Geyer, Charles 

 1842, July lOth 

 Beardstown, -iad^rj^ 



TRANSLATION 



Beardstown, Ind., July lOth, l8*f2 



Dear Doctor, 



You may be curious to know what kind of plants there are here, therefore, 

 I shall mention sorae which are not to be found in the vicinity of St. Louis. 



On the sand hüls around Beardstown Malva Papaver is rather common and 

 is just as beautiful as it is in Texas only with a little bit smaller flowers; 

 further, Coreopsis with undivided leaves which I saw among your Arkansas plants; 

 further, Erysimum Arkansanum , Polygonum articulatum , Aster sp. fol. linearibus 

 integerr. rigid. Rad. lilacinus 6 inches to one foot, which was entirely unknown 

 to me; one Galium with red flowers, further the Artemisia which I collect ed in 

 1839 and biennis ?; also one Quercus from Des Moines is common here; 



I also have many specimens of Croton glandulosus ; 1 also found again a rather 

 peculiar connection between Verbena stricta & bractiosa which I found last 

 September on the sandbanks of St. Louis. Then follow Rudbeckia pinnata & 



Coreopsis polonata , Cestus canadensis and Inula Mariana (very frequent) 



Fraxinus , acuminata and Betula are the largest trees in the sandy bottom next 

 to Platanus , Acer eriocarpum , Quercus aquatica , Ulmus etc. Our Curnus 

 circinnata has leaves just as Sericeus and is of the same height. Still have not 

 seen Ribes, but both Yitis, also cordifolia in the underbrush. Amorpha frutesc . 

 Covers the sandy banks together with Ceanothus , the latter is quite frequent 

 and grows mostly in the swamps. 



Beardstown is surrounded by large swamps which probably have the most 

 interesting plants of the local flora, for instance Spiraea lobata, Trautvetteria 

 palomata , menyanthus 5-foliata t Rhexia virg . Soutellatis lateriflora , Spanzanium 

 ramosum , Polygonum hartatum or sagittatum , the small slender Campanula (linifol.?). 

 One Lycopodium covers the soil under thick Vaccinium where the sand goes into 

 the swamp. 



Up to now I have already collected approximately 600 specimens of various 

 plants and everything will be dried tomorrow and Tuesday noon I shall make my 

 next excursion. I forgot to mention that Polygola purpurea and incarnata & 

 verticillata are quite frequent here as well as Acerates longifol . and vindi flora . 

 On wet prairies only Liatris very similar to Pychnostachys and Rudbeck . purp. 



Did not yet see any orchids or Oenothera except biennis which is quite 



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