178 



Trip of May 26 to Seeley's Notch 



Continued inclement weather was unable to dampen the ardor 

 and enthusiasm of members of the Club and their guests who turned 

 out for this trip in and about the Triassic Watchung hills near 

 Scotch Plains and Fanwood, N. J. The stand of naturalized em- 

 press-trees, visited last year, was found to have suffered severe 

 damage due to fire and garbage dumping operations. The whorled 

 pogonias were seen again in all their rare charm and beauty, and, 

 for the first time in this locality, the water violet (Viola lanceolata), 

 growing on an open and exposed red-shale talus-slope (!). The 

 whorled loosestrife was in splendid condition and three species of 

 Aralia were pointed out — A. niidicaulis, A. racemosa, and A. sp'mosa 

 — the first two native, the last one naturalized. The wineberry, 

 Ruhus phoenicolaskts, was found in several spots. The mud-plantain 

 and pondweed, found in such abundance last year on Seeley's 

 Pond, were entirely absent this year, apparently having been exter- 

 minated in a W.P.A. "improvement" project. Dame's rocket and 

 the yellow flag were still in abundance along the brook, and, of 

 course, the reed canary-grass. Canada wild-ginger and bishop's-cap 

 covered moist springy ledges near extensive colonies of American 

 bladdernut, early meadow-rue, and Virginia waterleaf. Both the 

 inland hornbeam and the common hop-hornbeam grew along the 

 stream. It was rather surprising to find the northern sour-gum on 

 the very top of the trap-rock cliffs, in company with pinxter-flower, 

 red-berried elder, toothed white-top aster, Carolina dwarf-dande- 

 lion, rattlesnake-weed, bastard toadflax, savory-leaf aster, downy- 

 leaf arrow-wood, and the young plants of stout ragged goldenrod. 

 Both the wild-indigo and the common false-indigo were pointed 

 out, as well as large stands of the true water-cress, wood lousewort, 

 and both the smooth and downy false-foxglove. The differentiating 

 characters between the wild and woodland sunflowers at this season 

 and between numerous species of goldenrod, aster, grass, sedge, 

 viburnum, poplar, and bramble were explained. An extensive 

 naturalized planting of red pine was visited and the violet popula- 

 tion which was thriving among the fallen pine needles caused con- 

 siderable comment and speculation regarding what other plants 

 would invade this area in subsequent years. Purple-flowering rasp- 

 berry, wild columbine, American may-apple, greater celandine, 

 white and sweet-scented bedstraw, cleavers goosegrass, garlic 



