614 BICKNELL: FERNS AND FLOWERING PLANTS OF NANTUCKET 
Blooms rather earlier than C. canadense. First flowers May 31, 
1909, and quite generally in bloom June 1; June 3, 1911; still 
some flowers June 26, 1910. At one station a number of clus- 
tered plants bore flowers so pale in color as to appear almost 
white. | 
Type from Nantucket, Sept. 21, 1899, in herb. N. Y. Botanical 
Garden. 
The typical form of the plant has an unlikeness to typical 
Crocanthemum canadense greater than appears between some 
other closely allied species within the genus, and this diversity 
of aspect becomes especially striking when, as is sometimes the 
case, the two are found growing near together. Typical C. 
canadense is a taller erect plant with lighter-colored stems and 
longer and more slender and simple ascending branches, narrowly 
oblong or oblanceolate leaves tapering to the base and the acute 
apex, brighter green on the upper surface and less densely pubes- 
cent. Ordinarily it holds very true to these characters, showing 
little tendency to marked variation. In several instances where 
the two plants growing near together allowed a close comparison 
of the open flowers, those of C. dumosum were seen to be notably 
the larger, the acuminate sepals reaching a length of 8-10 mm. 
and reddened with glandular hairs and papillae, while those of 
C. canadense, narrower and mostly obtuse, were but 5—7 mm. long 
and only obscurely if at all glandulose. These differences are 
not, however, always so well marked. Nevertheless C. dumosum 
is evidently a strongly established derivative of C. canadense, 
even if it be not yet wholly disconnected from that species. It 
has been a recurring source of confusion to not a few Nantucket 
collectors and it seems altogether expedient to dispose of it as 4 
stumbling block by giving it identity by a name. 
*CROCANTHEMUM MAJus (L.) Britton. 
Helianthemum majus B.S.P. 
Rather common on the plains towards the south shore; else- 
where very local although widely scattered, but wanting over 4 
great part of the north and east sides of the island. No visible 
flower buds June 22, 1910, July 2, 1912; first flowers July 10, 1912- 
small petaliferous flowers sometimes appear in September. 
