PROCEEDINGS OF THE CLUB 61 



is done with the utmost care, and, although the scale of the dot itself is probably two miles 

 in diameter, the center of the dot is located exactly at the spot where the plant was collected. 



A preliminary survey of the flora of the State indicates that of the approximately 2,500 

 species which constitute its flora, some seven or eight hundred are introductions. Of the 

 remaining number (seventeen or eighteen hundred), the overwhelming majority are of 

 wide-spread occurrence, which, if not already collected in each of the sixty-seven counties, 

 may eventually be expected to be found there. 



Of greater interest to the student of plant geography are the several hundred species 

 which are of more limited distribution. These fall into such groups as the following : 



1 ) Northern or boreal species which may reach their southern limit of range within 

 the State, or which, if they continue southward, occur only in the uplands of the Valley 

 and Ridge Province or on the Appalachian Plateau. This group includes such species as 

 Clintonia borealis, Comus canadensis, Ox alts montana, Trillium undulatum, Coptis 

 groenlandica, Actaca rubra, Calla palustris, and Rhododendron canadense. 



2) Southern species which reach their northern limit of distribution within the State. 

 Examples of this group are Pinus pungens, Menziesia pilosa, Boltonia asteroides, and 

 Marshallia grandiflora. 



3) Species of the Mississippi and Ohio Drainages, which occur only in the western 

 counties, such as Trillium nivale, T. sessile, and Quercus imbricaria. 



4) Plants of the Coastal Plain which appear only east of the Fall Line in Bucks, Phila- 

 delphia and Delaware Counties. To this category^ belong Quercus phellos, Liquidambar 

 Styraciflua, and Ilex opaca. 



In addition to these groupings, which reflect broad geographic distributions, many 

 species owe their restricted occurrence to some particular soil preference or ecological 

 requirement. Thus, Asplenium cryptolepis (A. Ruta-muraria) , Cheilanthes lanosa, Rhus 

 canadensis, and Solidago squarrosa which are marked calciphiles, are primarily restricted 

 to outcrops of Cambro-Ordovician limestone ; while Talinum teretifolium, Cerastium 

 arvense, var. villosum, and Aster depauperatus occur only on the serpentine formations in 

 the southeastern corner of the State. A number of maritime species, such as Cakile edentula 

 and Lathyrus maritimus, are found only on the sandy shores of Lake Erie. A few shale 

 barren species, such as Senecio antennariifolius, are restricted to barren slopes in Somer- 

 set, Bedford and Fulton Counties. 



The primary objective of this work is the publication of a comprehensive account of the 

 plant life of the State which shall be completely supplied with keys for identification and 

 distributional maps. It is also planned to incorporate considerable information which will 

 make the work useful to other than merely systematic botanists. For this reason an attempt 

 will be made to interpret vagaries of distribution, where these are significant, and to include 

 information drawn from such fields as ecology, cyto-taxonomy and genetics. The resulting 

 volume should be of service to geologists, foresters, entomologists and teachers. 



After discussion the meeting was adjourned at 4 :45 for tea. 



Respectfully submitted, 



Frances E. Wynne 

 Recording Secretary 



Minutes of the Meeting of April 3, 1945 



The meeting was called to order by President Seaver at 8 :20 p.m. in Room 

 710 Schermerhorn Extension of Columbia University. Forty-four members 



