eh. 34 Regent? Report 
REPORT OF THE BOTANIST. 
To the Honorable the Board of Regents of the University of the 
State of New York: 
GerNnTLEMEN —I have the honor of communicating to you the 
following statement of the work of the Botanist for 1885 ; 
In the prosecution of the work on the State Herbarium, specimens 
of plants have been collected in the counties of Albany, Essex, 
Genesee, Herkimer, Orange, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schoharie, and 
Ulster. Of the collected specimens, those representing one hundred 
and ninety-eight species have been prepared, mounted and added to 
the Herbarium. Of these, one hundred and fourteen species were 
not before represented therein. The remaining eighty-four species 
are illustrated more completely and satisfactorily by the added 
specimens. ; 
Specimens have been received from nineteen contributors.’ A 
large number of these represent extra-limital species of fungi, but 
among those from this State are six species new to the Herbarium, 
and not among my collections of the past season. The whole num- 
ber of added species, both collected and contributed, is two hundred 
and ten; the whole number new to the Herbarium is one hundred 
and tweuty. A list of the names of the added species is marked 
(A). <A list of the names of the contributors and their respective 
contributions is marked (DB). 4 
Descriptions of forty-two species of fungi, which are deemed new 
or hitherto unpublished, have been prepared. A part of these have 
been illustrated by two plates of drawings. The descriptions of new 
species, together with a record of the occurrence and locality of 
others new to our flora, are in a part of the report marked (C). 
A record of observations on common or well-known species not 
new to our flora is marked (D). It has reference to any thing 
peculiar, interesting, or instructive in the variation, distribution, 
behavior or habitat of the plant. Sometimes useful hints may 
be obtained by such observations. For example, a variety of the 
common blueberry, Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum, was noticed on 
the summit of one of the mountains in the northern part of Saratoga 
county. Its fruit was black and shining, destitute of bloom, very 
large, sweet, juicy and pleasant flavored. It grew in compact 
clusters at. the ends of the branches, and could be easily and rapidly 
picked. Such a susceptibility to variation and improvement in the 
fruit of this plant, in its natural and wild condition, indicates for it 
a peculiar value and a possibility of usefulness under cultivation and 
domestication, 
4 
