37^ George E. Nichols, 



by a specific example, a spot just inside the entrance of a salt 

 pond. A luxuriant growth of Plantago decipiens, Spergularia 

 leiosperma, and Salicornia europaea covers much of the shore 

 between mean high and low water levels. Attached to scattered 

 cobbles in this zone are Fuciis, Ascophyllum, and other algae. 

 In the vicinity of high water mark grow Puccinellia maritima, 

 Suaeda maritima, Solidago sempervirens and other halophytes. 

 Such a shore may be regarded as an incipient marsh. 



The vegetation of muddy shores is essentially that of the 

 marshes. The conditions here are well exemplified by a small 

 brackish pond near the Barrasois, which has become completely 

 barricaded off from the ocean but is still influenced by tide water 

 filtering through the barrier. The pond itself is densely popu- 

 lated by Ruppia and Potamogeton pectinatus, together with 

 various algae. Surrounding the pond is a low, muddy border 

 from two to five feet wide, which is ordinarily submerged at 

 high tide. The predominant plant here is Scirpus nanus, which 

 forms a low, soft sward. Associated with it grow Triglochin 

 maritima. Ranunculus Cymbalaria, Spergularia canadensis, and 

 Salicornia. At a slightly higher level, barely covered at ordinary 

 high water, is a narrow zone of Spartina patens, together with 

 Agrostis alba maritima, Carex norvegica, and Triglochin; while 

 at a still higher level, not submerged by ordinary tides, is a zone 

 occupied almost exclusively by Jiincus halticus littoralis. Such 

 an association-complex, like the preceding, might equally well, 

 if not better, be considered in connection with salt and brackish 

 marshes. 



C. THE ASSOCIATION-COMPLEXES OF SALT MARSHES 



As might be anticipated, in view of its exposed coastline, 

 coastal swamps are nowhere extensively developed in northern 

 Cape Breton. The finest area of this sort which has come to 

 the writer's attention is situated along the oceanward shore of 

 South Pond (Aspy Bay), bordering the pondward side of the 

 sand-spit elsewhere described, and extending out into the salt 

 pond nearly a quarter of a mile (Fig. 45). This particular salt 

 marsh is of unique interest because of the presence here in situ 

 of a number of large white pine stumps. These occur scattered 

 throughout the landward half of the marsh and their roots are 



