Vol. 44 TORREYA January 1945 



Notes on Spergularia 



Myrox Arthur Rice 



In his study of Spergularia the writer has given some attention to the genus 

 as it occurs in the northern part of the Cayuga Lake Basin, N. Y., and to the 

 collections by K. M. Wiegand, W. C. Muenscher, and R. T. Clausen deposited 

 in the Cornell University Herbarium. Muenscher 16953, from an island by 

 Cayuga Bridge, N. Y., April" 15, 1927, and Clausen 4026, from Savannah 

 Township, Wayne County, N. Y., August 31, 1939, are especially interesting. 

 Cayuga Bridge at Cayuga is near the northern end of Cayuga Lake and Savan- 

 nah Township is some miles farther north, embracing part of the Montezuma 

 Marsh area. 



Muenscher 16953 from Cayuga Bridge agrees quite well with Rossbach's 

 (1940) description of Spergularia media (L.) Presl. and it is so labeled in the 

 herbarium. Plants grown in the greenhouse from seeds of- this collection had 

 9-10 stamens, a character of 6". media. Although Rossbach gives the seeds of 

 5". media as usually winged, all of the seeds of Muenscher 16953, as represented 

 by the greenhouse-grown plants, are winged, so far as a careful check of the 

 seeds in two capsules showed. All shattered out seeds in a packet on the her- 

 barium sheet are also winged. Rossbach describes the petals of 6". media as 

 white. The plants grown in the greenhouse had petals which were pink, but 

 whitish toward the base. Mounted herbarium specimens of these greenhouse 

 plants still show the pink color. The same color appears in some flower material 

 in the packet attached to the herbarium sheet, Muenscher 16953. 



Clausen 4026 from Savannah Township is a different kind of Spergularia. 

 Plants grown in the greenhouse from seeds of this collection had 3-6 stamens, 

 averaging about 4. In a complete check of the seeds in 12 capsules, 35 percent 

 of the total number of seeds was winged and 65 percent was not winged. 

 Wiegand's (1920) original description of 5". alata specifies stamens 4-6 and all 

 seeds winged. All of the 79 seeds in one capsule of a co-type specimen, F. P. 

 Metcalf & K. M. Wiegand 6406, Montezuma, N. Y., July 4, 1916, Cornell 

 University Herbarium, were found to be winged. An examination of the seeds 

 in the packet on the herbarium sheet, A. J. Eames, L. F. Randolph, & K. M. 

 Wiegand 12004 from Montezuma, N. Y., September 9, 1919, labeled 5". alata 

 Wiegand, reveals, however, that some of the seeds are not winged. It seems 

 evident that the Spergularia denominated 5". alata by Wiegand may have both 

 seeds winged and seeds not winged even though the original type and co-type 

 specimens produced winged seeds only. Clausen 4026 is interpreted as S. alata 

 Wiegand and it is so labeled in the herbarium, but it is a somewhat pubescent 

 form of the species. 



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