134 Lake Maxinkuckee, Physical and Biological Survey 



of vegetative propagation, either by special propagating buds or 

 by the rooting of broken-off portions. In only a few are seeds 

 formed in great abundance ; in many, seeds are formed scarcely or 

 never at all. 



In the botanies concerning land plants, there is much about eco- 

 logical groups, plant societies, halophytes, xerophytes, mesophytes 

 and the like, and one of the most striking features dwelt upon 

 is the association of plants in related groups as regards soil, mois- 

 ture, slope, and the like ; but in the lake bottom no such differences 

 obtain; the only difference in the amount of moisture is in its 

 depth, and the drainage is the same everywhere; the only differ- 

 ences affecting distribution of the plants being those of the depth of 

 water, the nature of the bottom and the question of previous occu- 

 pancy by some other species. 



Plant patches in the lake: The positions of the plant patches 

 of the lake are fairly constant, inasmuch as most of the plants are 

 perennial or grow from perennial rootstocks. New patches may 

 of course spring up in various places. The most conspicuous plant 

 patches are those of aquatics with aerial or emersed leaves and of 

 these the ones most likely to be remarked are the white and yellow 

 pond-lilies, Castalia odorata and Nymphsea advena. These species, 

 though abundant in Lost Lake, are rare in Lake Maxinkuckee, as 

 there is not enough of the deep soft black mud in which they thrive 

 best. There is a small patch of both species at the beginning of 

 the Outlet, and considerable of the Nymphsea but only a little of the 

 Castalia, in the Norris Inlet region. 



Next to the water lilies, the most conspicuous patch-forming 

 plant is the large-leaved pondweed, Potamogeton amplifolius. This 

 plant is abundant at the Weedpatch, and forms large noteworthy 

 patches near Norris Inlet, southwest of the Kettlehole, east of the 

 Gravelpit, east of Arlington Hotel, and in scattered localities 

 through Outlet Bay. Along with other pondweeds whose leaves 

 come in masses near the surface, the resistance which the foliage 

 of this plant offers to water in motion has a marked calming effect 

 on small waves, and at times when most of the lake surface is well- 

 rippled the Potamogeton patches are marked by areas of calm. 



Potamogeton natans, like P. amplifolius, forms pretty well- 

 marked and conspicuous patches. These are all rather close to 

 shore, consist of only a few plants, and occur most frequently in 

 the Norris Inlet region. With the exception of the species of 

 Chara, some of which grow over large areas, and shore plants, 

 such as bulrushes which will be considered later, these are about 

 the only plants of the lake which form definite patches. The gen- 



