NORTH AMERICA. 
41 
off to the right hand, and encamped on a confide- 
rable branch of it. At this place we continued al- 
moft a whole day, conftituting furveyors and aftro- 
nomers who were to take the courfe, diflance and 
obfervations on Broad River, and from thence down 
to its confluence with the Savanna. 
The Great Ridge confifts of a continued high 
foreft ; the foil fertile, and broken into moderately 
elevated hills, by the many rivulets which have 
their fources in it. The heights and precipices 
abound in rock and ftone. The foreft trees and 
other vegetable productions are the fame as already 
mentioned about Little River: I obferved hale- 
fia, ftyrax, ^efculus pavia, sefc. fylvatica, robinia 
hifpida, magnolia acuminata, mag. tripetala, and 
fome very curious new fhrubs and plants, particu- 
larly the phyfic-nut, or Indian olive. The ftems 
arife many from a root, two or three feet high ; 
the leaves fit oppofite on very fhort petioles ; they 
are broad, lanceolate, entire, and undulated, hav- 
ing fmooth furfaces of a deep green colour. From 
the bofom of each leaf is produced a fmgle oval 
drupe, (landing erect, on long fiender ftems ; it 
has a large kernel, and thin pulp. The fruit is- 
yellow when ripe, and about the fize of an olive. 
The Indians when they go in purfuit of deer, carry 
this fruit with them, fuppoilng that it has the 
power of charming or drawing that creature to 
them ; from whence, with the traders, it has ob- 
tained the name of the phyfic-nut, which means, 
with them, charming, conjuring, or fafcinating. 
malva fcandens, filix fcandens, perhaps a fpecies 
of trichomanes ; the leaves are palmated, or ra- 
diated ; it climbs and roves about, on flirubs, in moift 
ground. A very lingular and elegant plant, of an 
unknown 
