1916] Churchill, — Lappula deflexa in Vermont 139 



Perce and extreme eastern Quebec. But between these Eastern and 

 Western ranges lies a vast territory where our plant is scarcely known; 

 being represented in the Gray Herbarium by three or four collections 

 only, and these from stations which are sporadic and transitory. 



In 1882, Dr. Gray, revising Echinospermum deflexion, 1 distinguished 

 the "variety Americanum (which makes some approach to E. Virgini- 

 cum) the somewhat more granulate dorsal disk not rarely bearing 

 two or three small glochidiate prickles on an obscure midnerve." 

 And in the last edition of the Manual, this variety is cited with brief 

 characterization, and given a range "Iowa to Manitoba, westw. and 

 northw." only. Now among the few specimens of transitory occur- 

 rence to which allusion is made above, collected between these far 

 distant stations in eastern Canada and our extreme northwest terri- 

 tory, is one in the Gray Herbarium, labeled " Bluffs of the Mississippi, 

 Clinton County, Iowa, 6-20-1878, leg. Geo. D. Butler." 



Upon this collection alone cited by Dr. Gray, rests the record of 

 the occurrence of L. deflexa, var. americana in Iowa. Careful exami- 

 nation however, shows clearly that this Iowa plant is typical L. de- 

 flexa; and with this corrected determination apparently disappears 

 all record of the occurrence of the variety americana within the limits 

 of Gray's Manual. 



Lappula deflexa is not given in the first edition (1898) of the Illus- 

 trated Flora of Britton and Brown, and our plant appears there as 

 Lappula americana (A. Gray) Rydberg. In the last edition (1913) 

 the treatment is reversed, the species appearing as L. deflexa (Wabl.) 

 Garcke, and variety Americana is not recognized as valid. And the 

 ranges given are substantially in accord with those of the Gray 

 Manual. 



It is certain that my Vermont plants have the few barbed prickles 

 along the middle of the nutlets which are characteristic of the varietal 

 form, and it seems to follow that this little colony has traveled hither 

 from its home in the far West, rather than the much nearer " Eastern 

 Quebec," the home of the typical plant with the smoother nutlets. 



It may be noted that the plant here discussed forms an addition 

 to the recorded flora of Vermont, as it does not appear in the recently 

 published new edition of the state flora. Vt. Agric. Sta., Bull. 187 

 (1915). 



It will be interesting to observe whether also it persists and increases 



i Proc. Am. Academy, XVII, p. 224, note. 



