1898-1902. No. 2.] VASCULAR PLANTS OF ELLESMERELAND. 159 



down to Northern Africa, in Northern and Central Asia, more rare in 

 America, where it is said to be introduced from Europe (Britton & 

 Brown, 1. c, 1, p. 214). 



Glyceric maritima, (Hubs.) Wahlb. 

 var. repta^ns, (Hartm.) m. 



Molinia distans var. reptans, Hartman, Excursions fl., 1846; G. distans var. reptans, 

 Hartman, Skand. Fl., Ed. 5; G. reptans, Krok, Finm. Fan.; A. Blytt, Norg. 

 Fl. ; Catabrosa vilfoidea, Andersson, In Malmgren, Spetsb. Fan. FL; G. vilfoidea, 

 Th. Fries, Till. Spetsb. Fan. Fl. ; Lange, Consp. Fl. Groenl.; Nathorst, N. W. 

 Gronl.; Macoux, PI. Pribilof; G. maritima [vilfoidea], Simmons, Bot. Arb.; 

 G. maritima f. vilfoidea, Gelert, in Ostenfeld, Fl. Arct. ; Kruuse, List E, 

 Greenl. 



Fig. Th. Fries, 1. c, T. 4; Fl. Dan., T. 2883. 



This plant has lately, in the above-quoted paper of Krok, been 

 treated in detail and described, so as only to leave for me to refer to 

 that treatise. But, as the opinion which the author has formed as to 

 the position of the plant is different from mine, I must state my reasons 

 for seeing in O. reptans only the most stunted form of G. maritima 

 which is naturally restricted principally to high-arctic tracts. It is con- 

 nected with the main form by var. arenaria, Fr., which is found in 

 poorer localities further south in the area of the species. Andersson, 

 Skand. Gram., p. 61, says about this form and the main f. palustris, 

 Fr., that in seeing them together in a herbarium, one can hardly realise 

 that they belong to the same species, so great is the difference between 

 ihem. But when they are observed in their habitat, one will soon find 

 innumerable intermediate forms, that make it impossible to distinguish 

 them from one another. The description of the var. arenaria of Fries, 

 Mantissa, 2, p. 9, runs as follows : "'pumila, culmis basi stolonibusque 

 declinatis saepe radicantibus, foliis filiformi-convolutis, panicula simplici 

 hinc tota spiciformi-contracta". And about its manner of growth it is 

 said: "locis arenosis infestatis extimum mappae gramineae contiguae 

 limitem versus oceanum sistens". Andersson, 1. c, further completes 

 the description by stating that the spikelets are shorter than in the 

 main form, which, I think, must signify, that the number of flowers is 

 less. But the number of flowers in the spikelets both for Krok and 

 0. Dahl (in the above-quoted flora of Blytt) forms the principal mark 

 of distinction between the two species. 



However, it seems only natural that the number of flowers in the 

 spikelet is reduced at the same time as the plant becomes smaller in 



