found in the vicinity of Plymouth, j\lass. 443 



cal shoots, which are produced in abundance during the flower- 

 ing season. Several of these have been forwarded to the bo- 

 tanic garden under the care of Mr. Wm. E. Carter, gardener, as 

 an experiment in floral cultivation. 



Upon the edge of the north shore I had the pleasure of meet- 

 ing with Pulmonaria mariiima L. A single plant of great size 

 was in flower and seed, spreading its flat branches on the marsh. 

 The entire aspect was of a glaucous hue and of peculiar beauty: 

 flowers small, rosy purple. I had only seen a dried specimen 

 before, from the vicinity of Eastport, Me., found, some years 

 ago, by Dr. Ray of that town. The beach, which forms a safe 

 and well-protected harbor, produced scarcely anything but the 

 valuable beach grass, (.,3rundo arenaria,) which secures the drift- 

 ing sand; Pisura maritimum; Arenaria jjeploides. This narrow 

 strip of loose sand, three miles in length, has been reduced to 

 its present size from a wide and dense forest of pine, within the 

 memory of the aged citizens of the place. To prevent the en- 

 croachments of the sand on the valuable harbor, it was found 

 necessary to protect the inner side by strong frame-work, and by 

 the encouragement of the growth of the Psamma or beach reed; 

 so indebted is man to the seemingly feeble agency of the vegeta- 

 ble economy! 



Among the Orchideee, the showy Habenaria fimbriata and the 

 dehcate H. blephariglottis are abundant and conspicuous. Ma- 

 iaxis /iliifolia is by no means rai'e. Arethusa bulbosa was found 

 in the vicinity this last spring. 



Of the Asclep'ikdece, ^sclepias tuberosa is to be mentioned; a 

 native of such peculiar elegance and splendor as to have intro- 

 duced it into almost every collection of merit. 



The £mpetreae are represented in £'mpetrum nigrum, which 

 covers, in large patches, the sides of the hills. 



The Lentibulariffi, of Richard, embrace, as local members of 

 the order, the singular aphyllous and not decidedly aquatic Ulri- 

 cularia cornuta, beside the remarkable U. inflata, with versicular 

 petioles, which buoys the flowers above the water, in which it 

 floats independent of any root; and one specimen of U. purpu- 

 rea now in my possession was lately found. 



To the botanist and to the lover of picturesque scenery, this 

 vicinity will be found interesting. The numerous limpid, minia- 

 ture lakes, embosomed, as many of them are, in the midst of 

 hills and groves — their flat, white and sandy shores, or else their 

 rich alluvial margins, their headlands and fairy isles, afford, by 

 their proximity to the town, sufficient inducements for a ramble 

 or a ride. I am inclined to think that the flora of this part of 

 our state, and even to the extremity of Cape Cod, needs a more 

 scrutinizing examination, to reveal many rare and valuable spe- 

 cies. J. L. R. 



