346 THE GERMAN ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



grew strong, but still bore the withered blossoms of this 

 and the former year. But we found no formation of fruit. 



Overtaken by the autumnal frost while in its bloom was 

 another species of saxifrage, the Saxifraga liirculus (L.), 

 and often some specimens of the yellow-blooming poppy 

 {Palaver nudicaule); whilst other plants, as the Silene 

 acauUs (L.), Lychnis apetala, mostly Gruci/erce, theBanun- 

 cuius, Ginquefoil, and the beautiful Polemonium Jiumile, 

 the seed of which had long since ripened, and was 

 partly scattered. The Polemonium I saw for the first 

 time on the southern dechvity of the Hasenberg — a 

 strong, large-leaved plant in the otherwise so sterile, stony 

 ground. The Ginquefoil grew here to half a foot high. 

 Moreover, we found nearly everywhere and on every 

 plant this year's leaves, and very often those of the 

 former year. In September this was seen mostly in the 

 willow-leaves (and the catkins), though many had been 

 torn away by the storm, and heaped up in the hollows 

 and on the slopes. Thus in the snow furrows between 

 the low land and the great valley had formed, as far as 

 one could see, a dark horizontal line, which we after- 

 wards proved consisted of nothing but dry willow-leaves. 



We were also able to study the important influence 

 which storms exert over the difierent kinds of vegetation. 

 The storm of the 9th and 10th of October afforded us a 

 good opportunity for our observations, which were con- 

 firmed the following year. 



To a much less extent, unfortunately, were we able to 

 learn the flora of the sea. We succeeded in pulling up 

 some floridece at a depth of from twenty-six fathoms and 

 five fathoms. It was also striking how, nearly every- 

 where in the neighbourhood of the coast, either under or 



