ON THE BOTANY OF THE BRITISH POLAR EXPEDITION. 239 



Empetracece. 

 Empetrum nigrum, L. 



Dist. 12 3-56. Lat. 68° 42' to 78° 45'. E., W., and G. 

 Common, but soon diminishing in quantity. Not seen north 

 of Cape Sabine. 



Sea-level to 800 feet at Cape Sabine. 



Betulacea. 

 Betula nana, L. 



Dist. 1. Lat. 69° 15'. G. 



Common at Disco ; not seen farther north. J. Taylor (Arctic 

 Manual) mentions that he did not see it north of Disco. Lange 

 gives 72° 48" for its range. Salix herbacea is sometimes mistaken 

 for it. 



Salicinea. 



Salix glauca, L. 



Dist. 1. Lat. 69° 15'. G. 



Not uncommon at Disco. 



S. arctica, Br. 



Common everywhere, and under this name a variety of forms 

 are included, varying especially with regard to size, width, and 

 downiness of the leaves. Lieut. Beaumout showed me a stem an 

 inch in diameter from Wood Pt., North Greenland, lat. 82° 25'; 

 and Lieut. Aldrich picked up willow leaves at Cape Fanshawe 

 Martin, lat. 82° 50', upon the north coast of Grinnell Land. Of 

 great value in holding the soil, by means of its strong stems, from, 

 being washed away by the floods from melting snow, and is often 

 tbe first plant to make the ground tenable for others. A large 

 series which I sent to the Bev. J. Leefe are all referred by him 

 to S. arctica. In flower (female) in Discovery Bay, June 21. 



Sea-level to 900 feet, Discovery Bay. 



S, herbacea, L. 



Dist. 1 2 8. G. 



Disco, Proven, and Upernavik, abundant. 





willow 



^ lkJ ^} i-l'MCU, ttllU. UMCiiiwiiuj «<~ . , -I 



inflorescence which I gathered in Disco may be S. polam, thougli 

 it may be an entire-leaved form of S. herbacea. 



MoNOCOTYLEDONES 



Melanthaccir. 



Tofieldia burealis, Wahlenb. (T. pahutrit, L.) 



Dist. 1 2. Lat. 69° 15' to 72° 20'. G. 



Common at Disco, Bittenbank, and Proven On clayey slopes 

 where the melting snow has an almost irresistible power to carry 

 away the soil, this plant is of great service m binding it togetner 

 and saving it, by means of its fibrous roots. 



Sea-level to 1000 feet at Disco. 



Habenaria albida, B. Br. 

 Dist. 1. Lat. 69' 15'. G. 



Orc/iitlacea. 



