216 Rhodora [ NOVEMBER 
commonest grasses giving the delicious odor to new-mown hay. We 
also have Zeroch/oa borealis, Roem. & Sch., but these old notes do 
not record it. 
It is interesting to learn that Symplocarpus foetidus, Salisb., turned 
up March 8, 1828 — a good average record. We can fancy how glad 
those young collectors, all now passed away, were to welcome its 
parti-colored hoods ! 
At the other end of the season we find Hamamelis Virginica, L., 
marked as occurring in Tifft’s woods, a location which I fail to iden- 
tify. Buck-bean grew then where even now it flourishes — this year 
perhaps for the last time — near the Friends’ School. This is by far 
the best locality for Menyanthes I have ever known. I think it is 
within our city limits, also in the suburb of Cranston. Cat Swamp 
is being drained and filled in so that Menyanthes trifoliata, L., must 
disappear, with the Typhas. Acorus Ca/amus, L., and many splendid 
Carices, among them the one called O/vey?, Boott., which, however, 
does not seem to stand. I have a letter from Hart Wright of years ago 
questioning its stability, and I think L. H. Bailey and others have 
merged it with an old species. Happy those whose monuments can 
survive a generation ! . : 
The bind-weed, Convolvulus sepium, L., is described as occurring 
on the banks of the “Providence Canal” near Horton's Grove, July, 
1830. This old abandoned canal, extending from Providence to 
Worcester, early had its commercial usefulness destroyed by the rail- 
road between these two cities. Thereafter it became largely choked 
with aquatics and lawsuits to the mutual joy of the botanist and 
lawyer. So, some few years since, when my assistants, Messrs. J. 
Franklin Collins and Haven Metcalf desired some Zødea Canaden- 
sis, Michx., for physiological work, I directed them to find it in the 
canal — which they did. I had not seen it myself ! 
The Jersey tea, Ceanothus Americanus, L., is simply noted as from 
Providence — and still grows in the municipality. One marvels if in 
1828 the rose-bugs came too! Now-a-days the plant is always 
thronged with them. 
Under Viola pedata, L., the most abundant and most beautiful of 
our Rhode Island violets, adopted by the school-children as the state- 
flower (which — for obvious reasons — Rhododendron should be !), 
is noted in pencil — “Variety velutina, has two of its petals very dark 
purple and velvet-like.” This is the variety 2zco/or, Pursh, of to-day — 
