206 STUDIES, SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL chap. 



often affording brilliant patches of floral colours. Among 

 the endogenous plants the numerous specie of Smilax, 

 well called "green-briar," are highly characteristic and 

 23eculiar, though the genus is found in Southern Europe, 

 while the beautiful wood-lilies of the genus Trillium 

 (found again in Eastern Asia) have curious or ornamental 

 flowers. Add to these the interesting spider- worts forming 

 the genera Commelyna and Tradescantia, and having their 

 allies in the tropics, and we have completed the enumera- 

 tion of the more conspicuous groups of non-European 

 herbaceous flowering plaats which give a distinctive char- 

 acter to the flora. 



There are, however, many other plants, which, although 

 belonging to small orders and not represented by more 

 than one or a very few species, are yet so abundant in 

 individuals, and so widely spread over the country, as to 

 contribute largely to the general impression which the 

 North American flora produces on an English botanist on 

 his first visit to the country. This may be illustrated by 

 a brief account of some of the present writer's rambles in 

 search of American flowers. 



BamUes after American Floiaers. 



My first walk was on the 13th February, in the woody 

 country to the north-west of Washington under the guid- 

 ance of my friend, Professor Lester Ward. Here we found 

 on dry banks the beautiful little May-flower {Epigma 

 re'peni), and the pretty spotted wintergreen {Ghimaphila 

 maculata), both members of the heath family, and both 

 of genera almost peculiar to America, allied species of 

 each being found in Japan ; while some of the forest slopes 

 were covered with the beautiful Kalmia latifolia, another 

 peculiarly American genus of Ericaceae. The curious 

 parasitic " beech-drops," one of the Orobanche tribe, is also 

 peculiar, while the " partridge-berry " {Mitchella repens) 

 has its only ally in Japan. Other plants observed were 

 the Aralia spinosa or Hercules' Club, a small tree of a 

 non-European genus ; a species of Smilax like a slender 

 leafless rose-bush ; a hairy-leaved blackberry (Biibus 

 villosus) ; a wild vine ; a white hepatica in flower identical ■ 



