432 BICKNELL: FERNS AND 
Jersey, which has often been remarked, is strikingly brought out 
by a mere accounting of the number of coastwise plants common 
to the two regions. More than one hundred and ninety Nan- 
tucket plants belonging to the more southern element of the flora 
occur in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, and over three hundred are 
plants of the Coastal Plain elsewhere in that state; while all the 
maritime plants of Nantucket of general southward range, about 
forty species, are also of the New Jersey flora.* 
Over one half of Nantucket’s native plants may be classed as 
common, about one hundred and forty as frequent and about 
fifty as of occasional occurrence. As many as one hundred and 
eighty-two have been found at not more than one to three places 
and, as far as known, nearly ninety of these occur at only a single 
station, these categories of rarest plants constituting almost one 
quarter of the native flora. Nearly three-quarters of these 
have been found only on the eastern side of the island. The total 
number of species that are thus restricted number one hundred and 
seventy-five, and forty-five others are mainly of the same local 
distribution, these together making up nearly 30 per cent of the 
flora. Not more than thirty-seven species, or 5 per cent of 
the flora, are found exclusively on the western side of the island. 
Nearly 45 per cent of Nantucket’s native plants, about 
three hundred and thirty species, are plants of low grounds, 
swamps and pond shores, while little more than one quarter are 
species that thrive best in dry open ground. Less than twenty 
species are plants primarily of low or wet woods. Other woodland 
plants number about ninety species, here for the most part keeping 
to copses and thickets but also, many of them, appearing on the 
plains and commons, some having very successfully adapted 
themselves to these unaccustomed dwelling places. Fogs and 
moisture from the sea from whatever direction the wind may blow 
must have had an influence in this, and a curious contributing 
cause may be seen in the habit of growth of one of the plants them- 
selves that belong to these exposed tracts, the abounding bear- 
berry, whose shining evergreen carpet lies broadspread on hill 
* See Stone, The Plants of southern New Jersey with especial referencé to the 
flora of the Pine Barrens and the geographic distribution of the species. Rep. 
New Jersey State Mus., 1910. The statistics above given have been made pos- 
sible only through consultation of this work 





