PACHYSTIMA CANBYI. 



CANBY'S MOUNTAIN-LOVER. 



NATURAL ORDER, CELASTRACEjE. 



PACHYSTIMA CANBYI, Gray. — Surculosely creeping; leaves oblong-linear, slightly denticulate; 

 pedicel filiform, elongated; petals oblong-ovate; style very short. (Gray, in Pr, 

 of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.) 



HE plant which we are about to introduce to our readers 

 is one of those which do not attract by showy flowers. 

 Nevertheless, the rich hue of its evergreen leaves gives it a 

 unique character among our native plants, and will make it 

 valuable in the eyes of those who love beautiful foliage, while 

 readers of a more scientific turn of mind will find much oi 

 interest in its family history. The genus Packystima consists 

 of only two species, and was not known until the celebrated 

 expedition .made across the continent by Lewis and Clarke in 

 the years 1 803-1 806, when specimens of one of the species were 

 brought home from the Rocky Mountains by Lewis. Pursh 

 thought it was a holly, and so named it Ilex Myrsinites. Nut- 

 tall, with probably better specimens before him than Pursh, 

 made it out to be a Myginda, which was much nearer the truth, 

 as Myginda is a genus of the order Celastracea, to which our 

 plant belongs. Later, Nuttall himself discovered essential differ- 

 ences between Myginda and the plant originally discovered by 

 Lewis, and established the latter as a new genus, under the 

 name of Oreophila. Rafinesquc, however, had already disc< >vered 

 the distinction, and had named the genus Packystima before 

 Nuttall published his name, and Rafinesque's name, therefore, 

 was generally adopted, in accordance with the ethics of botany, 



