BOTANICAL EXCURSION TO NORTH CAROLINA. 45 



contain as many as four perfect seeds ; and it is proper to 

 remark that the embryo is not "very minute," as described 

 in the " Flora of North America " ; but, in the ripe seeds 

 recently examined, is one third the length of the albumen, 

 as stated by Decaisne, or even longer. The cotyledons are 

 elliptical, flattish, and nearly the length of the thick, slightly 

 club-shaped radicle. The whole embryo is also somewhat 

 flattened ; so that when the seed is longitudinally divided in 

 one direction, the embryo, examined in place, appears to be 

 very slender, and to agree with De Candolle's description. 

 The albumen is horny when dry, and has a bitter taste. 

 Along the roadside we shortly afterwards collected the equivo- 

 cal Vaccinium erythrocarpum of Michaux, or Oxycoccus erec- 

 tus of Pursh ; a low, erect, dichotomously branched shrub, 

 with the habit, foliage, and fruit of Vaccinium, but the flowers 

 of Oxycoccus. It here occurred at a lower elevation than 

 usual, scarcely more than three thousand feet above the level 

 of the sea, and in a dwarfish state (about a foot high) : sub- 

 sequently we only met with it on the summit of the Grand- 

 father and other mountains which exceed the altitude of five 

 thousand feet, where it is commonly three or four feet high. 

 We were too early for the fruit, a small, red or purplish 

 berry, which does not ripen until August or September. It 

 has an exquisite flavor, according to Pursh, who found the 

 plant on the mountains of Virginia ; but our friend Mr. 

 Curtis informs us that it is rather insipid, and entirely desti- 

 tute of the fine acidity of the cranberry. 



On the 2d of July we continued our journey (eleven miles) 

 to Jefferson or Ashe Court House, a hamlet of twenty or 

 thirty houses, and the only village in the county. Intending 

 to make this place our headquarters while we remained in the 

 region, we had the good fortune to find excellent accommoda- 

 tions at the house of Colonel Bower, who evinced every dis- 

 position to further our inquiries, and afforded us very impor- 

 tant assistance. We may remark indeed, that during our 

 residence amongst the mountains we were uniformly received 

 with courtesy by the inhabitants ; who for the most part 

 lacked the general intelligence of our obliging host at Jeffer- 



