43 

 LOCAL FLORA NOTES 



New Plant Immigrants in the New York Area 



Mary Holtzoff 



When I began to study the American flora, I was very much 

 surprised to find so many plants famihar to me. I thought at first 

 that the flora of America did not differ from that of Europe. 



But soon I found that many plants immigrated to America from 

 the Old World. 



During my research work in 1923 I found a new plant of the 

 Umbelliferae which is not reported in any American manual of 

 botany. It is Falcaria vulgaris L. Its umbels are thin and white ; 

 the umbels and the umbellets bear a few linear bracts ; fruits 

 (carpels) are long and thin. 



The chief characteristic of Falcaria vulgaris is in its leaves :. 

 they are three-parted ; each part divided into three long linear leaf- 

 lets, finely and sharply serrate. The plant is tall and very deepl>- 

 rooted. I found it from 1923 to 1938 in an empty lot in the Bronx, 

 New York City ; it was spreading on sandy hills, among weeds ; at 

 the same locality some of it grew on sandy plains. Now it is dis- 

 appearing from that place, but is spreading to the north and east. 



Falcaria vulgaris is native of northeastern Europe and Asia, 

 where it is fairly common. In Russia, it is found from the Oka 

 River to the Black Sea. 



I found two other plants : one, Cakile maritivia L., of the Cruci- 

 ferae, was seen here in New York about 1870 at 40th Street. Man- 

 hattan, and disappeared. I found it again in Asbury Park, N. J., in 

 1920 in a sandy place near the shore, growing with Cakile anicri- 

 cana, and in 1923-1926 I found it in the eastern part of the Bronx 

 near 172nd Street on small sandy hills along some sidewalks, grow- 

 ing among weeds. It has again disappeared. 



Cakile maritirna L. difl'ers from Cakile aincricana by its leaves, 

 which are thread-like, the flowers, which are pinkish blue, and b}- 

 the fruits. The fruits are small oval two-jointed pods, pointed at 

 the top, and with two ears at the bottom, one on each side. Cakile 

 inaritiiua is native of Europe. It grows in Germany, France and 

 England, and occasionally it is found as far north as Leningrad, 

 Russia. There it is known under the name Buuias luarifinm. 



