THE VEGETATION OF MONTAUK 



17 









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idly contributed by Dr. R, L. Dickinson. 



Polygala polygama 



Sericocarpiis asteroides 



Antennaria plantaginifolia 



Agalinis acuta 

 It is surely not without significance that these herbs are all perennials, 

 able to endure the winter with some degree of certainty, and that all show 

 some measure of protection against the wind. In the case of the grasses, 

 and of Junciis Greenei, Polygala polygama, and Agalinis acuta, the leaves 

 are so narrow as to offer little resistance to the wind ; and partly in Serico- 

 carpiis, and wholly in Antennaria plantaginifolia the leaves are practically 

 flat on the ground and offer no resistance at all. 



These eight plants make up the great mass of the herbaceous vegetation 

 of the Downs. By weight and mere bulk they far exceed all the rest of the 

 herbs put together, for as will be shown presently, many other species found 

 there are rare and some have only been seen a time or two. The fitness of 

 these eight species for their particular role in the covering of the Downs 

 is worth some consideration. Their adaptability to winds has already been 



