18 



The territory in which it is found seems to correspond, at 

 least in a general outHne, to the mineral spring section of the 

 AUeghanies. It is to be remembered that Michaux discovered 

 it at "Warm Springs," Kin at "Kriem Prier," or something like 

 that, meaning Greenbrier, four miles from White Sulphur 

 Springs, and Pursh at Sweet Springs. I myself found it between 

 the last two within 50 yards of an iron and alum spring. Many 

 of the other stations are near mineral springs. Whether this 

 has any real significance or not remains to be determined. 



The patches occur most frequently along bluffs and near them 

 on top. One reason for this is that in this section most of the 

 sour or acid soil is found in such places, most of the land back 

 from the bluffs along the streams and some on ridges and moun- 

 tains is limestone. The patches most of them occur on northern 

 or western exposures, I know of only three on southern ex- 

 posures. This does not mean that it does not like sunshine, 

 for Professor Sargent of the Arnold Arboretum says that it 

 grows equally well in the sun, and I have seen just as thrifty 

 plants growing at the edges of woods as in the shade. I think 

 that the explanation is that the most favorable conditions for 

 its seeding itself are found on northern and western exposures. 

 All the seedlings that I have found were on such exposures, on 

 shaded roadside banks, with either leaf mold or moss or the 

 two mixed, and most plentifully where the banks were quite 

 moist. The fact that seedlings are of slow growth makes it 

 probable that in a southern exposure the soil would become 

 so dry as to cause them to perish. I have seen seedlings five 

 years old that had stems not over one fourth as large as an adult 

 stem. Flat shady woods seem fairly well suited to self seeding 

 as in one place on a flat topped ridge we found a number of 

 distinct patches of different sizes. One patch bore albino 

 berries the others the usual blue, this albino patch had very 

 distinct outlines. Just over the hill from this is another allbino 

 patch that merges with other patches. There is also considerable 

 variation between diferent patches in leaf size and shape. 

 Some patches do not bear, or at least very little, and are called 

 l)y the negroes "he junipers." We have not yet seen the plant 

 with the enormous crops that they are said to bear, so do not 

 know how much variation there may be in shape, size and 

 color of the berries. Another season will add much to our 

 knowledge of this interesting plant. 



