104 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [March, 



Arctostaphylos uva-ursi L. 



Habitat. — Diy upland peat. 



This species has been observed at two widely separated localities 

 in the Pine-barrens of New Jersey, in upland peat and in white sand 

 rendered acid by autogenous humus, the reaction being medi- 

 acid. A soil sample from a colony growing on trap rock in south 

 central Connecticut, kindly submitted by Mr. C. A. Weatherby, 

 proved to be subacid. On the other hand, it is reported by Fernald^" 

 from cliffs of limestone at Bic, Quebec; and Mr. Coville informs the 

 writer that he has collected it on limestone north of Lake Superior. 

 In both these occurrences the soils are presumably at most minim- 

 acid, if not neutral or alkaline, which would indicate that the species 

 has a wide range of soil reaction. 



In the Alps something of the same sort has been noted. Accord- 

 ing to Schroeter:^^ 



"In Wallis it is according to Jaccard calciphilous, likewise in the 

 Bavarian Alps according to Sendner, while Contejean designates it 

 as calciphobous, and Mangin and Lecoq as indifferent. According 

 to my experience it is calciphilous in the Swiss Alps." Yet Warm- 

 ing" includes it among oxylophytes or acid soil plants. Further 

 study of this plant is desirable to ascertain whether there are any 

 varietal differences associated with these divergences of soil reaction. 



Chiogenes hispidula (L.) T. & G. 



Habitat. — Moist and occasionally dry upland peat and wet sphag- 

 num peat. 



Acidity. — 



5+ X 



4 



3 



2 o X 



1 X 



300 100 30 10 3 1, 



The optimum soil reaction of this species is mediacid, which has 

 been obtained at stations in the mountains of Pennsylvania and 

 West Virginia, as well as in northern New England. It is interest- 

 ing to note that Thoreau'^ pointed out that the Indian name for this 

 plant means "grows where trees have rotted," rotting wood being 

 usually strongly acid in reaction. 



^^Rhodora, 9: 163, 1907. 



"Das Pflanzenleben der Alpen, Zurich, 1908; p. 156. 

 "Oecology of plants, Oxford, 1909; page 211. . 



i*"The Maine Woods." 



