50 Bicknell : Ferns and flowering plants of Nantucket 



certain negative characters of the flora, especially the scarcity or 

 entire absence of plants which might well be expected to occur. 



The source of our knowledge of the island's general flora has 

 been the catalogue of plants published in 1888 by Mrs. Maria L. 

 Owen. This list brought together the few scattered facts about 

 the botany of Nantucket made known since the first visit of a crit- 

 ical botanist to the island, that of William Oakes in 1829, and 

 further gave permanent record to the discoveries of a much later 

 generation of botanists whose explorations reached all quarters of 

 this territory of some fifty square miles and revealed many unex- 

 pected facts. Many competent botanists and collectors thus had 

 their part in adding to the catalogue, among whom Mr. L. L. 

 Dame, Mr. Walter Deane and Judge J. R. Churchill have partic- 

 ular place. A careful study of the aquatics was contributed by 

 Mr. Morong, Doctor C. W. Swan investigated the grasses and 

 sedges, and Mr. F. S. Collins added a detailed report on the algae. 



But the knowledge of the flora as a whole, which, twenty years 

 ago, made possible this catalogue of Nantucket plants, was due 

 mainly to the enthusiastic explorations and studies of Mrs. Owen, 

 prosecuted at first, as she tells us, as a young girl and again in 

 after years. 



In the long interval since that period, with the remarkable 

 advance it has witnessed in our knowledge of our native plants, little 

 has been published on Nantucket botany and it is now possible to 

 add materially to the original catalogue. 



In the department of flowering plants and ferns, which is here 

 alone considered, 656 species and varieties of Nantucket plants 

 were enumerated by Mrs. Owen. With the additions which may 

 now be catalogued, over 950 species can be attributed to the island. 

 It is fully probable, however, that the actual number of flowering 

 plants, ferns, and fern-allies belonging to this flora will be found to 

 be well on towards 1,100, even if this figure be not finally surpassed. 



The observations on which the present paper is based were 

 made during four visits to the island as follows: Sept. 10-21, 

 1899; Aug. 27-Sept. 11, 1904; Aug. 4-16, 1906; Sept. 10-22, 

 1907. On a casual visit in August, 1889, two species were 

 observed which were not subsequently met with. 



It will be seen that my own field work has been prosecuted 



