28 Rhodora O [FEBRUARY 
NOTES ON RARE NEW YORK STATE PLANTS. 
F. P. METCALF AnD L. Griscom. 
Tue territory covered by these notes lies partly in Wayne and 
partly in Cayuga County, New York, roughly speaking about twenty 
miles north of Lake Cayuga. This region geologically is a plain 
which extends from Fort Niagara on the west to Oswego on the east, 
reaching back to the foothills of the inland plateau south of Syracuse 
and Buffalo. At one time this was entirely covered by the old Lake 
Iroquois. It is a drumlin country. Chains of small lakes or ponds 
are everywhere in the hollows, surrounded by swamps or prairies; 
sphagnum bogs are frequent; and where the ground is a little higher 
an unusual type of low rich woods is found, affording a rich collecting 
ground to the botanist. Two types of country not found in the 
Cayuga Lake Basin (to the south) are the open peaty prairie and the 
arbor-vitae swamp. 
This region has proved to be exceedingly rich botanically. We 
venture to say that there are few places in the State where twenty-five 
species of orchids can be found in a few square miles of country as the 
result of three trips in one summer. Indeed on August 12, 1916, the 
writers observed twenty species of this interesting group. Fortu- 
nately for the botanist, the lack of large towns, and cities, has served to 
preserve the native flora to a remarkable extent. It is interesting to 
note that as would naturally be expected from its given position and 
topographical characteristics, the flora of this region bears a much 
greater similarity to that of Rochester and Buffalo than to that of the 
Cayuga Lake Basin. 
Quite by chance this region was first visited by Prof. A. H. 
Wright and the junior author in June, 1915. No plants were collected, 
but the richness of the flora was so evident that careful exploration 
was planned for the following year. Accordingly Prof. Wright, Mrs. 
Wright, and the authors collected there extensively from June 9-13, 
1916, bringing back nearly one hundred sheets of rare plants. On 
this as tangible evidence of the interest of the region, Prof. Wiegand 
and several other members of the botanical department of the State 
College of Agriculture collected there from July 1-4, Prof. Wright 
and the senior author serving as guides; and Prof. Wright and the 
authors also collected from Aug. 11 to Aug. 14. 
