13 



THE PINE-BARREN BELLWORT 



By Kenneth K. Mackenzie 



One of the least known of the many peculiar plants found in 

 the pine-barrens of New Jersey is the pretty little bellwort de- 

 scribed by Dr. Britton in 1889 (Trans. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 9 : 13) as 

 Oakesia sessilifolia var. (?) nitida. Since its original collection 

 at Tom's River and Cedar Bridge, it has also been found at 

 Forked River, Lakewood, and Egg Harbor, all within thirty 

 miles of the type station. In addition to its limited range, one 

 reason for the lack of specimens of this species in collections 

 probably is that at the time of its flowering in May the pine-bar- 

 rens are poor collecting grounds and little explored. 



Since its first description this plant has been referred by the late 

 Rev. Thomas Morong (Mem. Torrey Club 5 : 1 1 1), together with 

 other forms of Oakesia, to Uvularia as Uvularia sessilifolia nitida, 

 and under this name it appears in the Illustrated Flora (i : 409). 

 It is in this last-named work, too, where we first find a hint as to 

 the true relationship of this bellwort, when we are told that it is 

 "perhaps referable to the following species" {Uzndaria pubenila 

 Michx.) ; and it is to emphasize the close relationship existing 

 between this mountain bellwort {^U. pubenila) and our pine-barren 

 plant that the present paper is written. 





U, sessilifolia 



U. nitida 



U. puberula 



Capsule 



Noticeably stipitate 



Sessile, 17 mm. long 



Sessile, 24 mm. long 



Style 



Slender, much exceed- 



Slender, much exceed- 



Thick, little exceed- 





ing the anthers 



ing the anthers 



ing the anthers 



Leaves 



Sessile, glaucous be- 



Subcordate, very green 



Subcordate, very green 





neath, thin, not 



on both sides, thin- 



on both sides, thick. 





strongly reticulate- 



nish, not strongly re- 



strongly reticu- 





veined ; margins en- 



tic ul ate -veined; 



late-veined ; mar- 





tire or minutely ser- 



margins minutely 



gins serrulate 





rulate 



serrulate 





Stem angles 



Essentially smooth 



Essentially smooth 



Serrulate and puberu- 

 lent 



During the last collecting season I had the good fortune to 

 collect the pine-barren bellwort at Tom's River, not only in 

 flower, but also later on in good fruiting condition. A study of 

 this material and all other available collections has convinced me 



