102 Muhlenbergia, Volume 9 
about 25 miles south of the British Columbia line, making an 
approximate area of 2300 square miles. 
With the exception of Lummi and Eliza islands, and a few 
sinaller islands, the county is all on the mainland. With Puget 
Sound for its western boundary, the county starts at sea level 
and rises to its highest point, Mt. Baker, with an elevation of 
almost 11000 feet above sea level. The westerly one-third of 
the county is composed of valleys and comparatively level up- 
lands, while the eastern portion, except for a few narrow river 
valleys, is covered with rugged mountains. 
The county is drained to the west by the Nooksack river 
and its tributaries; to the south by the Skagit and Baker rivers, 
and to the north by the Chillawack river. The county contains 
many lakes which are of glacial origin, many of which are filling 
up with peat bogs. The larger lakes where collections were 
made are given in order of their size, as follows: Whatcom, 
Baker, Weiser, Silver, Padden, Green, Fountain and Panghorn. 
The flora of the western portion of the county is in the 
Humid Transition zone, while the greater portion of the eastern 
part of the region comes in the Canadian and Hudsonian zones. 
The higher snow capped peaks have a flora belonging distinctly 
to the Arctic zone. 
The following list records a total of 462 vascular plants 
which are known to grow without cultivation within the bound- 
aries of Whatcom county, Washington. The list cousists of 17 
pteridophytes, 14 gymnosperms, 100 monocotyledons, 391 di- 
cotyledons. 
PTERIDOPHYTA 
POLYPODIACKAE 
POLYPODIUM OCCIDENTALE Hook. Licorice fern. 
Cominon on the trunks of trees. 
POLYPODIUM SCOULERI Hook. & Grey. 
Infrequeut on rocks along the shore line 
PHEGOPTERIS DRVYOPTERIS (I...) Fee. Beech fern. 
Moist woods near Baker lake, otherwise uncommon. 
