BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 118 



Juiiiperux Vt'r(/iiii<in(i, L.,yar. Bcf/iniil/dtiu, VAiiey, is actually scarc-e; perhaps a score 

 of small .strao'sling dwarfs comprise the entire living representatives of a past pencil- 

 wood forest. Although the location of the Faber Pencil-mills, their w ood is obtained 

 chieHy, I was informed, from the banks of the Suwanee, a river twenty miles distant. 



The town of (\nlar Keys is divided equallj- between two adjac-ent Keys, the one 

 sustained In- its pencil and lumber mills, the other by its stores, hotels and transit 

 depot. On Way Key, containing the business portion of the town, occurred such plant.'^ 

 as Erythriiia herhdced, L., ornamental with its handsome foliage and bright scarlet 

 flowers, but an ungainly looking shrub in its naked attire of spiny twigs; the yellow 

 flowered Meidzella Floriddnn, Xutt., and the white blossomed B/'denn leiicaii,th<i, Willd., 

 together lu.xuriating upon the dry shell mounds; the spin}'' shrubs oi Bnmelia paroifolia, 

 DC., and Lyciunt (J<tri>lini(nnuu, Michx., with the creeping //■^>v/'«6"»^/-////c»?am, Moquin, 

 marking the limit of the tidal wave; while Scymeria pcrtintftd, Pursh., Tpmnmi aimtnta. 

 Oat., iind Efip/iorbitt pilirlifero, L., were scarce and limited in their range; Eustachi/s 

 petrmi, Desv., with sometimes many spikes ; Cynodon, Ddctylon, Pers., forming dense 

 mats in the loose white sand; Md'n-n inutica., Walt , appearing in the shaded nooks on 

 tlie mounds; Zf/wA? i i ttt y r if oil a, WWld., the Floriila starch plant, with its red, novel 

 cone-like aments just emerging from amidst its spreading fern-like leaves; Care.v 

 leucoimin, Willd., var. Floridanuiii, with lenticlar achenia; Rhyncltosia minima, DC, 

 of green and variegated foliage; Snc/eretin Jfichanxii, Brongn., and Opinilin Fintx-T/i- 

 dims, Haw. 



Agreeable to tlie desire of a New York friend I engaged with him a small sloop 

 for a few hours pleasure ride with the privilege of landing on Snake Key, an island 

 several miles distant and so named because of the supposed abundance of snakes on It- 

 Upon arrival we joined in crossing, with the direction to meet the boatman on the 

 opposite side. We had just entered and the bright yellow flowers of helianthus pneeox, 

 (Tray & Eng., arrested my attention when my friend, a few paces in advance, leaped, 

 yelled, and cried simultaneously "snake bitten." At flrst I felt concerned but soon com- 

 prehended the situation ; he had strayed among a nest of Spanish Bayonets, Vuvcii 

 aloifoUa, L., most formidable growths witli wliicli to come in contact; and tliey appear 

 too so plentifully along this coast. After culling specimens of Physiili.s Fcnitxylranirti. 

 h.. -And Fhyllti/)tliu.'< Nirnri, L., the \Rttev a low perennial of straggling frulescent ap- 

 pearance we again entered our boat and continued sail. 



Gainsville is located upon an elevated rolling country, extending south to Bronson 

 where it abruptly terminates in alow flat ])ine country, continuing to the Gulf of Mexi- 

 co, interspersed here and there with dense impenetrable jungles of vegetation, deflniug 

 the low fertile hummock lands. It was on these high and dry sand-ridges that the em-' 

 petraceous shrub Ceratiolii (irimideH, Michx., occurred so abundantly and seemed novel 

 in its evergreen spheroidal forms, and the beautiful Zdmiit dotted tiie ground of the 

 open upland pine forests with its green tufts of Cycas leaves, and later in the season the 

 green leaves and white flowers of the Cnhomba ('nrnl iiiiaiui , dray, closely covered and 

 hid to view the stagnant ponds around. 



Near the Gulf the railroad ' ])asses for a distance of four miles llirougli this dense 

 vegetable growth of the Great (4u]f Hummock, re])resented to be twenty miles long 

 and half that width and ](enctrut(Ml by tliree large rivers conveying tlieir waters to tlic 

 Gulf. The j)romising ai)pearance led me to extend my researches to these jungles. 

 Notwithstanding a large i)ortion of the time being consumed in reaching and returning 

 daily from these somewhat distant grounds, I succeeded in two visits in enlarging my 

 collection with specimens of such plants as ChryHi)biil(iiiu.-< oblouf/ifoiiu.i, Mx., Gulncfin 

 Elliotti, Nutt., Srler<)f,epi.'< rerticillntd, Cavs., BolUtiixH diffuxa. Ell., Seiifrio lobatnx, Pers., 

 VdccininruteiicUuiii, AAx., Stimtdus ebr(irte((tiii<, Kunth., Sabbatiu yrarilin, Pursh., .l.^c/* - 

 piun perennix, Walt., Ulniux alata, ^Ix., Stif/ifttiria f/ravri/ien. 'Mx., Spiranf/iCK f/niiui)ien, 

 Lind]., var. ]\'(dh'ii.(ir;iy, Cii(opo{/o)imultiJi/)ru.-<. Limll., Si/ii/<i.v auriciildtu. ^Vall., IUvJi- 



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