l8 9i-l The Flora of the St. Croix Region. 129 



and grooved on the other, a cross section being meniscoidal 

 rather than grooved-triangular when the steins are fresh. It 

 was exceptional to find the involucral leaf horizontal at 

 maturity. The stems grew in quite large tufts, much like 

 Kleocharis obtusa in habit. They were from six to fifteen 

 inches long, frequently recurved or prostrate. Though variant 

 from the species as described, it hardly seems separable from 

 the, type, as the number of stamens either in Scirpus or Eleo- 

 charis is not constant. The present season (1890) I have 

 found essentially the same form in two places near Chicago, 

 at Millers and Dune Park, Ind., in the Pine Barren region. 

 These are stations on the Michigan Southern R.R., about 

 five miles apart, and the plants were obtained from the wet 

 sands of the ditches skirting the railway. Considerable pains 

 were taken to see if the flowers had more than two stamens. 



A dozen clusters of spikelets were selected, generally from 

 stems borne on different roots, and three or four flowers from 

 each cluster were examined. The style proved uniformly two- 

 cleft, and the stamens two in number. I looked in vain for 

 an exception, but would not affirm that it may not be found. 

 This seemed the more curious, because in 1*77 I collected S. 

 debilis of the typical form only a few rods from where it was 

 found this year at Miller's. It was along a roadway in a 

 field beside the railroad. It was sought again in the same 



fe" v "J!> 



locality, but in vain, the grass having supplanted it, or the 

 grazing cattle having destroyed it. An examination of the 

 dried specimens shows that they have flowers with three 

 stamens. It is doubtful whether the two sets of gatherings 

 from these contiguous spots on different years are of the same 

 group, for this constancy of difference would hardly be ex- 

 pected. Hut those of 1890, though much farther apart, are 

 referable to the same group, since they are from the ditch 

 along the same side of the track, though this is not continuous, 

 being crossed or interrupted by some low ridges. Hut plants 

 readily spread under such conditions. In other respects the 

 plants were quite like those from Chesago Lake. 



In the wet sands near the station at Center City Ranun- 

 culus Flammula L. was frequent. The stems are ascending 

 or erect, from three to five inches high. The lower leaves 

 are linear to oblong-linear, and from one to two inches long. 

 Hie flowers are from one-fourth to one-third of an inch in 

 diameter, with five to seven petals. This is the second time 



