Vermont Botanical and Bird Clubs 31 



NOTES FROM FERRISBURG 



E. M. Kittreclge 



Last year much ground usually covered to a depth of several 

 inches along the shores of Lake Champlain w^as laid bare by the 

 steady fall of the water and plants not before noticed were found 

 growing way beyond former limits. Cyperus esculentus, Stachys 

 tenuifolia var. aspera, and Lactuca scariola var. integrata were col- 

 lected in October, as were also some species of Xanthium. Of these 

 latter X. curvescens and X. leptocarpum are new species described by 

 Millspaugh and Sherff in their recent monograph as occurring only on 

 the Vermont shores of Lake Champlain. X. commune has been the 

 only species in this vicinity heretofore. 



Little opportunity for collecting was afforded me this spring, but 

 it was a great pleasure to notice several plants and collect a few in 

 my hum-drum coming and going between camp and railroad station. 

 I traversed fields for part of the mile and the highway the rest, and 

 although the trip was made about three times a week, something of 

 interest usually presented itself — not always of wild excitement, but 

 new or rare to me. In particular I was struck by the great variation 

 in color of the blue vetch (Vicia Cracca) , ranging from two or three 

 isolated plants bearing pale, almost white, lavender flowers, to large 

 and many groups of deep red, purple (more red or crimson than pur- 

 ple) flowered plants, as well as large areas covered with plants having 

 the normal colored flowers. As I have been fairly observant of the 

 fields and roadsides of that trip for several years, I wondered if the 

 unusually wet season was accountable in any way for the color varia- 

 tion. Another species to attract attention was the common stitchwort 

 (Stellaria graminea), the variation there being in the size of the 

 flowers. Large colonies of this plant flourish in the ditches both sides 

 of the road, and some had such tiny flowers as to be almost unnotice- 

 able, some were of normal size, and some bore flowers measuring half 

 an inch or more in diameter. Stems and leaves as far as I could ob- 

 serve were exactly alike. Near the station was a large group of Rumex 

 altissimus just coming into bloom when the section men cleaned up 

 the right of way, and growing abundantly among the cinders of the 

 roadbed, was the little toad-flax (Linaria minor), its pale flowers, al- 

 though tiny, showing clearly above the dirty leaves and stems. This 

 species can no longer be considered rare in the State, as it follows the 

 railroads in all directions. In one of the clay flelds near the track 



