264 Dr, Hooker on American Botany. 
Plane; the majestic Py tree (Liriodendron tulrpifera,) 
reaching to the height of 140 feet, and loaded with large and 
brilliant flowers, the curious deciduous Cypress, and the su- 
rb , 
A different vigetaiga occurs in the more northerly of the 
United States; and what renders the botany of North Ame- 
rica peculiaely interesting to the British naturalist is, that a 
very la roportion of its vegetable productions may be as- 
nina to our own climate. This is especially the case 
with that extensive portion of it under our immediate consi- 
deration. The Ozks and Firs of this district of North Ame- 
rica now decorate many of our plantations and pleasure 
Scene and as the quality of their timber comes to be better 
nown and appreciated, they will doubtless occupy a conspi- 
cuous place in our woods and forests. | Our shrubberies owe 
their greatest beauty to the various speciesoi Kalmia, Azalea, 
Rhododendron, Robinia, Cornus, Sambucus, Ceanothus, and 
Lonicera, to the S Syringa, the flewertng Raspberry, and a 
dred others, which flourish as if they were the aboriginal 
‘natives of our soil; whilst the gardens of the curious are in- 
debted for mA of their choicest productions to the herba- 
ceous a lants of North America, the greater number being re- 
le for the a eet of their blossoms, and not a few, 
sue ‘Dionea and Sarracenia, striking us as amongst 
the feet singular of all vegetable productions in their strac- 
ture. Nay, such is the superiority of the climate, and the 
fertility of ihe soil, that our European fruits, which were tak- 
en over by the early settlers, have improved prodigiously — 
quality ; to that degre, even that we now procure 
them for our orchards and wall-trees ; ; and the most highly 
_ flavoured apples that we (north of the Tweed at least) can 
Boat for our desserts, are any | im ported themselves from 
America. 
Jn the arctic regions of the New World, there is a striking 
. similitude i in the botanical pee with those of the sum- 
mits of our highest Scotch mountai 
The earliest accounts of the etaits ‘of North America cov- 
ay of. Getnabie tnt eg (beech sme published by foreign- 
‘ to scie 
: ‘bat degree of political and mental impro 
whidle ‘w6 find the United States now to. have ancl ‘thet 
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