4 
THE PRESENT STATUS OF SCOLOPENDRIUM 
IN NEW YORK STATE 
Mabel R. Hunter 
(Received for publication May 6, 1921) 
The purpose of this paper is to offer data concerning the occurrence and 
abundance of Scolopendrium vulgare Sm. in the central New York area. 
Its former distribution is also considered and comparisons are made in an 
effort to throw some light upon its probable future. The work was begun 
in the autumn of 1916, and was completed in January, 192 1. Data con- 
cerning several of the colonies have been obtained from field notes and 
other information kindly placed at my disposal by Dr. Loren C. Petry of 
Syracuse University, Dr. M. S. Markle of Earlham College, and Dr. John 
B. Todd, a physician of Syracuse. 
While certain topographic conditions due to glacial action are coincident 
with the occurrence of Scolopendrium in this region, it is not deemed nec- 
essary to give details of this topography^ beyond a brief mention of the 
three well-defined situations under which Scolopendrium occurs. These 
situations are: {a) on the south slopes of glacial channels, which usually 
extend almost due east and west; (6) on the south and west slopes of deep 
plunge basins which head such channels; {c) on the west slopes of steep 
gorges cut by post-glacial streams flowing in a northerly direction. The 
latter situation occurs only at the Chittenango and Perryville Falls stations. 
These three situations are all similar in certain respects. The slopes are 
usually bordered by an overhanging clifT, and in all instances where this 
is the case Scolopendrium occurs well below the cliff, about midway of the 
slope. A further characteristic of its occurrence is that of growing in 
distinct groups or colonies, with no scattered plants between. 
In this paper the term "station" is applied to the widely separated 
regions; distinct areas within the stations are termed "substations," and 
these may in turn be divided into "colonies." 
The first comprehensive account of the occurrence of Scolopendrium 
in the New York area was published by Maxon (2) in 1900. In this paper 
he gives an account of the discovery of the various stat'ons of Scolopendrium 
in America, along with facts concerning its condition at various stations 
at that time. Since 191 6 the stations in central New York cited by Maxon 
have been relocated, the surrounding areas examined, and all discoveries 
^ For a discussion of the physiography of this area the reader is referred to the series of * 
papers on this subject by Dr. H. L, Fairchild, and especially to his Glacial Waters in Central 
New York, N. Y. State Museum Bull. i?7. Albany, 1909. 
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