57O PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



common harebell, and many of those species which have already been 

 mentioned ; while at the head of Tuckerman's and other ravines we see 

 the Arnica, Epilobinm, Veronica, the grasses, willows, and alder; and, in 

 certain limited localities, rare and local plants like the GnapJialium, Car- 

 damine, Eup/trasia, Rkinant/ins, and Oxyria. 



I have aimed to give only a general idea of the manner in which plants 

 are distributed on this one alpine summit, as my knowledge of the sub- 

 ject is too limited to attempt a thorough statement of localities. The 

 whole mountain region of New Hampshire ought to be thoroughly 

 studied with reference to the determination of the limits of species. A 

 thorough botanical exploration of one such mountain as Washington, 

 from base to summit, including an examination of every spur and ridge 

 and ravine, would do more to advance botanical science and determine 

 those influences which fix the limits of species than the same amount of 

 time and labor expended in any other way. Moreover, there are portions 

 of this region, as, for instance, Mt. Carrigain and its vicinity, which seem 

 to have received as yet almost no attention ; and I feel sure that in these 

 solitudes many anxious plants still await names from their fortunate 

 discoverer. 



There are certain marked peculiarities of these alpine plants which are 

 worthy of notice. First, they are all perennials, with the single excep- 

 tion of Etiphrasia officinalis, and this, according to Tuckerman, is found 

 only about the head of Oakes's gulf, quite far from the summit of Mt. 

 Washington. Second, the size of individual flowers is in general remark- 

 ably large for the genus. We have thirty-nine species of Solidago. The 

 5. Virga-aurea, var. alpina, is the largest of them all ; and the next in 

 size is vS. tJiyrsoidea, which runs up as far as the Lake of the Clouds. 

 These are the only ones found upon the summit. Peck's Gcnm has the 

 largest flower of all the nine species of that genus. The flower of 

 Nabahis Boottii is the largest in the nine species of that genus. The 

 Arnica mollis is a large flower; Poa laxa is the largest flowered of our 

 thirteen Po<z; and the same thing may be remarked of many of the 

 ericaceous shrubs. 



Another thing worthy of notice is the manner of growth of the alpine 

 shrubs. Most of them, after rising a few inches, spread out abruptly, 

 adapting themselves to the surface of any rock which may be near, thus 



