A BOTANIST'S DAY ON MT. WASHINGTON.* 



By A. J. Grout. 



IT WAS our privilege to be favored with one of the finest days of 

 the season for the ascent of Mt. Washington; clear and sunny all 

 day long excepting for a mere breath of fog at about 7 130. 



Standing near Darby Field Cottage, the evening before, we 

 could see the Summit House, three miles away and one of the miles a 

 vertical one, in the clear light that illuminated the peak after our 

 world was in deepening shadow. 



The next morning we arose in the darkness at 3:30 and after 

 breakfast, were ready to start as soon as there was light enough to see 

 our way. Our path lay through Tuckerman's Ravine, famous for 

 botanical rarities and the "snow arch," which by the way last sum- 

 mer's heat had entirely melted away before the first of July. After a 

 climb of about two hours we came into Tuckerman's Ravine proper 

 where the alpine plants began to appear. This reminds one strongly 

 of the Smuggler's Notch ravines, on a much larger scale and the path 

 to the summit zigzags back and forth over towering cliffs similar but 

 less abrupt. One of the most striking things to me was the difference 

 in the flora here and elsewhere on Mt. Washington and that of Smug- 

 gler's Notch and Mt. Mansfield. Here in Tuckerman's Ravine were 

 Salix pJiylicifolia both sexes, Almcs alnobetula and a number of more 

 common alpine plants, but no Pinguicula., neither of our alpine Saxi- 

 frages, nor did I see any of our rare alpine ferns; no Artemisia Cana- 

 densis^ Arenaria hirta, Hedysaruvi or Astragalus. However this de- 

 ficiency was atoned for by the bright yellow Arnica Chatnissonis^^ 

 strongly resembling a dwarf sunflower; Oxyria digyna*, whose very 

 looks seemed to say: " a near relative of our sorrel;" Gnaphalinni su- 

 pinii///, which one could easily mistake for our common G. uliginosum ; 

 Phleii m alpi7tuni t\iQ.i\ooks, just like dwarfed timothy; Salix argyro- 

 carpa in fine fruit, and a form called a hybrid between this and ^'". 

 pJiylicifolia. Besides these more striking forms, we also collected 

 here Veronica alpina"^, Sibhaldia procuntbens, Loiselcuria procunibens, 

 Epilobiuui alpinuni'^, and Geuni radiatum which was conspicuous in its 

 season but was then nearly past flowering. All along the ravine brook 

 grew a large, purple -flowered aster that reminded one of pnniceiis. 

 This form is not described in any of our manuals or floras, yet is 

 known to Mr. Fernald and Dr. Britton. 



As the path emerged at the top of the cliffs there was an abun- 



*Read before the Vermont Botanical Club at its annual rneeting, January 28, 18 



