1924] Sanford,—Notes on Some Rhode Island Plants 129 
oaks, in Swansea, are numerous trees of this species which are pro- 
bably native, as they are a long distance from any road or yard 
from which they might have originated, even if there were evidence 
of parents in the neighborhood. The trees are tall and rather slender, 
indicating that they have struggled upward in competition with 
the surrounding growth, much of which must be over fifty years of 
age. 
A very large sugar maple in Fall River, about seventy-five years 
old, is known to be a seedling from what is supposed to have been a 
native parent. 
POLYGONUM VIRGINIANUM L. Although southern New England is 
well within the range of this knotweed, the species appears to be 
somewhat rare and certainly local. For many years a colony in the 
town of Somerset, Mass., not only persisted but spread rapidly in 
several shaded ditches along wooded roadsides. Specimens from 
Lincoln, R. I., have also been collected by the writer. 
HIERACIUM FLORENTINUM All. A vigorous growth of this hawk- 
weed, too common in Canada and eastern Maine, was observed hear 
East Greenwich, R. I., and specimens collected in the late summer of 
1923. The plants were probably introduced with seed in a grain field. 
ILEX opaca Ait. While this species is known to grow tall, it is 
not usual to find very large trees in the southeastern corner of New 
England. In the town of Little Compton, R. I., however, there is a 
piece of swampy woodland which contains numerous trees 20 to 30 
or more feet high, many of them of large diameter, and some with 
divided trunks. One tree measured thirty-one inches in circumference. 
The stump of another holly, in a Westport, Mass., swamp, was more 
than two feet across, indicating the size which this I/ex has, in the past, 
attained. Ilex opaca with berries, although appearing in the market 
at Christmas time, is becoming rare. 
Nyssa SYLVATICA Marsh. Fruiting specimens of this polygamo- 
dioecious tree are rare in the section treated. This is noteworthy, 
as the Tupelo is of frequent occurrence throughout, often reaching 
considerable size. Another peculiarity, well known and without 
special significance, is the occasional presence of angularly lobed or 
toothed leaves, instead of the usual obovate, entire-margined blades. 
In such cases there are generally two large teeth or “shoulders” on 
each side of the leaf. 
Boston, MASSACHUSETTS. 
