1921] Pennell, — "Veronica" in North and South America 11 



What is here termed Veronica maritima presents remarkable vari- 

 ability, and whether it constitutes one polymorphic species, one 

 species with varieties, or a group of closely related species, must be 

 decided by field-study in the lands in which it is native. Until 

 Old World students arrive at a much more definite consensus of 

 opinion, there seems to be slight profit in our attempting further 

 analysis and identification of the large number of named variants of 

 this group. But to show the range of variation seen in American 

 material I present this doubtless artificial outline of forms: 



Corolla (of at least largest flowers) 5.5-7 mm. long. Filaments 



much exceeding the corolla. Leaves opposite or in threes, 6-15 



cm. long, long-acuminate ; sharply serrate. 



Leaf-blades beneath pubescent over most of surface. The most 



prevalent form northward, Magdalen Islands and Nova 



Scotia to Massachusetts and northern New York Forma A 



Leaf-blades beneath glabrous or slightly pubescent on veins. In 

 Nova Scotia and Massachusetts. Evidently a mere variant 



of Forma A Forma B 



Corolla 4-5.5 mm. long. 



Leaf-blades beneath pubescent over entire surface and usually also 

 above. Filaments nearly twice as long as the corolla. 

 Leaves in threes or fours, 8-10 cm. long, the blades linear- 

 lanceolate, long-acuminate, sharply serrate. Buckfield 

 and Cliff Island, Maine. Probably the typical V. mari- 

 tima L. As in Forma A, but smaller-flowered Forma C 



Leaves opposite, 3-5 cm. long, the blades oblong-lanceolate, 

 acute, dentate-serrate. In Quebec, Massachusetts, and 



central New York Forma D 



Leaf-blades beneath glabrous, or slightly pubescent on the veins, 

 lanceolate, or oblong-lanceolate. 

 Leaves opposite, or very rarely in threes, 3-10 cm. long, the 

 blades acuminate or acute, dentate-serrate or somewhat 

 sharply serrate. Filaments usually only slightly longer 

 than the corolla. The most prevalent form southward, 

 and possibly a distinct species. On Prince Edward Is- 

 land; from Maine to Vermont and Connecticut; in 



Martinique Forma E 



Leaves opposite, 5-8 cm. long, the blades obtuse or acutish, 

 crenate-serrate. Filaments much exceeding the corolla. 

 An anomalous form, perhaps a hybrid containing some 

 Veronica spicata ancestry. Elmira, New York Forma F 



Perhaps even the little-understood Veronica spuria L. is to be in- 

 cluded in this aggregate species. If so, as this name has precedence 

 of position, according to the American Code 1 it must be adopted. 

 Veronica spuria L., Sp. PI. 10. 1753 ("Habitat in Europa australiore, 



1 Priority of position within a work, or as in this case on a single page, affords an 

 unfortunate rule to follow, because it does not indicate any time-precedence in the 

 author's mind. Perhaps a better principle would be to select, among 'species' actually 

 seen by the author, that earliest known by him. In the case above, Linne knew 

 Veronica spuria and lon'Jfolia from 1748, but V. maritima from 1737. 



