4 
NEW SYLVA 
N. A. Grape Vines 1830, increased to 40 spe- 
cies, just as good and proper as the 40 willows 
and 36 oaks of our Authors. 
All our botanical writers have of course at- 
tended more or less to our trees ; but the only 
late special work upon them is an American 
Sylva with wood cuts published in 1832 by D. 
Browne in Boston, which however only contains 
150 trees and shrubs, being a kind of abridg- 
ment of the larger work of Michaux junior, 
with all its faults and omissions, having forgot- 
ten like him, the Genera Sorbus, Aronia, and 
others, with many Cherry and Plumb trees, 
Ash trees, Willows and Poplars, tyc. Besides 
all the large Shrubs and Vines, Palms and 
other monocotyle woody plants. 
A true Sylva ought to include besides Trees, 
all the Shrubs that form the undergrowth of 
forests or fringe the banks of Rivers, In fact 
there is no actual difference between them in 
size; since all young trees are shrubs, and 
many shrubs become trees when old or in 
warmer climates. It is commonly stated that 
Trees have only one stem, while shrubs have 
several shoots ; but many of our tress have 
several stems, while many shrubs assume the 
appearance of small trees by having only one. 
The distinction is therefore merely nominal, as 
between Rivers and Creeks, Lakes and Ponds, 
Mountains and Hills .... 
Bushes or under shrubs unite likewise the 
shrubs to plants, the difference being the per- 
manent perennial stem. 
Twining or trailing shrubs are called Vines 
and creepers and belong also to the sylvan 
Flora ; but there are Vines that are not woody, 
therefore perennial or annual Vines. 
