﻿Bicknell: Ferns and flowering plants of Nantucket 559 



to come upon it somewhere on Nantucket but have never yet 



met with it there. 



* Solidago bicolor L. 



Found only on the eastern side of the island, mainly in the 

 southeast quarter in the neighborhood of the railroad and scattered 

 sparingly towards Saul's Hills; also near Sachacha Pond and 

 Wauwinet. Just in flower September i, 1904. 



Although rather a scarce species on Nantucket it is there 

 subject to as notable a degree of variation in leaf form and pubes- 

 cence as is seen in regions where it grows in abundance. But 

 beyond these usual variations are the more divergent characters 

 of a form that I have seen nowhere else than on Nantucket. 

 This is characterized by a pale or whitened appearance throughout 

 due to a hoary-tomentulose canescence that invests the stem 

 and branches and develops on both surfaces of the leaves into a 

 soft tomentose or velutinous indument; and it is further note- 

 worthy in its inflorescence which is borne at the ends of slender 

 terminal branches that are closely set with small leaves of nearly 

 uniform size; the flowers are small, their involucres only 2-3 mm. 

 high, and the green tips of the scales, often so obvious in this 

 species, are only faintly if at all perceptible. This variety appears 

 to occur only on the open plains and scrub oak barrens in the 

 southeastern quarter of the island. 

 Solidago puberula Nutt. 



A common golden-rod of the moorland and oak barrens and 

 of open sandy places in certain soils. It is perhaps more abundant 

 in the southwest and the northwest quarters than elsewhere, and 

 is quite wanting in many parts of the island where the conditions 

 do not difi"er obviously from those of the sections where it abounds. 

 Just in bloom September 14, 1907. The panicle varies in form 

 from virgate and only 2 cm. wide to oblong-pyramidal and more 

 than 12 cm. in natural spread at its widest part. 

 Solidago odora Ait. 



Rather common, although somewhat locally distributed, pre- 

 ferring open growths of low shrubbery in light sandy soil. Not in 

 flower up to mid-August, 1906; mostly past flowering September 

 19, 1907- 



