PLANTJ; WRIGHTIANiE TEXANO-NEO-MEXICANJ]: 



AN ACCOUNT 



A COLLECTION OF PLANTS MADE BY CHARLES WRIGHT, A. M., 



IN AN EXPEDITION FROM TEXAS TO EL PASO, NEW MEXICO, IN THE 

 SUMMER AND AUTUMN OF 1840. 



Mr. Charles Wright, who lias for several years past devoted mucli attention to 

 the botany of Texas, returned to Galveston from the North in the spring of 1849, 

 and proceeded to San Antonio, purposing to avail himself of the opportunity 

 afforded by the movement of a body of United States troops from this place across 

 the country to El Paso, in Southern New Mexico, to investigate the natural history, 

 and especially the botany, of this hitherto untrodden region. A recommendation 

 from the War Department, that all proper facilities should be furnished to Mr. 

 Wright, in furtherance of his arduous and entirely scientific undertaking, procured 

 for him only the free transportation of his paper for preserving specimens, and 

 of the collections he was enabled to make. This favor he owes to the kindness 

 of Captain French, the quartermaster of the expedition, to whom and to Major 

 Henry and Major Van Horn, Mr. Wright desires to express his thanks. The train 

 left the frontier settlement of Castroville about the first of June, and reached El 

 Paso early in September. The remainder of that month was devoted to making 

 collections in the vicinity of that interesting station. Finding that much time 

 would necessarily be lost in passing the long winter in New Mexico, Mr. Wright 

 retraced his steps, and accompanied his rich collections back to Texas by the return 

 train, leaving El Paso in October, and reaching San Antonio late in November. 

 In returning he was enabled to add to his collection some species which had 

 escaped notice during the outward journey, or which were not then in season, as 

 well as largely to increase his collection of seeds, and of living Cactaceous plants. 

 Specimens of the latter have been placed in the hands of Dr. Engelmann, of St. 

 Louis, for examination. The seeds have been divided between the Botanic Garden 

 of Harvard University, under my charge, and the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, 

 under the direction of Sir Wm. Hooker. 



A full set of the plants here enumerated or described is retained in my own 



VOL. III. GRAY, PL. WR. — 2. 



