32 BOTANICAL GEOGRAPHY. 



the fact with the Maize, Mayzea cerealis (Zea 

 mays of L) the Orange tree, the Chicasa 

 plumb Primus angustifolia^ the Catalpa tree, 

 the Peach tree, and the holy plant Nelumbiurn 

 luteum! besides several kinds of Beans, Tobac- 

 co, Potatoes, Squashes, Pumpkins and Melons 

 that were cultivated by our native tribes before 

 Columbus or at least the invasion of Soto be- 

 tween 1540 and 1543, and subsequent French 

 and English colonies. 



The number of Genera and Species of each 

 botanical region, and their proportion of Trees, 

 Shrubs, Plants, Herbs, Grasses, Ferns, Mosses, 

 Lichens, Fungi, &c. is not only variable in 

 each, but difficult to fix, owing to the great 

 number that are common to several blending on 

 the limits. In general the Trees, Shrubs, Ferns 

 and Grasses, increase in number from North to 

 South, while the Acotyle plants diminish ; but 

 Fungi are most numerous in the Alleghanian 

 region, by Schweinitz account of them they 

 nearly equal the Phenogamous plants. 



However all the calculations heretofore made 

 were erroneous, depending on the peculiar 

 knowledge of the writer and his limited views 

 of Genera. Forster said they were only 1200! 

 in 1771, Eaton in 1833 said exactly 5267! 

 Torrey about 8000 ! I say 15000 and am near- 

 er the truth : at least 10,000 are Vascular 

 plants in the whole of North America, north of 

 Mexico, with about 5000 cellular plants, where- 

 of nearly 300 are trees or palms. Our largest 

 Flora, the Floridian contains 6000 species at 

 least, while the smallest, the Boreal, has hard- 

 ly 1000 species, and no more exist in the Lime- 

 stone region of Kentucky. The number of Ge- 

 nera will depend on the reformed view and cor- 

 rection of them. 



