BOTANICAL EXCURSION TO NORTH CAROLINA. 69 



in Buncombe and Haywood counties), Berheris Canadensis 

 (which, however, Fursh collected on the mountains of Green- 

 brier in Virginia), Parnassia asarifolia (which according 

 to Mr. Curtis first appears in Yancey County, but Pursh 

 procured it from " mountain runs on the Salt Pond Mountain, 

 Virginia, and on the top of the Alleghanies near Christian- 

 burg "),and, above all, the new Thermopsis; (T 7 . Caroliniana, 

 M. A. Curtis, MSS.) recently discovered by our friend Mr. 

 Curtis, in Haywood and Cherokee counties. We were like- 

 wise unsuccessful in our search for a remarkable undescribed 

 plant, with a habit of Pyrola and the foliage of Galax, which 

 was obtained by Michaux in the high mountains of Carolina. 

 The only specimen extant is among the " Plantar incognitas " 

 of the Michauxian herbarium, in fruit only; and we were 

 anxious to obtain flowering specimens, that we might complete 

 its history ; as I have long wished to dedicate the plant to 

 Professor Short of Kentucky, whose attainments and emi- 

 nent services in North American botany are well known and 

 appreciated both at home and abroad. 1 



We left this interesting region near the end of July, re- 

 turning to New York by way of Raleigh, Richmond, etc. ; and 

 found a marked change in the vegetation immediately on 

 crossing the Blue Ridge. I cannot extend these remarks to 

 the plants observed in our homeward journey, except to men- 

 tion that the Schrankia of this part of the country, which ex- 

 tends to the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge, is the S. ancju- 

 stata, Torr. & Gray ; at least we observed no other species. 



1 Shortia, Torrey & Gray. Calyx quinquesepalus ; sepala imbricata, 

 squamacea, striata, persistentia, exteriora ovata, interiora oblonga. 

 Corolla — Stamina — Capsula calyce brevior, subglobosa, stylo filiform i 

 (subpersistente) superata, trilocularis, loculicide trivalvis, valvis medio 

 septiferis placenta centrali magna persistente. Semina multa, parva ; 

 testa nucleo conformis. Embryo teres, reetiusculus, albumine brevior. 

 Herba caespitosa ? subaculis, perenni, glabra ; foliis longe petiolatis, 

 rotundatis, subcordatis, apice nunc retusis, crenato-serratis, erenaturis 

 mucronatis ; scapis unifloris, nudis, apicem versus squamoso-bracteatis. 



S. galacifolia, Torrey & Gray. (V. spec. sice, in herb. Mickx., cum 

 schedula, " Hautes montagnes de Carolinie. An Pyrola spec. ? an genus 

 novum ? ") 



