107 



Notes on the Flora of Cass County. 



By Robekt Hessler. 



( Abstract. ) 

 This paper embraces a large collection of notes on the flora of Cass 

 County, covering the years from 1894 to 1908, excepting the years 1898 and 

 1899, when the writer was away. The paper relates more particularly to 

 plants which are not of general distribution in the State. The notes given 

 under the different species of plants may be grouped as follows : 



(a) Relating to plants, especially weeds, that have recently wan- 

 dered in, particularly along the railways, either to maintain themselves 

 and perhaps overrun the country, or, on the other hand, to lead a pre- 

 carious existence for a year or two and then again disappear. 



(b) Relating to plants that are apparently extinct or on the verge 

 of extinction on account of the destruction of their natural habitats, as 

 the cutting down of forests and bringing the ground into cultivation, or 

 by simply thinning the frees to such an extent that shade-loving plants 

 can no longer thrive. Moreover, with the thinning of the trees many weeds 

 come in, also grasses, and they tend to crowd out the native plants. The 

 draining of wet places, of swamps and bogs, has been going on actively in 

 recent years and few such now remain in Cass County. There are fewer 

 and fewer places where plants that were once common are now to be found, 

 and it is only a matter of time until these, too, will lose their native flora. 

 The old-time rail fence has furnished a home for many species, to which 

 the wire fence gives no protection. 



(c) Relating to plants that are undoubtedly native but which seem 

 to come and go, being found in one locality for a year or a few years, and 

 then disappear, to reappear in a distant locality and where they had not 

 been seen before ; that is, like people, they seem to be moving about — es- 

 pecially plants that are fond of moist soils ; perhaps birds carry the seed. 



(d) A lot of notes not fully worked up (for lack of time) relating to 

 plants of interest on account of their medicinal or supposed medicinal 

 value — either as "simples" or as real remedies used by the educated phy- 



