Lilaea subulata in Washington 



W. C. MUENSCHER 



The monotypic genus Lilaea of the Najadaceae is repre- 

 sented by the west American species, L. subulata Humb. and 

 Bonpl., commonly called flowering quillwort. It is said to occur 

 in fresh or brackish water of lakes or slow streams from British 

 Columbia to South America. It has been reported from Somas 

 River, \'ancouver Island, B. C, and Oregon^-^ but none of the 

 floras covering the region--^-^ credit this species to Washington 

 State. 



Lilaea subulata was found, in association with Lilaeopsis 

 occidentalis C. and R., between Scripus americanus Pers., on ti- 

 dal mud flats near the mouth of the Nooksack River at Marietta 

 Whatcom County, Washington. Growing in streams, left in 

 the intertidal area which is subject to periodic inundation by 

 brackish water, were Ruppia maritima L. and Zannichellia 

 palustris L. 



The Marietta station appears to be the first recorded from 

 Washington and closes a wide gap in the known range of this 

 species. Flowering and fruiting specimens collected by the 

 writer at Marietta, No. 7680, June 28, 1937 and No. 7681, 

 July 28, 1937, have been deposited in the herbarium of Cornell 

 University. 



"" 1. Henry, J. K., Flora of Southern British Columbia and Vancouver Is- 

 land. Toronto, 1915. 



2. Piper, C. V. and R. Kent Beattie. Flora of the Northwest Coast. 1915. 



3. Piper, C. V. Flora of the State of Washington. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 

 11. Washington, D. C, 1906. 



4. Jones, G. N. A Botanical Survey of the Olympic Peninsula, Washing- 

 ton. University- of Washington Publ. in Biology, 5: 1936. 



