FLORA OF LAKE QUINSIGAMOND 



Lake Quinsig-amond, which is situated 

 near Worcester, is one of the largest lakes 

 in Massachusetts, and is about six miles 

 long, hardly exceeding one-half mile in 

 width, although in many places it is from 

 fifty to one hundred feet or more in depth. 

 It runs in a northerly and southerly 

 direction along the edge of one of the 

 geological dividing lines of the State 

 which separates the central highlands from 

 the less elevated areas of our seaboard. 

 The immediate surroundings of the lake 

 consist geologically of sand and gravel 

 and probably the greater portion of the 

 basin itself is made up of this material, 

 over which there is spread a considerable 

 mass of decomposed matter the results of 

 centuries of vegetable and animal decay. 



While a considerable portion of the basin 

 of the lake is too deep to give rise to much 

 vegetable life there are vast areas of shal- 

 low water which are especially adapted to 

 a profusion of vegetable forms, thus mak- 

 ing it one of the best collecting grounds in 

 Massachusetts. Our observations on the 

 flora of Lake Quinsigamond have covered a 

 period of some years. During the summer 

 of 1890 and under the auspices of the 

 Worcester Natural History Society w^e 

 gave the lake a constant and careful study 

 for about six months, and the list pre- 

 sented here is largely the results of this 

 study. The list is, we believe, nearly 

 complete so far as the Spermaphytes, 



.Pteridophytes, Bryophytes, and Chara- 

 ceae are concerned, and with the exception 



^of the Desmids of which only 150 species 



■^nd varieties are given, and the Diatoms, 



Owhich are not listed at all, the Algae are 

 tolerably well represented. 



The Bacteria and Saprolegnieae have 



5 not been listed, and only those Desmids 



) 



J 



are recorded which were casually observed 

 in connection with other plant material 

 under observation. A thorough study 

 of the Desmids and Diatoms of Lake Quin- 

 sigamond would undoubtedly reveal many 

 new species, or at least many new form^, 

 which have not heretofore been observed 

 in North America, as is evident from the 

 researches of Dr. G. Lagerheim made in 

 connection with species of Utricularia at 

 Tewkesbury by B. D. Green and preserved 

 in Swedish herbaria, from which he de- 

 scribed several new species and varieties 

 of Desmids found attached to these plants. 

 The list contains 450 species and varieties, 

 and with the exception of those marked 

 with an asterisk they were all found in 

 Lake Quinsigamond. By adding these, 

 all of the aquatic plants in 

 the county so far as known are repre- 

 sented. The an-angement of species fol- 

 lows that of Gray's Manual, 6th edition, 

 for the higher plants; that of Allen for 

 the Characeae; Lesquereau and James for 

 the mosses, and Wolle for the Algae. 



Some of the species recorded here ap- 

 pear to be common to Lake Quinsigamond 

 alone, although the greater majority of 

 them have been observed by us in many 

 other ponds in Massachusetts. So far, 

 however, as I am aware no list of fresh 

 water Algae possessing any degree of com- 

 pleteness has been published in Massa- 

 chusetts, and for this reason a list of these 

 it is hoped will be of some interest as 

 well as value to botanists. In short, am- 

 ateur botanists as a rule neglect all forms 

 of water plants, as can be seen by con- 

 sulting our local floras. It would appear 

 that the Algae have received more atten- 

 tion of late years by the bacteriologists 

 connected with our State Board of Health, 



