328 A. Gray— Flora of North America. 



rated — I will not say by my hands— but in my time, or soon 

 enough to render the whole a reasonably full and homogeneous 

 representation of the North American flora, as known in this 

 latter part of the nineteenth century. And it brings us to 

 consider why the undertaking to which so much time has been 

 devoted, should be so slow of accomplishment. 



If this slowness is a constant wonder and disappointment to 

 most people interested in the matter, I can only add that it is 

 hardly less so to myself. It is a constant surprise — if one may 

 so say— that the work does not get on faster. 



Of course the undertaking has become more and more for- 

 ith the enlargment of geographical boundaries and of 

 the number of species discovered. As to the increase in the 

 number of species to be treated, we have by no means yet 

 reached the end. The area, that of our continent down to the 

 Mexican line, we trust is definitely fixed, at least for our day. 

 And, since we cannot be rid of the peninsula and keys of Flor- 

 ida, which entails upon us a considerable number of tropical 

 species, mostly belonging to the West Indies — the southern 

 boundary is now as natural a one as we can have. 



The area which Pursh's Flora covered was. we may say, the 

 United States east of the Mississippi, with Canada to Labrador, 

 to which was added a couple of hundred of species known to 

 him outside these limits northwestward. 



Torrey and Gray's Flora took the initiative in annexing 

 Texas, ten years hei'ureits political incorporation into the Union ; 

 although the onh plants we then possessed from it were cer- 

 tain portions of Dnininiond's collections. California was also 

 annexed at the same time, on account of Douglas's collections, 

 and those of Nuttall, who had just returned from his visit to 

 the western coast, which he reached by a tedious journey across 

 the continent over ground in good part new to the botanist. 

 Douglas had already made remarkably full collections along a 

 more northern line. " The British arctic explorers, both by sea 

 and land, had well developed the botanv of the boreal regions, 

 and Sir Wm. Hooker was brii in his Flora 



of British America. Of course our knowledge of the whole 

 interior and western region was small indeed, compared with 

 the present: and the botany of a vast region from the western 

 part of Texas to the Californian coast was absolutely unknown, 

 and so remained until after the publication of the Flora was sus- 

 pended. 



As to the number of species which Torrey and Gray had to 

 deal with, I can only say that a rapid count gives us for the 

 first volume about 2200 Polypetalaa ; that there are 109 species 

 in the small orders which in the second volume precede the 

 Comjwsike; and that there are of the Compos itce 1054. So one 



