PLANTS OF SOUTHERNi NEW JERSEY. 533 



have been mistaken in the occurrence of the plant, especially 

 since Dr. Knieskern does not include it in his list. Several 

 other important New Jersey records which originate in Prof. 

 Willis' Catalogue have never been substantiated. 



At any rate, from this time, say 1854 until 1886, the plant 

 was completely lost, so far as New Jersey was concerned. In 

 that year it was rediscovered by Mr. F. J. H. Merrill, of Columbia 

 College, in the barren plains west of Cedar Bridge, exactly where 

 Mr. Redfield suggested in 1869,* that it might be found when 

 reporting to the Philadelphia Academy the failure of the efforts 

 of Mr. Charles F. Parker and himself to rediscover it. 



The discovery was communicated to Dr. Britton, who visited 

 the spot with Messrs. Thomas Hogg and J. I. Northrup, in 

 May, 1887. On April 3, 1889, Dr. Britton, Mr. Redfield, Mr. 

 Arthur Hollick and Dr. J. Bernard Brinton, visited the locality, 

 and I quote from Mr. Redfield's second paper on the subject:! 

 "The locality is about two and one-half miles due west from. 

 Cedar Bridge, and about ten miles west of the railroad station 

 at Barnegat. It lies on both sides of the county line dividing 

 Ocean and Burlington Counties. It is easiest reached from 

 Barnegat by taking the straight road from that place to Cedar 

 Bridge (about eight miles), then taking the straight road run- 

 ning west-northwest frorm Cedar Bridge toward Buddstown 

 for about two and one-half miles to where that road is crossed 

 by a north and south road, and following this for half or two- 

 thirds of a mile south. 



"The region is a most remarkable one, which cannot fail to 

 impress every visitor with a sense of loneliness and sterility. It 

 forms part of the watershed, or divide, between the streams 

 flowing into the Atlantic and those discharging into the Dela- 

 ware River. Locally it is known as the "West Plains," but 

 these so-called "plains" are long, undulating swells of sand, 

 sometimes rising to a height commanding extensive views in 

 every direction over a desert of sand so sterile that even the 

 trees of Pinns rigida, which sparsely clothe it, can attain only 

 to the height of three or four feet. No sign of human life is 



* Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci., Phila., 1869, 91, 92. 



t Bull. Torrey Bot. Club XVI., 1889, p. I93-I95- 



