178 ON THE BOTANY OF THE BRITISH POLAR EXPEDITION. 



R. hyperboreus, Rottb. 

 Dist. 1 - 3. Lat. 69° 15' to 72° 48'. G. 



Disco and Upernavik. In very wet ground near Upernavik 

 Settlement, this plant is common. 



Papaveracea. 

 Pa paver nudicaule, L. 



Dist. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. Lat. 68° 42' to 83° 4'. 

 E., W., and G. 



This plant, the purple Saxifrage, and a grass (Afopecurus alpinus), 

 were gathered north of the 83rd parallel of lat. by Lieut. Aldrich, 

 R.N., the most northern land yet visited by man. One form of this 

 species is usually of a very different appearance from the other, which 

 is, I believe, P. alpinim. P. nudicaule (by far the commonest) 

 has the leaf-segments ovate, with rounded, or sometimes bristle- 

 pointed extremities, the petals of a deeper yellow, and more 

 commonly turning to a metallic-green (not " blue-black," as fre- 

 quently described), and the leaves more glabrous; it occurs in ail 

 sorts of available situations, and is usually the first to appear upon 

 drifting glacial mud, but it attains a far more luxuriant growth 

 upon rich organic soil, as that below the bird cliffs at Foulke 

 Fiord. It will hold up its petals through the snow long after other 

 flowers have disappeared. In flower at Discovery Bay July 2. 



Polaris Bay (coll. Copp.) ; Shift Budder Bay (coll. Moss) ; Floe- 

 berg Beach and Cape Joseph Henry (H. W. F.) ; Ward Hunt Island, 

 lat. 83° 4', and Cape Alexandria, lat. 83° 2' (Lieut. Aldrich). 



Sea-level to 2000 feet in Discovery Bay. 



P. alpinwn, L., var. 



Dist. - 2 - ... 7 - - - 11 12 13. Lat. 72° 20' to 82° 27'. 

 E., W., and G. 



This variety is not nearly so common as the last, but increase^ 

 towards the north. It has the leaf segments more rigid, nearly 



linear, and of a darker green, sometimes quite glaucous ; the petals 

 are often pale yellow, and occasionally white, and the hairs on the 

 peduncle more adpressed. It was to be met with only at low levels 

 and upon an inorganic soil, and its petals did not wither to a 

 verdigris green as much as in the last variety. The difference in 

 the leaves and adpression of stem hairs is somewhat similar to 

 that between the two common English poppies. 



C 'r ucif e 77/'. 

 Tiirrith mollis, Hook. 



Dist. - 2. Lat. 72° 20'. G. 



In small quantities at Proven ; not mentioned north of lat. 70 

 by Lange. 



Arabu alpina, L. 



Dist. 1. Lat. 69° 15'. G. 



Very luxuriant at Englishman's Bay, Disco. 



bea-level to 800 feet at Lyngemarken, Disco. 



Cardamuu beUidijolia, L. 



Dist - 1 2 - - 5 12. Lat. 69° 15' to 81° 47'. E.,W., & 0- 





