﻿IX. 



Diagnostic Characters of Neiv Species of Phanogamous Plants, collected in Japan hy 

 Charles Wright, Botanist of the U. S. North Pacific Eaploring Expedition. (Pub- 

 lished hy Request of Captain John Rodgers, Commander of the Expedition.) With 

 Observations upon the Relations of the Japanese Flora to that of North America, 

 and of other Parts of the Northern Temperate Zone. 



By ASA GRAY, M. D. 



{Read December 14, 1858, and January 11, 1859.) 



The dried plants collected during 'the visit of the Expedition, commanded by Cap- 

 tain John Rodgers, to different parts of Japan, were intrusted to me by Mr. AVright 

 for examination ; and I have prepared a detailed account of them, intended to form a part 

 of Mr. Wright's general report upon the extensive and interesting botanical collections 

 made by him during the whole cruise of the Expedition. As this report, and that of 

 the important scientific results of this Expedition in various other departments, may 

 not be published for some time, I am permitted and requested, by the Commander of 

 the Expedition, — ever considerate of the interests of science, — briefly to make known 

 the principal novelties which have been discovered in this field. The discoveries in 

 this case are by no means limited to the detection of entirely new species (in which, 

 however, the collection will be seen to abound), but also relate to the detection of known 

 species in a region where they were not known before, and to the identification and 

 elucidation of many obscure species. It will be best, therefore, to take a cursory general 

 notice of the more interesting plants of this collection, adding any remarks which it 

 may be worth while now to make upon their geographical distribution or their charac- 

 ters, and appending the diagnoses of new genera and species in the form of foot-notes. 



It should be mentioned that the botanical collections made at Ousima, Katonasima, 



