﻿536 
  

  

  Nichols: 
  The 
  .vegetation 
  of 
  Coxxecticut 
  

  

  are 
  scarcely 
  to 
  be 
  distinguished 
  in 
  general 
  appearance 
  from 
  the 
  fresh 
  

   marshes 
  into 
  which 
  they 
  often 
  merge. 
  Between 
  the 
  brackish 
  

   swamps 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  littoral 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  supralittoral 
  it 
  is 
  im- 
  

   possible 
  to 
  draw 
  any 
  sharp 
  line, 
  and 
  for 
  this 
  reason 
  they 
  have 
  been 
  

   grouped 
  together. 
  The 
  supralittoral 
  swamps 
  (i.e., 
  those 
  beyond 
  

   the 
  reach 
  of 
  ordinary 
  high 
  tides) 
  are 
  distinguished 
  chiefly 
  by 
  the 
  

   greater 
  abundance 
  of 
  plants 
  wliich 
  are 
  associated 
  primarily 
  with 
  

   fresh 
  soil 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  practical 
  absence 
  of 
  true 
  salt 
  marsh 
  species. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  found 
  here 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  grow 
  in 
  fresh-to- 
  

   brackish 
  situations,! 
  whereas 
  most 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  

   littoral 
  region 
  may 
  similarly 
  be 
  said 
  to 
  grow 
  in 
  salt-to-brackish 
  

   situations 
  (but 
  some 
  species 
  of 
  the 
  upper 
  littoral, 
  such 
  as 
  Solidago 
  

   sempervirens, 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  thrive 
  in 
  fresh 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  in 
  saline 
  soils). 
  

   The 
  appended 
  remarks 
  apply 
  chiefly 
  to 
  the 
  upper 
  littoral. 
  

  

  Brackish 
  meadows 
  will 
  be 
  considered 
  first. 
  Locally 
  and 
  over 
  

   ^ 
  considerable 
  areas 
  the 
  salt 
  meadow 
  grass, 
  alkali 
  grass, 
  and 
  black 
  

   grass, 
  together 
  with 
  most 
  of 
  their 
  associates 
  in 
  more 
  saline 
  situa- 
  

   tions, 
  may 
  be 
  quite 
  as 
  prominent 
  here 
  as 
  in 
  salt 
  meadows. 
  Certain 
  

   of 
  the 
  salt 
  meadow 
  species, 
  particularly 
  Triglochin 
  and 
  Solidago^ 
  

   are 
  even 
  commoner 
  in 
  brackish 
  meadows, 
  while 
  but 
  three 
  of 
  those 
  

   listed 
  on 
  page 
  530, 
  namely 
  the 
  two 
  species 
  of 
  Salicornia 
  and 
  the 
  

   Limonhim, 
  are 
  perceptibly 
  less 
  frequent 
  here. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  marked 
  

   tendency, 
  however, 
  for 
  the 
  salt 
  meadow 
  grasses 
  to 
  give 
  way 
  in 
  

   brackish 
  meadows 
  to 
  other 
  grasses 
  or 
  grass-like 
  forms, 
  notably 
  

   Agrostis 
  alba 
  maritima, 
  Eleocharis 
  pahistris, 
  and 
  E. 
  roslellata\ 
  and, 
  

   especially 
  in 
  the 
  fresher 
  or 
  higher 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  meadows, 
  these 
  

   latter 
  may 
  predominate. 
  Other 
  seed 
  plants 
  which 
  are 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  

   peculiar 
  to 
  brackish 
  meadows, 
  being 
  found 
  less 
  frequently 
  or 
  not 
  

   at 
  all 
  in 
  typical 
  salt 
  meadows, 
  are 
  the 
  following: 
  • 
  

  

  Cyperus 
  NiiUallii 
  

   Scirpus 
  nayius 
  

   Polygofium 
  exsertum 
  

  

  / 
  

  

  t* 
  

  

  aviculare 
  littorale 
  

  

  Spergularia 
  marina 
  

  

  Poieniilla 
  pacifica 
  Howell 
  

  

  Sahaiia 
  stellaris 
  

   Gerardia 
  tnaritima 
  

   Pluchea 
  catnphoraia 
  

   Iva 
  oraria 
  

  

  campestris 
  palud 
  

  

  pus 
  

  

  t 
  Plants 
  which 
  are 
  capable 
  of 
  growing 
  in 
  either 
  fresh 
  or 
  saline 
  situations 
  

   designated 
  "facultative 
  halophytes" 
  by 
  Bartlett 
  ('09). 
  

  

  