Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 221 

 Family 14. Vallisneriace^e. Tape-grass Family 



50. DITCH-MOSS 



PHILOTKIA CANADENSIS (Michx.) Britton 



The ditch-moss is fairly common in the lake in shallow water. 

 In rich muddy bottom it forms a rank, thick growth, while in sand 

 it grows more sparsely and not so large. Among the places where 

 it was noted growing was in shallow water between the gristmill 

 and elevator, at the Merchants' pier where it grew quite rank, by 

 the green boathouse near Norris Inlet, by the icehouses, near 

 Farrar's, in front of the Assembly grounds, near the head of the 

 thoroughfare between the lakes, etc. In recent years it has begun 

 growing in immense dense patches at Long Point near Chadwick's. 

 This appears to be a new location for it. It also forms dense tall 

 masses in Culver Inlet in the Academy grounds. 



This plant is remarkably variable in form, as regards leaf ar- 

 rangement and leanness, and bud variations in this respect are 

 quite common. Although the leaves are usually in 3's and rather 

 remote on the stem, there are sometimes branches in which the 

 leaves are closely crowded in whorls of 5 or 6 making a dense cone. 

 This may function at times as a propagating bud but it does not 

 appear to be a usual winter bud form as they often form 

 early in the season and sometimes lengthen again, apparently, be- 

 fore winter. It seems to be really a different form of the plant, 

 as some plants once seen in a river were all of this dense form. We 

 have notes of this having been found in flower as early as June 24. 

 The blossoms, dainty rose tinted objects on an exceedingly slender, 

 hair-like long tube, are quite common during the autumn. Al- 

 though plants near shore appear to die down, the deeper water 

 patches remain green all winter. 



Although this water-weed is a bright, clean-looking, attractive 

 plant, one of the most ornamental in the lake, nothing appears to 

 feed on it. It is said to have become a great nuisance in the 

 streams and rivers of Europe where it is known in places as "water- 

 pest". Where it grows in great masses it might be raked out and 

 used as compost, though in drying out it shrivels almost to nothing, 

 leaving very little substance for the amount of material handled. 



Plants noted in the autumn of 1913 had the leaves well coated 

 with a deposit of lime. 



