25 



cies by their leaves. No description in words alone can give so clear 

 an idea as when the description is assisted with a picture. She has 

 the impression of 300 plants in the manner you'l see by the sample 

 sent you. That you may have some conception of her manner of de- 

 scribing (of plants) I propose to enclose some (two or three) Samples 

 in her own writing, some of which I think are new genus's. One is 

 of the Panax folys ternis ternatis in the Flora Virg. ... I never had 

 seen the fruit of it till she discover' d it. The fruit is ripe in the be- 

 ginning of June and the plant dies immediately after the fruit is ripe 

 & no longer to be seen. Two more I have not found described any 

 where and in the others you will find some things particular which I 

 think are not taken notice of by any Author I have seen. If you 

 think S"" that She can be of any use to you She will be extremely 

 pleased in being employed by you either in sending Descriptions for 

 any Seeds you shall desire or dried specimens of any particular plants 

 that you shall mention to me. She has time to apply herself to gratify 

 your curiosity more than I ever had and now when I have time the 

 infirmities of age disable me." 



Mr. Britten describes the "pretty large volume in writing" as 

 follows : 



"The * pretty large volume in writing' is now in the Depart- 

 ment of Botany in the British Museum. After the writer's 

 death it passed into the hands of F. von Wangenheim, then into 

 those of Godfrey Baldinger, and finally became the property ot 

 Banks. An account of the MS. is prefixed by Wangenheim, 

 and a title-page was added by Baldinger, of which the following 



is a transcript : 



FLORA 

 NOV.-EBORACENSIS. 



Plantas in Solo Natali 



collegit, descripsit, 



delineavit, 



COLDENIA, 



Cadwallader Coldens 



Fiha. 



Divitiis Bibliothecae 



Josephi Banks 



adiecit 



