78 H. G. SIMMONS. [sec. arct. exp. fram 



very rare in arctic plants as a whole, as the pollination by means of 

 insects plays so small a part in the Arctic Regions. I have had no 

 opportunity of observing which insects visit the flowers of Hesperis, as 

 I only saw it twice and only in a few individuals; but Hart, 1. c, p. 

 5i6, speaks of a minute red dipterous insect, which he found in them. 

 The pods are not plane as Hooker, 1. c, p. 60, says, but must rather 

 be described as terete, but for the strong middle vein, which forms a 

 sort of keel. Different authors have differently designated the plant in 

 question — as annual or biennial. As a fact, it is, at least in the 

 regions where I saw it, perennial, as was to be seen in individuals 

 furnished with fruit-stalks from last year as well as with new inflores- 

 censes. Some individuals were also seen that had died after flowering 

 (for the first tmie?), but probably those also were several years old. 



It was found only on slopes of gravel, where the strong root could 

 descend deeply, and was found in flower already June llth, 1899. Pods 

 from last year with ripe seed, were also seen at the same time. Greely, 

 1. c. II, p. 12, mentions it as flowering in Discovery Harbour already 

 June 8th, 1883. 



Occurrence. Grinnell Land: Discovery Harbour, Bellot Island, 

 Muskox Bay (Hart). Hayes Sound district: Beitstad Fjord, innermost 

 part (650), Twin Glacier Valley in Alexandra Fjord (881). Not found 

 on the western coast, but probably growing there, as Schei collected it 

 at Hyperite Cape in Heiberg Land. 



Distribution: Northwestern Greenland, Arctic American Archi- 

 pelago, Arctic America, Alaska, Arctic and Eastern Siberia, Novaja 

 Semlja. 



Braya purpurascens, (R. Br.) Bunge. 



Flatypetalum purpiirascens, Rob. Brown, Chlor. Melv., 1823; Hooker, F1. Bor. 

 Amer. ; Braya purpurascens, Bunge, in Ledebour, F1. Ross. ; Gelert, Not. 

 Arct. PI.; Lange, Consp. Fl. Groenl.; Kruuse, List E. Greenl. ; Simmons, Prel. 

 Rep. et Bot, Arb.; Andersson & Hesselman, Spetsb. karlv. ; Kjellman & Lund- 

 STROM, Fan. Nov. Seml.; B. alpina var. glabella, Greely, Rep. ('?); B. glabella, 

 Richardson, App. Franklin I (ex p.?); B. alpina, Hart, Bot. Br. Pol. Exp.; 

 Nathorst, N. W. Gronl. ; non Sternberg & Hoppe. 



Fig. FJ. Dan., 2295; Gelert, 1. c, fig. 3. 



Gelert has (1. c, p. 291—294) given an explanation of the rela- 

 tions between the plant here in question and the true B. alpina, and 

 has stated their distribution as far as the material which he has had 



