Rocky Mountains. 95 



fifteenth, the timeof our departure from Cote Sans Dessein, to 

 its conclusion. From this the reader will be able to form a 

 satisfactory idea of the vegetable physiognomy ot the cou- 

 try on this portion of the banks of the Missouri.* 



Messrs. Say, Jessup, Seymour, and Dougherty, accompani- 

 ed by major Biddle, left Franklin on the 19th July, intend- 



* Above Cote Sans Dessein, we saw frequently the Juglans nigra, and 

 J. pubescens, called white hickory, also a species of Crataegus which, though 

 sometimes seen in Pennsylvania, appears to be hitherto undescribed. Its 

 fruit is large, yellow when ripe, and of an agreeable flavour. On the 

 evening of the eleventh we anchored opposite a steep bank, which I was 

 assisted to climb, but night came on, and put au end to our herbarizations 

 before I had the opportunity to collect any thing interesting. The soil 

 here is a dark vegetable mould, at least five feet in depth, and little inter- 

 mixed with sand. I ascended the same bank on the following morning, 

 but found nothing except a species of Carex, that I do not recollect to 

 have seen before. 



After getting under weigh, we passed high calcareous bluffs on the left 

 side of the river, covered with timber, and reminding us of the deep um- 

 brageous forests within the tropics. 



Franklin, July loth. Portulacca sativa, Solanum nigrum, Urtica- 

 pumila, Datura strammonium, and Phytolacca decandra, occur by the 

 road side. Blackberries were now ripe, but not well flavoured. Cam- 

 panula americana, the large Vernonia mentioned at Cote Sans Dessein, now 

 flowering. 



Some plants were brought in, among which we distinguished the Mon- 

 arda fistulosa, Achillea millefolia, Cacalia atriplicifolia, called " horse 

 mint," Queriacanadensis, Menisp^rmumlyoni? Verbena urticifolia. The 

 Annona triloba is frequent aboul Franklin, also the Lauras benzoin, and 

 the Symphorianow in flower, the Rhus glabrum, Cercis canadensis, Am- 

 pelousis quinquefolia, Eupatorium purpureum, in flower. Cucubalus 

 stellatus, still flowering. The Prickly fruited iEsculus has nearly ripen- 

 ed its nut, Zanthoxylouclavahercuhs in fruit, a "wild gourd" not in flower. 

 July 26th. The Gledits.hia is a small tree here, Geum album, My- 

 osotis virginiana, Amaranthushybsidus. Erigeroncanadense, Solanum Car- 

 olinianum, very luxuriant and still flowering. The leaf of the Tilia gla- 

 bra, I found to measure thirteen inches in length, and eleven in breadth. 

 Bignonia radicans, Dioscorea villosa, a Helianthus with a leaf margined 

 with spines, the narrow leaved Bracbystemum, the Liatris pyenostachia, 

 Rudbtckia purpurea, and various others in flower. Juglans porcina, 

 and cinerea, Ostrya virginica, Rhus copallmum. August 4th. Dr. Lowry 

 informed me he has seen Pyrus coronaria, forty feet in height in the forests 

 about Franklin. He showed me a Rudbeckia about three feet high 

 with a cone of dark purple flowers probably a new species. 



5th. Eupatorium hieracifolium beginning to flower, Menispermum 

 canadense here called " sarsaparilla," its slender yellow roots being sub- 

 stituted for that article. 



6th. A Mimulus is found here resembling M. ringens, but the leares 

 are not sessile; peduncle very short, flowers large, pink coloured, stem 

 acutely quadrangular, Campanula Americana, three and a half feet high?'" 



