~The only unwooded portion of the ridge which we ascended, 
ani exposed rock a few yards in extent, presents-a truly Alpine 
aspect, being clothed with Lichens and Mosses, and with a dense 
_ mat of the mountain Leiophyllum, a stunted and much branched “4 
shrub (five to ten inches high,) with small coriaceous leaves, 
greatly resembling Azalea procumbens.* The much denser 
growth, and the broader, more petiolate, and perhaps uniformly 
opposite leaves, as well as the very different habitat, would seem | ee . 
to distinguish the mountain plant from the L. buxifolium of the 
tee Barrens of | New Jersey, &e. ; but, ee I think the 
wED 
on to the Mountains of North Carolina. 
* serpyligfotnim, CLedan-esrpy! at lee: : 
it is aoe aany-4 to find ects and iattelpes ecnation: distinctive 
characters ; since the sparse scabrous puberulence of the capsule 
may also be observed upon the ovary of the low-country plant, 
in which the Jeaves are likewise not unfrequently opposite ; and 
no reliance can be placed on the length of the pedicels. The 
y requires some correction: the Ledwm buxifolium of 
Michaux “in summis montibus excelsis Caroline), and of Nut- 
tall, (so far as respects the plant which “is extremely abundant 
on the highest summits of the Catawba Ridge,” that is, on Ta- a 
ble Mountain, ) as well as the Leiophyllum buxifolium of Elliott, 
(from the mountains of Greenville district, South Carolina,) must 
be referred to LL. serpyllifolium, DC. We were too late to ob- 
tain the plant in blossom, excepting one or two straggling: spe- 
cimens; but we were so fortunate as to procure a few mae 
specimens of Rhododendron Catawlhiense. 
I should have remarked, that so much time was occupied in 
the ascent of this mountain as nearly to prevent us from herbor- 
izing around the summit for that day; since we had to descend 
some distance to the nearest spring of water, and prepare our en- 
campment for the night. The branches of the Balsam afforded 
excellent materials for the construction of our lodge, the smaller 
twigs with large mats of moss stripped from the rocks furnished 
our bed, and the dead trees supplied us with fuel for cooking our 
aappe, and for the large fire we were obliged to ae up during | 
BabA ge lne enscrt— eeienpente sentence the Grandfather Mountain, 
as is he eelbs 24 ser bs EL ES ped tee and have 
e doubt that he ‘mistook for Specie of Letopheylliem — rh otged 
_ Sept. as p- fone oe ie: Fis * oe gS i 
