10 



almost complete destruction of the previous vegetation by an 

 extensive forest fire in the preceding autumn. About 3,000 acres 

 of the top of the mountain was burned over in windy, dry 

 weather, after a long drought and about every living thing was 

 destroyed. Trees and shrubs with a few exceptions, were wiped 

 out over considerable patches of thin soil. Soon after the fire, 

 in October, 1930, the writer noted that seedlings of Corydalis 

 sempervirens and Geranium carolinianum were coming up and 

 a year later they were well re-established. Dense stands of a 

 tall withered herb resembling an Amaranthns or an Acnida, not 

 determined; Epilobium angustifolium, several asters, a gold- 

 enrod or two and the bracken fern, appeared over the burning 

 this year. But where there were still open spaces of burned 

 humus, and even in spots somewhat shaded by the tall thick 

 herbaceous growth, the ground was covered with mats of the 

 strongly lobate thalli of Marchantia polymorpha. In October, 

 the dense tiny forests of the archegonial stalks, like umbrella 

 ribs without a cover, and the less conspicuous but equally nu- 

 merous antheridial stalks, made a pretty sight. I have seen 

 Marchantia following a forest fire on another site, on Long 

 Mountain in the Harriman State Park, where it persisted in a 

 large area for two or three years but has lessened in numbers 

 since taller herbaceous and shrubby vegetation and tree sprouts 

 have come back. What is the reason why Marchantia likes such 

 burned over areas? It probably helps to renew the humus and 

 prepare the soil again for other plants. 



Raymond H. Torre y 



The local herbarium, New York Botanical Garden 



This local herbarium, maintained as a special one, covers 

 the "field" of the Torrey Botanical Club, that is the region 

 within a radius of 150 miles of New York City. Within the past 

 year it has been entirely reorganized, and the very extensive 

 collections are now available for study and reference. Fortunate- 

 ly through the munificence of the late W. C. Ferguson of Brook- 

 lyn it has been possible to arrange this collection in modern in- 

 sect proof and dust proof steel cases; these have been installed 

 in the north wing, main floor, of the Museum Building. 



