30 



pools were covered with mats of golden saxifrage, Chrysosplenium 

 americanum Schwein., swamp saxifrage, Micranthes pennsyl- 

 vanica (L.) Haw, and the naked bishop's-cap, Mitella nuda L. 

 There are quite large white pines and black ash, with much 

 fallen timber and some underbrush in the immediate vicinity. 

 On account of the coriaceous leaves, the great laurel, was easily 

 seen in the leafless woods, but it might be readily passed by in 

 midsummer. 



The space covered by Rhododendron maximum L. near West 

 Danby is within a circumference of six hundred feet, which is 

 considerably larger than the area ascribed to it in the Cayuga 

 Flora, t'. e." 30 meters by 10." There were about seven distinct 

 patches witliin the area: but one or two were slowly dying. 

 In the wild state, as in Michigan Hollow, the shrubs have a 

 tendency to form circular growths: and this is brought about by 

 the reclining fleKuous branches, taking root on becoming buried 

 in the leaf mold and mud — nature performing the work of 

 reproducing the plant by layering. The shrub attains no great 

 height, on account of this natural process, although some of the 

 central stems were at least fifteen feet high and an inch or two in 

 diameter. 



The bark on the older stems is rather close-flaky and grayish 

 brown, higher up there is a tendency to exfoliate in light gray, 

 thin plates; and in the leafy portion the young bark is reddish 

 intermixed with gray patches. The wood is whitish and moder- 

 ately hard. The evergreen leaves, clustered near and at the ends 

 of the branches, are very thick, lance-oblong, about nine inches 

 long including the reddish petiole, one to three inches wide, acute, 

 narrowed at the base, bright green above, paler and smooth or 

 sometimes rusty beneath, and the margin somewhat revolute. 

 At this season, the crowded leaves assume a drooping position. 

 Next season's flower buds were conspicuous, ovate in outline 

 with foliaceous scales, and terminated the branches. Old seed 

 capsules persisted on some of the branches. 



The great laurel is slowly spreading and is in no danger of 

 being exterminated, unless the wood choppers reach this portion 

 of the swamp. Further south, in the swamp, some denudation 



