38 



Fehruanj 19, 1862. 



The President in the chair. 



Mr. C. J. Sprague read the following communication : — 



Is THE Heath Indigenous to the United States? By 

 C. J. Spkague. 



Mr. E. S. Rand, Jr., has contributed an article to the January- 

 number of the American Journal of Science, 1862, entitled " The 

 Heather a native of the United States." It is a very clear and pre- 

 cise statement of the facts regarding the recent discovery of Scotch 

 Heath (Calluna vulgaris) in Tewksbury, Mass., where it must have 

 been more than fifty years. The evidence obtained inclines Mr. Rand 

 to the belief that the plant was not introduced, but is really indige- 

 nous to the country. Notwithstanding the facts stated, we cannot, 

 as yet, come to the same conclusion, which, it appears to us, is based 

 on insufiicient evidence. 



The vicinity of Boston is notorious for the great number of intro- 

 duced plants which have become acclimated. Most of these, it is 

 true, are herbs, whose seeds might readily be transported in various 

 ways. The Barberry and the Privet, however, are shrubs. These, 

 although planted by man, have not become extensively spread, being 

 still stragglers on the borders of cultivation. The Heath in question 

 has been found only in one locality, of not more than half an acre 

 in area, and has been confined to that limited area for more than fifty 

 years. It grows in a soil and situation which, instead of being pe- 

 culiar to that locahty, are found throughout the whole breadth of 

 the country. It grows in company with the common Alder and the 

 Myrica Gale, which are also European plants, and which are among 

 the commonest of our swamp shrubs. If the Heath be a native plant, 

 there is no reason why it should not be as common as either of these, 

 for there are no peculiar circumstances about this locahty which do 

 not exist elsewhere. There are some native plants which are only 

 found in isolated spots; but the cause of this isolation is generally 

 apparent. Many of our Alpine plants are similar to those of Europe ; 

 but they are confined, necessarily, to the few localities which are 

 favorable to their growth. On the other hand, some of our trees 

 and shrubs are identical with those of Europe, and, not being circum- 

 scribed by peculiar circumstances, grow broadcast over the country. 

 The Chestnut and the Juniper grow everywhere ; and there is no 

 reason why the Heath should not, if indigenous, be equally spread. 

 The Rose-Bay (^Rhododendron maximum) and the Magnolia (^Mag- 

 nolia glauca) are only found in isolated spots in New England ; but 



