166 THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 



tions with the third. Joshua Hoopes was one of a botanical 

 triumvirate residing in West Chester, whose reputation was 

 not alone confined to this country. With such associates 

 as Dr. William Darlington and David Townsend, botany 

 received an impetus and a practical helping-hand that 

 served to advance the science with rapid strides. 



The subject of this sketch made a specialty of the 

 ligneous flora that came under his notice, leaving in a great 

 measure to his associates the elaboration of other plants. 

 His intimate acquaintance with our trees and shrubs, and 

 the structure of each, was really marvelous, as he rarely 

 erred in his determination of a species, or its proper classifi- 

 cation. Indeed, a large portion of the descriptions of trees 

 embraced in " Flora Cestrica," ostensibly the work of Dr. 

 Darlington, were really from the pen of Joshua Hoopes. 

 His memory was good, and even when advanced in years 

 he could not only recall the names of all our trees, but 

 could without hesitation explain the distinctions existing 

 between allied forms. He was remarkably firm in his 

 opinions, when once convinced of their truthfulness, although 

 open to conviction should he be in error. 



Professor Buckley honored him with the name of what 

 was at first supposed to be a new genus of Texan trees, but 

 subsequent research developed the fact that the name could 

 not stand, so '^Hoopesia^' was dropped, much to the disappoint- 

 ment of many of his friends who felt that his services to 

 botany should receive some lasting tribute. Dr. Gray, 

 therefore, named a composite species of the Rocky ]\Ioun- 

 tains, Helenium Hoopesii. 



As a pedestrian, his power of endurance is worthy of 

 notice, as when in pursuit of specimens, his trips of twenty 



