Dr. Porter's Address. 5 



the territory assumed is much too large. With but 

 few exceptions, the plants belong to the Atlantic 

 slope of the United States. At that time little was 

 known of the flora of the regions beyond the Mississ- 

 ippi, or even the Alleghenies. The number of new 

 species discovered and described by the author is 

 about 100, nearly all phanerogamous or flowering 

 plants. But, if the 80 described by his correspondent 

 Willdenow, most of which, at least, were obtained 

 from him as the collector, be counted in, the extent 

 of his contributions to science can be measured. No 

 single one of the early botanical explorers of our 

 eastern field, except, perhaps, Michaux, did so much, 

 and what he did was well done and will endure. 



Outside of a circle purely scientific, there are really 

 few who understand and appreciate such labors, and 

 yet, strange as it may seem to the multitude, there is 

 no other kind of work that is likely to carry a man's 

 name and fame further down the coming ages. 

 Muhlenberg, the eloquent preacher and faithful pas- 

 tor, may in the far future cease to be held in lively 

 remembrance ; Muhlenberg, the botanist, cannot 

 pass out of view, and be neglected or forgotten, be- 

 cause he has left his broad impress on Nature's hand- 

 iwork and Nature never forgets those who love her. 



In the records of the plant-world a personal name 

 may be carried in three ways ; first, when used to de- 

 note a species, for instance, Quercus Muhlenbergii 

 (Muhlenberg's Oak), so called because he discovered 

 and brought it into notice ; second, when attached 

 to a species which he has named and described, and 



