162 H. G. SIMMONS. [sec. arct. exp. fram 



in which the species occurs. I have had a good deal of trouble in 

 coming to a conclusion as to how my material was to be arranged, 

 and only with hesitation I place here two of the forms mentioned below. 



It grows most commonly in slopes and rookeries, where it attains 

 its best development, but it is also often found in poorer localities, such 

 as gravel or clay fields, where it becomes more stunted, with smaller 

 and more contracted panicles and smaller spikelets. Some forms may 

 resemble P. alpina rather much, and have probably led to the record- 

 ing of that species by several authors, as I shall discuss below. 



Besides the common form, I have among my material also a large 

 flourishing form which may be called var. elatior, (Anderss.) Lange, 

 and another quite opposite form which was found in clay fields in some 

 places at the Jones Sound coast. I think this is sufficiently character- 

 istic to deserve a description and a name. 



Var. tenuior, n. var.: dense caespitosa; culmi circa 20 cm. alti, 

 graciles, erecti, infra medium foliosa; folia plana, culnium latiludine 

 duplo plusve superantia, ligula elongata, acutiuscula, vulgo Integra. 

 Panicula angusta, contracta, vel ramis infimis patulis, solitariis vel 

 duobus; capillaceis vel parum robustioribus. Spiculae 1 — pauciflorae, 

 anguste lanceolatae, violascentes, quam in forma vulgari multo minores. 



I was, for a time, inclined to identify this form with P. attenuata, 

 Trinius, in Bunge, Verz. Altai Pfl., p. 9, but that plant should have 

 the leaves "perangusta, subconvoluta", which does not agree with my 

 plant, which must at present be regarded as a variety of P. glauca. 



In Fram Fjord, I found in loose sand in the river-valley, a form 

 which agrees with var. arenaria, Hartz, Fan. og Karkr., p. 350, but 

 for the longer and more pointed ligule of the Ellesmereland specimens. 



I have still another form in my collection, which must for the 

 time be referred to P. glauca, as a member of its large form-series, 

 even if it should perhaps by right have a specific name of its own. It 

 agrees quite with the description of Lange's var atroviolacea, 1. c, p. 

 173, but for its being proliferous, and also in comparing it with the 

 originals of Lange's plant in the Copenhagen herbarium, I have found 

 it to be like them in every other respect, even in points not mentioned 

 in the description. Lange has only given his plant the rank of variety, 

 notwithstanding which, he says about it and his other variety pallida: 

 — "quae tam habita quam pluribus characteribus a typo ita recedunt, 

 ut facile species distinctas crederem". 



The variety atroviolacea is (Lange, 1. c.) described as follows: — 

 "Spithamea, rigida, fol. planis, caulino superiore patulo, basin in- 



