40 ESS A YS. 



teen inches in height, with pure white flowers. During this 

 ascent we collected Galium latifolium, Michx., just coming 

 into flower ; and we subsequently found this species so widely 

 diffused throughout the mountains of North Carolina, that we 

 were much surprised at its remaining so little known since 

 the time of Michaux. On a moist, rocky bank by the road- 

 side, w r e gathered some specimens of a Scutellaria, which did 

 not again occur to us. It proves to be a species mentioned 

 by Mr. Bentham under S. serrata, and subsequently de- 

 scribed by Dr. Riddell with the name of *S r . saxatilis, which 

 apparently is not of uncommon occurrence westward of the 

 Alleghany Mountains. It is a slender plant, from six to 

 twenty inches high ; and the stems often produce slender sub- 

 terranean runners from their base. We here also collected 

 Asarum Virginicum, Linn, in similar situations. In the 

 higher mountains the northern A. Canadense takes the place 

 of the former species, while A. arifolium, Michx. seems to 

 be confined to the low r er country. The banks of the shady 

 and cool rivulets, which we crossed every few minutes during 

 our ascent, were in many places covered by the prostrate or 

 creeping Hedyotis serpyttifolia, Torr. & Gray (Houstonia 

 serpyttifolia, Michx.), which continues to flower sparingly 

 throughout the summer. This pretty plant has quite the 

 habit of Arenaria Balearica; and the root is certainly per- 

 ennial. We found it very abundant in similar situations 

 throughout this mountain region. Towards the summit of 

 this ridge we first met with the Magnolia Fraseri (M. 

 auriculata, Bart.), which resembles the Umbrella-tree 

 {Magnolia Umbrella) in the disposition of its leaves at the 

 extremity of the branches. This, as well as M. acuminata 

 (the only other species of Magnolia that we observed), is 

 occasionally termed Cucumber-tree ; but the people of the 

 country almost uniformly called the former Wahoo, a name 

 which in the lower part of the southern States is applied to 

 Ulmus alata, or often to all the Elms indifferently. The 

 bitter and somewhat aromatic infusion of the green cones of 

 both these Magnolias in whiskey or apple-brandy is very 

 extensively employed as a preventive against intermittent 



