1898-1902. No. 2.1 VASCULAR PLANTS OF ELLESMERELAND. 39 



Cassiope tetragona, (L.) D. Don. 



C. tetragona, D. Don, Arrang. Eric, 1834; Langb, Consp. Fl. Groenl.; Kruuse, List 

 E. Greenl.; Nathorst, N. W. GrOnl.; Hart, Bot. Br. Pol. Exp.; Greely, Rep. ; 

 Simmons, Prel. Rep. et Bot. Arb.; Bkitton & Brown, 111. Fl.; Kjellman, in 

 Vegaexp. ; Ledebour, Fl. Ross. ; Andromeda tetragona, Linnaeus, Sp. plant., 

 1753 ; Hooker, Fl. Bor. Amer. ; Andersson & Hesselman, Spetsb. karlv. 

 Fig. Fl. Dan., T. 1030. 



Most commonly distributed in the archaean districts, where in slopes 

 and valley-bottoms that are not too svampy, but, on the other hand 

 that are not exposed to drying out, it can cover wide areas. Especially 

 in the great valleys at the outer Hayes Sound, Lastraea Valley, Twin 

 Glacier Valley, and others, it forms together with Myrtillus and Em- 

 petrum heaths of considerable extent. A similar vegetation, probably, 

 is that seen by Greely in the valleys around Lake Hazen, where, how- 

 ever, both accompanying plants are absent. Also Gymnocyhe turgida 

 and Peltigera aphtosa (?) are often its companions. In the limestone 

 regions it is scarce, and here as also in very dry localities of the ar- 

 chaean district it appears in a dwarf form, only an inch or a couple of 

 inches high, whereas in favorable localities it can sometimes attain to 

 a height of at least 15 inches. 



It began to flower about midsummer time, and seemed mostly to 

 fruit abundantly. 



Occurrence. Grinnell Land, Lake Hazen Valley (Greely). East 

 coast; common in the entire Hayes Sound district, first noted^by Hart. 

 Specimens from: Bedford Pim Island (275), Cape Rutherford (319), Twin 

 Glacier Valley (876), Fram Harbour (1082). Southern coast, abundant 

 to the eastward, specimens from Fram Fjord (1658) and" Harbour Fjord 

 (2247); scarcer to the west, specimens from the Yellow Hill in the Goose 

 Fjord (3575) but also observed at the bottom of the fjord. West coast: 

 Braskerud plain, south of Bays Fjord according to Isachsen (no speci- 

 mens collected); between Baumann Fjord and Eidsfjord. 



Distribution: Northern Greenland, Arctic American Archipelago, 

 Arctic America, Labrador, Rocky Mountains, Alaska, Unalaschka, St. 

 Lawrence Island, Siberia to Baikal, Ural, Arctic Russia, Spitsbergen, 

 Northern Scandinavia. 



