Arctic Plants: Morphology and Synonymy 53 b 



as well as a scape of the year of collection, bearing an umbel of flowers. In the 

 axil of one of the innermost leaves of the rosette the bud to winter over is already 

 visible; thus these two arctic species show the same method of hibernation. 

 Furthermore, in both species the rhizome is vertical but extremely short, and 

 there is no trace of the primary root; the root system consists of several long 

 secondary roots developed from the basal internodes of the subterranean stem 

 or rhizome. 



Dodecatheon frigidum Cham, et Schl. 



As in the Primulae described above, there is an over-wintering bud situated 

 in the axil of one of the innermost leaves of the rosette, and of the same structure. 

 But Dodecatheon possesses a very distinct, well developed rhizome which is 

 horizontally creeping, quite thick, and reaching a length of up to 4.5 cm. 

 Numerous long, fleshy, sparingly branched, secondary roots develop from the 

 lower face of the rhizome. 



Douglasia Lindl. 



According to Bentham and Hooker only four species are known, three being 

 natives of this continent, the fourth of the European Alps, generally called 

 Aretia vitaliana Gaud. The genus belongs to the section Primuleae, and its 

 nearest ally is Androsace. Gray (Synopt. Fl. I.e.), describes four species from 

 this country: D. nivalis Lindl., D. arctica Hook., D. laevigata Gr., and D. montana 

 Gr. Of these, D. nivalis is known only from near the sources of the Columbia 

 at an elevation of 12,000 feet (Douglas), while D. arctica has been found on the 

 arctic seashore between the Mackenzie and Coppermine rivers (Richardson), 

 and Red mountain, Yukon valley (M. W. Gorman, 1899); since then it has been' 

 reported from King point, on the Arctic coast, Lat. N. 69° 6', Long. W. 137° 

 40', by the Gjoa expedition, and from between Herschel island and the Mackenzie 

 river delta by I. 0. Stringer. 



D. arctica forms small compact cushions of erect or ascending woody stems, 

 densely covered with the appressed linear leaves and terminated by the flowers 

 which are arranged in a small umbel. None of the specimens examined had the 

 root-system preserved. 



GENTIANACEAE. 



Gentiana arctophila Griseb. and G. propinqua Richards. 



They both are annuals and of exactly the same habit, viz. : a small rosette 

 of opposite leaves, a central, terminal, flower-bearing stem with one or two 

 pairs of opposite leaves subtending single flowers, and furthermore, one or two 

 pairs of one-flowered peduncles much shorter than the main stem, developing 

 from the axils of the innermost pairs of leaves of the rosette. They resemble 

 each other very much but may, nevertheless, be readily distinguished by means 

 of the structure of the corolla which, according to Grisebach,i shows the follow- 

 ing characters: "CoroUae 4, rarius 5-fidae coeruleae lobis ovato-lanceolatis 

 acuminatis cuspidatis setula coronatis et margine hinc setulosis tubo obconico 

 basi angusto fere 2-plo brevioribus inG. propinqua," — while "corollae 4 fidae 

 coeruleae lobis triangulari-ovatis basi superincumbentibus acutis cuspidatis 

 setula coronatis margine nudis tubo sensim ampliato basi lata 3-plo brevioribus 

 in G. arctophila." 



Most of the specimens are very small; the height of G. arctophila averages 

 from 6 to 7 cm., and from only 2 to 6 cm. in the other. 



1 Genera et species Gentianearum. Stuttgart, 1839. 



