1897.] The Swamps of Osxvego County, N. Y. 795 



THE FLORA OF THE MOOR. 



There is no group of plants more interesting from the point 

 of view of their geographical distribution than the one which 

 constitutes the moor flora. Allusion has already been made 

 to the probable post-glacial history of the flora; and attention 

 has also been called to its relation to the Alpine flora of New 

 York State. The general fact that the two floras approach 

 each other toward the north until we find them closely asso- 

 ciated in Arctic regions, is pretty conclusive evidence of closer 

 association in post-glacial times. But their limited distribu- 

 tion and their relation to our Alpine flora is no more interest- 

 ing than their distribution in the moor itself. Some of the 

 plants are restricted to the newer portions of the bog; others 

 are onl}^ found in the older portions. Those of the newer por- 

 tion are, in general, the invading plants; those of the older 

 portion sometimes persist in the wooded belt. In the older 

 portions of the bogs there sometimes appear upland plants. A 

 general survey of the species may here be made. 



The Juncaginacese are all marsh plants. In our region they 

 are, so far as I know, mainly confined to the newer portion of 

 the sphagnous moors. Triglochin maritima occurs at Mnd 

 Lake, Oswego town, " Paradise," So. Mexico, Granny's Orchard, 

 Palermo, and other places. According to the Manual (Gray's) 

 it occurs at the seashore and in saline places across the Conti- 

 nent. Mud Lake is by no means a saline place. T. palustris 

 has not been seen, so far as I know, in Oswego County, but oc- 

 curs at Junius, Seneca County, in the same basin, also upon 

 the " boggy borders of Onondaga Lake ; at Salina, and north- 

 ward beyond Liverpool" (Paine, 1. c, p. 81). Scheuchzeria oc- 

 curs in the newer portions of all our sphagnous moors. 



There are hut few grasses : PJiragmitcs, Muhlenhergia racemosa, 

 Panicularia canadensis and Calamagrostis canadensis are fre- 

 quently found in the moors, but are not confined to them. 



On the other hand the Cyperacese is one of the best repre- 

 sented orders. Here, and here almost exclusivel}^ the species 

 of woolgrass (Eriophorum) grow. One of the most effective 

 bog-making plants in this region is Carex Jiliformis, the root- 

 stocks of wliich form a very strong warp into which other 



