178 JSTotice of some rare Plants of Mtw England^ 



The introduction of the verbena into floriculture, has been 

 of signal advantage to the elegance of our gardens. New va- 

 rieties are constantly being raised. Any one may produce 

 them, by sowing the seed. The vivid scarlet, pure white, 

 dark purple, rich lilac, brilliant red, may be most curiously 

 blended, in perfect and unique harmony. A hot sun, poor 

 soil, and open air, are the best means of cultivating them. 



Thus have I run cursorily over the field of our mutual la- 

 bors and enjoyments, in the pursuit of the intention of our 

 Society. It remains for me only to say a parting word, by 

 way of farewell. Interested, as we have been, in a common 

 object, may the delights and ever increasing charms of its 

 successful operation, promote a happy and kindly feeling. 

 The flowers and the fruits of the earth are kind tokens of a 

 Great Being's continued interest in man. Devoutly may a 

 sense of refined, purified gratitude be paid 'Him. Let the 

 intercourse with the beautiful and harmonious in nature be con- 

 ducive to the truly beauty and good within us. Let widely 

 extended views of our chosen and favorite studies occupy our 

 minds: — the welfare of others by our humble ministry in the 

 operations of nature, and a true and exalted sense of their 

 importance: for He who formed the lilies of the field, clothed 

 them in unrivalled beauty for our instruction, and gave them 

 us as mementos of His wisdom, power, and love. 



Art. IL J^otice of some rare Plants of J^ew England^ with 

 descriptions of some new species. By William Oakes, 

 Ipswich, Mass. 



The plants here noticed have been many years in my pos- 

 session, and a great part of them were collected in 1829, by 

 my excellent friend, James W. Bobbins, M. D. 



Eleocharis Bobbinsii. 



Description. — Root fibrous, sending out at the base of the culms, 

 long, slender, horizontal, dark brown shoots, with short, distant 

 scales. Culms, several from the crown of the root, (clothed at the 



