﻿Nichols: 
  The 
  vegetation 
  of 
  Conntecticut 
  

  

  537 
  

  

  meadows, 
  growing 
  in 
  wet 
  depressions 
  and 
  especially 
  along 
  the 
  

   landward 
  border 
  of 
  the 
  meadow, 
  'in 
  places 
  where 
  the 
  ground 
  is 
  

   naturally 
  very 
  wet 
  and 
  swampy 
  by 
  reason 
  of 
  seeping 
  underground 
  

   water. 
  In 
  situations 
  of 
  the 
  latter 
  sort 
  the 
  vegetation 
  bordering 
  

   the 
  meadow 
  may 
  be 
  essentially 
  that 
  of 
  brackish 
  reed 
  marsh 
  (see 
  

   below). 
  Elsewhere, 
  particularly 
  where 
  the 
  substratum 
  (upper 
  

   littoral 
  or 
  supralittoral) 
  is 
  less 
  wet 
  and 
  the 
  ground 
  water 
  scarcely 
  

   brackish 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  time, 
  the 
  meadow 
  may 
  be 
  bordered 
  by 
  a 
  

   fringe 
  of 
  predominantly 
  lower 
  vegetation, 
  which 
  includes, 
  among 
  

   others, 
  various 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  listed 
  below;* 
  but 
  there 
  are 
  all 
  sorts 
  

   of 
  intergrading 
  conditions: 
  

  

  Panictim 
  virgatum 
  

  

  * 
  

  

  Hierochloe 
  odorata 
  

   Cladium 
  mariscoides 
  

   Carex 
  hormathodes 
  

   Liliiim 
  superbum 
  

   Iris 
  prisniaiica 
  

   Sangutsorba 
  canadensis 
  

   Oenothera 
  linearis 
  

  

  Cicuia 
  ?naculata 
  

   Ptilimnimn 
  capillaceum 
  

   Satnolus 
  floribundus 
  

   Teucrium 
  canadense 
  liitorale 
  

   Aster 
  novi-belgii 
  littoralis 
  

   Baccharis 
  halimifolia 
  

   Iva 
  oraria 
  

  

  Poorly 
  drained 
  depressions 
  in 
  brackish 
  meadows 
  may 
  support 
  

   a 
  flora 
  similar 
  to 
  those 
  in 
  salt 
  meadows; 
  or 
  they 
  may 
  be 
  occupied 
  

   by 
  Triglochin, 
  Plantago, 
  Spergidaria, 
  and 
  various 
  species 
  of 
  Scirpus. 
  

   The 
  physical 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  substratum 
  in 
  brackish 
  meadows, 
  as 
  a 
  

   rule, 
  is 
  essentially 
  like 
  that 
  of 
  salt 
  meadows 
  — 
  a 
  compact 
  peat 
  

   rendered 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  gritty 
  by 
  inorganic 
  sediment- 
  

  

  Brackish 
  reed 
  marshes 
  frequently 
  form 
  fringing 
  borders 
  along 
  

   the 
  landward 
  edges 
  of 
  brackish 
  meadows, 
  but 
  they 
  cover 
  exten- 
  

   sive 
  areas 
  only 
  along 
  the 
  lower 
  courses 
  of 
  large 
  streams. 
  In 
  

   places 
  of 
  this 
  description 
  there 
  commonly 
  are 
  broad 
  tracts 
  of 
  land, 
  

   away 
  from 
  the 
  river, 
  from 
  which 
  the 
  water, 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  ground 
  

   is 
  overflowed 
  at 
  high 
  tide, 
  is 
  prevented 
  from 
  draining 
  away 
  rapidly 
  

   by 
  a 
  slightly 
  higher 
  ridge 
  of 
  ground 
  (for 
  convenience, 
  here 
  

   termed 
  the 
  marginal 
  embankment) 
  that 
  borders 
  the 
  river 
  itself 
  

   on 
  either 
  side 
  (see 
  Nichols, 
  '15, 
  p. 
  171). 
  These 
  tracts 
  are 
  usually 
  

   occupied 
  by 
  a 
  dense 
  growth 
  of 
  cat-tails 
  (especially 
  Typha 
  

  

  - 
  _ 
  ^ 
  

  

  1 
  

  

  * 
  It 
  is 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  while 
  certain 
  of 
  the 
  species 
  here 
  listed 
  (e.g., 
  Iris 
  

   prismatica, 
  Baccharis 
  halimifolia, 
  Iva 
  oraria) 
  are 
  restricted 
  to 
  the 
  vicinity 
  of 
  the 
  

   seacoast. 
  and 
  while 
  most 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  best 
  developed 
  here, 
  the 
  majority 
  of 
  them 
  also 
  

   are 
  found 
  in 
  interior 
  portions 
  of 
  this 
  continent, 
  particularly 
  in 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  basin 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  Great 
  Lakes 
  region. 
  

  

  