PREFACE 



The object of this little volume is to bring within 

 reach of those who have not access to the earlier works 

 on our flora, the most important facts relating to the bot- 

 any of Maryland and Virginia. This is perhaps best ac- 

 complished by the reprinting of old records, as the reader 

 will thus obtain an objective view of the works of the 

 pioneers. 



Jacques Philippe Cornut's Hi star ia PI ant arum Ca- 

 nadensium, published in Paris, 1635, is undoubtedly one 

 of the earliest records of North American plants. This 

 work contains descriptions and illustrations of many spe- 

 cies the geographical ranges of which include not only 

 New France but also New England 'and the territory 

 southward to Virgi?iia and the Carolinas . Of the nu- 

 merous species described whose identity has been estab- 

 lished beyond any possible doubt, we may cite Filix bac- 

 cifera (F. bulbifera) , found occasionally in our region, 

 and Adiantum americanum (A.pedatum) one of our 

 characteristic ferns of low, deciduous woods. 



In 1640, Parkinson published his Thcatrum Boiani- 

 cuni wherein he records many plants from Virginia. We 

 may cite again Adiantum fedatum under the name of 

 Adianthwm fruiicosum americanum . The weird, but 

 beautiful fuuiperus virginiana^ the characteristic or- 

 narnent of the lower Potomac region and elsewhere, is 

 mentioned by Parkinson. 



