90 



not in bloom at the time of our visit. Our attention was soon 

 drawn to several trees of slippery elm ( Ulmus fulva) and a few 

 clumps of horse gentian {Trios teum aurantiacum) which grows 

 in rank profusion farther up toward the open summit. As one 

 approaches the summit, open shale ledges are of great interest. 

 Here are several ferns: Asplenium platyneuron, Cystopteris fra- 

 gilis, Woodsia ohtusa and Woodsia ilvensis, the last-named spe- 

 cies appearing also in exceptional abundance on shaded ledges 

 at the western part of the summit. Flowers of a form of Ceras- 

 iium arvense with very narrow leaves, which I had mistaken 

 previously for Phlox suhulata, dotted the crevices of the exposed 

 rocks. With a little hunting, we found basal leaves of Ranuncu- 

 lus Jascicularis, accompanied by the swollen fascicled roots be- 

 low. Here were also Arahis lyrata and laevigata, the shrub-like 

 Celtis occidentalis var. pumila, Geranium carolinianum var, con- 

 fertiflorum Fernald, Myosotis virginiana, Pentstemon hirsutus, 

 and Cardamine parviflora. In loamy borders appeared, to our 

 great surprise, mats of Oxalis violacea, still with traces of flower- 

 ing heads, and easily recognized by the bulbous rootstocks. Here 

 and there were clumps of dwarf oak (Quercus prinoides) which 

 one associates with the pine barrens of Long Island. The sedges 

 to be expected in such a locality — Car ex cephalophora, C. 

 Muhlenbergii var. enervis, C. Pennsylvania, C. convoluta — were 

 abundant; C. umbellata, common on the summit of Sugarloaf, 

 seemed to be lacking. Clumps of the handsome bronzed and 

 somewhat-nodding inflorescences of Carex Bicknellii occur 

 abundantly on the open summits, and a little later in the sea- 

 son, buffalo grass (Bouteloua curtipendula) and the compara- 

 tively rare Panicum philadelphicum are to be found on the 

 exposed ledges. Polygonatum biflorum grows well on sunny 

 ledges and was just coming into flower at this date whereas 

 P. pubescens, mostly confined to shaded woods, was in full 

 bloom two weeks earlier. A thicket of Viburnum affine var. 

 hypomalacum (V. pubescens of Gray's Manual) mingled with 

 Cornus paniculata, fringes the summit, the open area being cov- 

 ered largely by Potentilla arguta, species of Andropogon, and 

 isolated patches of Quercus ilicifolia and Vaccinium stamineum. 

 Our descent of the hill was impeded by strawberries, and the 

 forthcoming attack on Sugarloaf was halted by a downpour 

 which turned back even the most valiant members. 



H. K. SVENSON 



