1909.] PUBLIC DOCUMENT — No. 31. 37 



Brief jNotes on the Weeds of Massachusetts. 



BY G. E. STONE. 



There is considerable historical data concerning the introduc- 

 tion of weeds and foreign plants in Massachusetts. Josselyn in 

 1672 mentions as many as forty species of European weeds 

 which had become more or less well established in New England 

 at that time. Some of the plants which he described were so 

 thoroughly naturalized that it was doubtful in some cases 

 whether they were indigenous or not, and this was particularly 

 true of plantain and white clover, which followed the footsteps 

 of the new colonists so closely. 



In 1783 Dr. Cutler enumerated over sixty introduced plants 

 to be found in New England, and Dr. Bigelow in 1814-, in his 

 " Florula Bostoniensis," mentioned over eighty, while in 1840 

 the number had nearly doubled, and at the present time there 

 are about six hundred foreign plants which have been recorded 

 as found growing here and there in Massachusetts. From this 

 it appears that the number of introduced plants has increased 

 quite rapidly, and while a number of them are confined to 

 dumps, and have shown little tendency as yet to become estab- 

 lished, they deserve to be watched, as the history of some intro- 

 duced plants teaches us that they are capable of remaining 

 dormant for long periods and then suddenly becoming pests. 

 The golden hawkweed or paint-brush is an excellent illustration 

 of a plant of this description, since this species has existed in 

 New England for many years, and only comparatively recently 

 has spread to any extent, but is now becoming a nuisance. On 

 the other hand, the Russian thistle, which became disseminated 

 over a large territory a few years ago, and which caused much 

 concern among farmers, is seldom referred to at the present 

 day. 



The introduction of foreign plants is constantly increasing. 



