts seem to remove at least some of the more readily 

 possible sources of introduction. 



The most interesting evidence, it would seem, of the likelihood of 

 the plant being indigenous on the Coastal Plain of New Jersey is fur- 

 nished by its well known occurrence in the sand-plain region of New 

 England. Until the summer of 1913 I had been familiar with the 

 species only on rocky slopes and summits of the Poconos and Kitta- 

 tinnies. When botanizing with Prof. M. L. Fernald in eastern 

 Massachusetts, in the town of Lakeville, August 26, 1913, the occur- 

 rence of Prunus cuneata in the flat, sandy region of Plymouth County 

 was greeted by me with some surprise, but I was assured that this was 

 not an unusual species of this area. Several days later the plant was 

 seen again in Plymouth County in a habitat very similar, as I recall it 



1 lluiley, CycL Am. Hort. 1451 (1901). 



2 Wight, U. S. Oept. Agr. Bull. No. 179. 87 (1915). 



