32 MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



seen it, it is a rare species in Michigan, liaviiijj; been found, I belie\'e, 

 in only one or two localities. 



The ferns are few in number and each s])ecies is itself scarce; in the 

 woods on Belle Isle may be found the Urijopterls simulata, recently 

 se[)arated from J>. Thcli/ptcri.s (Lin.) A. Gray by Mr. Davenport. It is 

 a rare fern and more commonly met with in the eastern states. Michi- 

 gan has not before been included in its range. 



Some eastern plants have been creeping west; among these may be 

 mentioned the Cardainlne hirsuta Lin., th6 bitter cress; the Geum 

 vcnunn (Raf.) T. & G. or spring avens; the Phjjsalis PhUadelphica Lam., 

 one of the ground cherries; the Euphorbia hirsuta (Torr.) Wiegd., the 

 hairy spurge; and a variety of chicory Chicorium Intijhus Lin. rar. 

 divaricdta DC. The Cardaniine is rare in this country, being confined 

 generally to the eastern Atlantic states, it is the first time, I believe, 

 that it has been reported from west of the Aj^palachians. It was 

 found in moist dense woods on the upper half of Belle Isle. The 

 Euphorbia is another rare plant not before refwrted from west of New 

 York; it has recently been separated from the E. nutans or E. hyperici- 

 folia which aggregate has given rise to several so called species. 

 Another, the Aster cricoides L. var. pJati/phi/Uus T. & G. has crept up 

 from the south; it is the first time it has been recorded for Michigan, 

 and is quite common near the water works, on grassy banks. There is 

 another peculiar form of aster which, perhaps, may turn out to be the 

 rare Aster amcthj/stinus Nutt. but it requires further study. 



A rare and interesting find, as ballast waifs, were the Pacific coasi 

 Lupin us poll/carpus Greene, Trifolium furcatuin Lindl. and the T. dc- 

 pHupvratuin Desv. Among other ballast plants may be mentioned the 

 Belladonna {Atropu Belladonna Lin.); the Ajowan (Caruin Copticum 

 (Lin.) Bth. & Hk.f.); and the common garden beet [Beta rulgaris Lin.) 

 I'robably a number of plants found on Belle Isl^ have been introduced 

 by means of bou(iuets taken to the island by pleasure seekers and 

 picnickers; as such, perhaps may be mentioned the American cowslip, 

 {f)odecathcon Meadia Lin.), the Hellebore [Hellehorus viridis Lin.), the 

 Kattlebox (Crotalaria sae/ittalis Lin.), and the False Kue Anemone 

 [Isopf/runi biternatuni (Raf.) T. iV: G.). 



Several of our old and well known ])lants considered as single species 

 by our older botanists have been split up into several by the younger 

 botanists of the present generation. Whether or not these segregations 

 are well taken can be told only by future field work and careful study. 

 Among the old species so treated may be mentioned Fanicum diehotoinuni. 

 Lin. which has been split into innumerable species of which we have 

 three, the P. Columbianum Scribn., P. pubescens Lam., and P. lanuginosa 

 Ell. Agropi/ron repens (L.) Beauv. has been divided and we now have 

 in addition to the type Ihe varieties agreste Anders, and pilosum 

 Scribn. ^: Sin. and .1. l^niiUiii Rydb. Sisi/rincliiuin Bcrniudlana Lin. 

 has also been segregated and we now have aS*. graniinoides Bicknell and 

 S. albiduni Raf. On the northeast corner of Belle Isle is an artificial 

 lake constructed to reclaim a large tract of marshy ground. On the 

 present site of the lake was discovered, several years ago, a peculiar 

 Sisi/rinrhiuni. Instead of having flat winged stems and leaves as usual 

 these were almost thread-like or terete; Ihe bases of the leaves were 



