 bybe. BetA Refrd Rept 
REPORT OF THE BOTANIST. 
To the Honorable the Board of Regents of the University of the State 
of New York : 
GENTLEMEN — I have the honor to communicate to you the following 
statement of the work of the Botanist during the past year: 
The investigation of our State flora and the collection and preparation 
of specimens to properly represent it in the State Herbarium, a work 
which had been partly interrupted for two years, has been fully renewed 
and actively prosecuted during the collecting season. Specimens were 
collected in the counties of Essex, Warren, Fulton, Lewis, Saratoga, - 
Albany and Rensselaer. Of the collected specimens, those representing 
one hundred and ninety-two species have been prepared, mounted and 
added to the Herbarium. | One hundred and sixteen of these, of which 
a considerable number are species of fungi not before published, were 
not previously represented therein. The remainder are species now 
more completely and satisfactorily illustrated in their different forms 
and varieties or by more perfect specimens. 
Specimens of about one hundred and forty species of plants, mostly 
fungi, have been contributed by various botanists and correspondents. 
Of these there are two species of this State new to the Herbarium and 
not among my collections of the past season. These added to the 
number already given make a total of one hundred and eighteen added 
species. A list of their names is marked A. Also a list of contributors 
and their respective contributions is given and marked B. 
Notices of plants not before reported, together with a record of the 
localities where they were found, also descriptions of such as are deemed 
new species are in a part of the report marked C.. These descriptions, 
in nearly all cases, have been drawn up with the fresh plant before me. 
The microscope has been taken with me on my collecting trips, and 
the microscopical details studied at the time of collecting, in order to 
insure greater accuracy. 
A record of observations on species not new to our flora has been 
made and is marked D. It contains remarks upon any matters of in- 
terest in connection with the variation, distribution, locality or habitat 
of the species. 
A descriptive manual of our Hymenomycetous or fleshy fungi, among 
which are the mushrooms and mushroom-like Agarics, is greatly needed. 
The number of those desirous of becoming acquainted with our native 
species of these plants is constantly increasing, but a proper and con- 
venient manual for their study and identification is wanting. Accidents 
from the use of poisonous kinds for food, by those, who, ignorant of the 
true characters of the species, have mistaken them for the edible mush- 
room occur from time to time. These accidents might readily be avoided 
by a better and more common acquaintance with the characteristic 
features of our edible species and their less valuable associates. Asa step 
in this direction monographs of the different genera represented in our 
