98 



SOME EXTINCT OR LOST AND REDISCOVERED 

 PLANTS— I . 



While engaged in his taxonomic work on the Pea Family, the 

 writer oame across two species, which evidently have become 

 extinct during the last century and a few which were lost but 

 have been rediscovered. The thought struck him that other 

 botanists might be interested in extinct and lost species, and 

 he has therefore planned to present some notes that might 

 call attention to such species and lead to the rediscovery of some 

 of these so-called lost species or the establishment of the fact 

 that they actually have become extinct within historic times. 



Astragalus Robbinsii (Oakes) A. Gray 



This species was described as Phaca Robbinsii in Magazine 

 of Horticulture edited by Hovey (7: i8i, 1841). It had been 

 discovered in 1829 by Dr. Robbins, after whom it was named. 

 Oakes gives the type locality as follows: "On rocky ledges, 

 overflowing in the spring, on the banks of the Onion River, 

 Burlington, Vermont." In Zadock Thompson's History of 

 Vermont there is given a list of plants of Vermont (p. 183, 1842, 

 and reprinted in 1853), also prepared by Oakes, in which the 

 type locality is given more definitely: "On a limestone ledge in 

 Burlington, on the banks of Winooski River, a quarter of a mile 

 below High Bridge, Robbins." As far as the writer can find 

 this is the only locality in which the species has been found 

 and as far as can be ascertained the type station is now des- 

 troyed. It may be of interest to trace out its history. 



In the first edition of his manual (p. 103, 1848), Dr. Gray 

 gave the distribution of the species as: "Rocky ledges of the 

 Onion River, near Burlington, Vermont." In the second 

 edition (p. 98, 1856), the plant appears as Astragalus Robbinsii 

 A. Gray, but the distribution remained unchanged, with the 

 addition: "Willoughby Mountain, Mr. Blake." This specimen 

 of Mr. Blake, however, belongs to a closely related species. 

 Astragalus Blakei Eggleston. 



In the third edition (p. 98, 1862), the Willoughby locality is 

 omitted, and in the Addenda (p. xci), Blake's specimens are 

 referred to as a form of Astragalus alptnus. This treatment 

 remained unchanged in the fourth edition (1863 and 1864). 



