Flora Americae Septentrionalis, or, A systematic arrangement and description of the plants of North America : containing, besides what have been described by preceding authors, many new and rare species, collected during twelve years travels and resi

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adu ced in age and deprived of his eye-Sight, conducted me personalty through his collection os interest-ing trees and shrubs, potiating out many which werethen new to me, inicit Strongly proved his attachmentand application to the science in former years, when his

Near Philadelphia I found the botante garden ofMcssrs. Jolin and William Bartram. This is likowisean old est listiment, Dunded under the patronage of the late Dr. Fothergili, by the fallier os the now living Bartrariis. This place, delictissilly siluated on the banks of the Delaware, is hept up by the present proprietors,

and probably will increase under the care of the son os dolin Bartram, a Foung gentieman of classical education, and highly attached to the study of botany. In Mr. William Bartram, the well known author of Tra-veis through North and Souili Carolina,'' I found a very intelligent, agree te, and communicative gentieman; and froni him I received considerable informationabout the planis of that country, particularly respect-ing the habitats of a number of rare and interestingtrees. It is with the livellest emotions of pleasure I

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Not far frona the latior place are also the extensive gardens of William Hamilton, Esq. , called the Wood- laniis, whicli I found not only ricli in planis froni aliparis of the worid, but particularly so in rare and neWAmerican species. Philadelphia being a central siluation, and extremely weli calculated sor the cultivation os planis froni ali the other paris of North America, I und this collection particularly valia te sor furnishingme with a general knowledge of the planis of that coun- try, preparatory to more eXtensive traveis into the interior, for the discovery of new and unknown Subjecis. Μr. Jolin Lyon, of whom Ι 8hali have an opportunityto spe ali hereaster,) who had the mana gement of thesegardens, waS then about to give them up : having the offer of being appotnted his successor, I embraced ii, and accordingly in l802 I entered ut On the siluation.

received and collected planis froni ali paris of North America; and when Michaux's Flora Boreali-AmericanaV appeared, which was during that time, Ι was notonly in possession of most of his planis, but had then a considerable number not described by him. Within this period I had also formed a connectionwith Dr. Benjamin S. Barion, Professor of Botany in

the Universi ty of Pensylvania, &c. whose industriOUS re-searches in ali the different branches of natural historyare So well known to the literary worid. He lihewise, for Some time previ ous, had been collecting materials soran American Flora. I was now very anXiΟUS to eX- plore the more remote paris of the country, particularly

the interesting ranges of the Allegany Mountains, I Wasenabled, by the Liud assistance of this centieman, to

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ine mountains and western territories of the Southeria States, beginning at Maryland and extending to the Carolinas, sin whicli traci the interesting high molantatris of Virginia and Carolina took my particular attentiola,)and returning late in the autumia through the lower Ountries along the wa-coast to Philadelphia. The follo ving semon, l806, I Went in like inaniter over the ortherii States, beginning th the molantatris of Pen- sylvania and extending to those of New Hampshire, sinwhich traot Ι traversed the extensive and highly interesting country of the Lesser and Great Lahes, and returningas before by the Sen-ConSt. Both these totars I principally made ora Mot, the most appropriate Way sor attentive observation, particularly

impenetrabie forests, far remote frona the habitations of me . The collections and observations made in theeourse of these journeys, ali of whicli I communicated toDr. Barion, Were considerablo, in respeet to the dis Very of many neW and interesting subjects of naturalliistory in generat. But the knowledge whicli I therebyaequi red of the geography, soli, and siluation of the planis of that country, potnis os the greatest interest

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ilie Continent of America to the Pacific Ocean, by the way of the Missotiri and the great Columbia rivers, eXecuted under the direction of the Goverriment of the United States. Α smali but highly interesting collection os dried planis was put into my hands by this gentieman, in order to describe and figure those Ιthought ne , for the purpose of inSerting them in the account of his Traveis, which he was then engagedin preparing for the press. This valvabie Worti, by theurisOrtunate and untiniely end of iis author, has been in terrupted in iis publication ; and although Generat Daniel Clarii, the companion of Mr. Lewis, sto whom Ιtransmitted ali the drawings prepared for the worti,) un- dertook the editorship after his death, it has not, to myknowledge, b et appeared besore the public, notwith standing the great forwardness the journals and materials were in When Ι had the opportunity os perusing

them.

The collection os planis just spolien of was madeduring the rapid return of the expedition hom the Pacific Ocean towards the United States. A much more

des, had unfortunately been lost, by being depositedamong other things at the Dot of those mountains. Theloss of this fit si collection is the more to be regretted,

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PREFACE.

me to be natives of North America, the rest being eitherentiretv neW or but litile linown, and among them atteast fix distinet anil new genera. This may give an

idea of the discerning eye of their collector, who had but litile practical knowledge of the Flora of North

America, as also of the richness of those eXtensive regions in new and interesting planis, and other naturalproductionS. The descriptions of those planis, as sar as the Specimens were perfeci, I have inserted in the present Work

in their respective places, distinguishing them by the wOrds v. s. in Herb. Lewis. V Severat of them Ι have had an opportunity of examining in their living State, sonae being cultivaled froni see is procured by Mr. Lewis and Others since my arrival in England Doria seeds and planis introduced by Mr. Nuttall. Here I cannot refrain from drawing the attention offuture botanisis travelling those regioris, to tWο highlyinteresting planis, of whicli Ι have only seen imperfectspecimens. The first is ivliat Mr. Lewis in his j ournalscalis tho Osage Appio,' ' or Arrowwood of the Mis

in aXillary, peduncled, globular cathin8, whicli producea depressed globular fruit, in si Ze and colour resemblingan Orange, in interior structure approaching near to the

genus Morinda. Τhis stirub, ori account of iis fruit

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NII PREFACE.

of PSoralea esculenta, vid. vol. ii. p. 475. I tae thisto he a larger species of tuberous CyperUS. While I was thus Ongaged in describing and figuringitiose new acquisitioris to the American Flora, anotheropportunity offered to augment my reSoureeS. Mr. Aloysius Enslen, Who h ad been sent to America by Prince Lichtenstein of Austria, as a collector Os neri and interesting subjects of natural history, returned toPhiladelphia froni his extensive traveis through the V terni Territories and Soatherii States. This gentie -

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ly valvabie collectiori os living and dried planis, to whlehΙ had urirestrainod access. Το his liberality I am indebled sor many new and Scarce specimens, whicli sille sup a desideratum in mu collection, particularly in the planis of Lower Lovisiana and Georgia. Those species exclusi vely received froni his collection 1 have distinguished by O. s. in Herb. Enslen At the fame time I had frequent opportunities of Aeeing the herbarium and collectiori os living planis of tr. John Lyon, a gentieman through whose industryand skill more new and rare American planis have latet y been introduced into Europe thati through any otherchannet whatever. Those planis particularly adopted froni his collection I have mari ed with v. s. in Herb. on υBy these arid severat other connections, whicli it u

siones eXcursioris through the different paris of the United States, I was put in possession os an extensiVeherbarium, containing planis frona ali the different paris of North America ; which when summed up would ne arly double the number of those describod in Micha ux's excellent Flora. As that work was then extremely scarce in America, I determined to publisti a Compendium os it, executed On the plati of Hoismatin's Flora Germanica, which work I had no doubt would beacceptable to the bota nisi, and particularly so to thecultivator. Ι communicated my design to Messrs. Brad- ford and Insheep, booksellers at Philadelphia, who gave

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XIV PREFACE.

While Ι was engaged in arranging my materials forthis publication, Ι was called upon to take the manage ment of the Bolanic Garden at New York, which hadbeen originalty established by the arduous Zeal and ex ortioris of Dr. David Hosack, Professor of Botany, &c. as his private property, but has lately been bought by the Goverriment of the State of New York for the publie service . As this employment opened a further prospectio me of increasing my knowledge of the planis of that

est listiment. Here I again endemoured to pay the ulmost attention to the collection Os American planis, as the establishment was principalty intended for that purpose. In this Ι was supported by my numerous bolanient connections and frientis, among Whout Ι must particularly mention Iohia Le Conte, Esq. of Georgia, WhOSe Imremitting eXertions added considerably to the collection, particularly of planis stom the Southern States. The additions to my former Stock of materials for a Flora were noW considerabie, and in conjunction ivitii Dr. D. Hosack I had eligaged to publisti a periodicat wOrk, with coloured plates, ali talien stom living planis, and is possibi e froni native specimens, on a plan Similario that of Curtis's Bolanical Magagine ; for whicli agreat number of drawings were actualty prepared. Butat this period Ι was attached by a serious and Obstinate intermitting flaver, whicli made a change of air and cli , mate absolutely necessary to me ; Ι there re, in l8l0,took a voyage to the West Indies, visiting the istands of

Barbadoes, Martinique, Dominique, Guadal0upe, and

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there.

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xvi PREFACE.

to the most eminent botanical characters of our age

Sir Joseph Banks, with his accustomed liberality, Sup ported my underisiing by giving me access to his extensive library and herbarium. A. B. Lambert, CSq. favoured me not only With the fame assistance, but very handsomely offered me the entire use of his library and collection during the compilation of the work. Τo this gentieman I am in the highest degree indebled for his strenuous Support under ait the dissiculties I had to en colanter during iis progress ; Which by his. generous

Among the many new SOurces of information no opened to me, Ι must particularly mention the solio vingoriginal collections, by the assistance of whicli I have beenen led to correct many errors of former publications, particularly respecting the SynonymS.I. Cinyton's Herbarium. --The whole of this interest-ing collection, froin Whicli the FLORA V1RG1Ν1CAV of Gronovius was compiled, is preserved in the Banlisian Museum. This has been particularly useful to me intracing the planis whicli Linnaeus had adopted froni that

common to both continent8.