Hollick: Features of Silver Lake Basin 6t, 



. root), formerly more or less plentiful along the northwest border, 

 but not elsewhere common on the Island, has been exterminated. 



Diospyros virginiana L. (persimmon) formerly grew along 

 the northwest border — its farthest northern location on Staten 

 Island. The last of these trees, however, died some few years 

 ago, so their extermination can hardly be credited to recent 

 operations. 



In this connection it is interesting to note that in an article 

 entitled Sketches of the Vegetation at the Lower Course of the 

 Hudson, by Hugo Von Rabenau, published in the Transactions 

 of the Natural History Society of Gorlitz 20: 1-38. 1893 (re- 

 viewed in Proc. Nat. Sci. Assoc. Staten Is. 4: 23. 1893), he 

 mentions " the crystal clear oval of Silver Lake " with its pond 

 lilies and the rare Brasenia purpurea. So that Silver Lake, with 

 its interesting flora, made Staten Island known as far away as 

 Silesia in eastern Germany. 



At the shallow northeast end there may yet be seen a dense 

 mat of swamp vegetation, consiisting largely of Decodon verti- 

 cillatus (L.) Ell. (pl. 3, /. i), growing on the surface of a 

 thick bed of peat. Inside the inner margin of this growth is 

 the drained bottom of the lake and on this a terrestrial flora has 

 started (pl. 3, /. 2), which is steadily advancing toward the 

 middle, as the water recedes, (pl. 2, f. 2.) This flora has 

 sprung up entirely from seed during the past few months, in soil 

 never before inhabited by such a flora, and the principal species 

 represented are of special interest for that reason. During the 

 latter part of September the following were found to be the most 

 abundantly represented : 



Echinochloa crus-galH (L.) Beauv. 



Panicum proliferum Lam. 



Homalocenchrus virginicus (Willd.) Britton 



Cyperus rivularis Kunth 



Cyperus sfrigosus L. var. 



Eleocharis oUvacea Torr. 



Eleocharis obtusa (Willd.) Schultes 



