10 
NEW SYLVA 
Willows, Brambles, Currants, Vacciniums 
are specifically distinct from their congeneric 
kinds in Europe. The same fact appears in N. 
W. America and Origon, where most are dis- 
tinct from the Asiatic Species. In that region 
the prevailing Genera are Saiix, Populus, Abies r 
Pinus, Kibes, Rubus, Yaccinium, Crategus* 
Cactus, Prunus, Quercus, Aker, Juniperus* 
Fraxinus with but few peculiar Genera 
but we lack as yet a proper account of all the 
sylvan productions of that region, and even 
many trees have not been described, much less 
the shrubs and vines, which are very abund- 
ant. 
Trees and shrubs may be known by their fo- 
liage as well as flowers ; in fact they are thus 
distinguished by Gardeners and the ignorant : 
their blooming is generally very short, but the 
seeds or fruits last longer, and are good indica- 
tions of Genera. Even their bark and wood is 
of use to discriminate them. It is always im- 
portant to notice if the leaves are opposite or 
alternate, distichal or spiral, simple or com- 
pound, entire or jagged &,c, since these pecu- 
liarities of frondose habit almost always indi- 
cate generic distinctions. 
The North American Mountains cradles of 
our trees had been disguised by nicknames and 
mistaken heights, generally estimated too low. 
I shall restore and use throughout this work the 
original names. Thus I call the highest by the 
oldest name of Okigon (which means hollow 
noisy ground or Mts. Oligonunk in Linapi) 
those misnamed rocky Mts. shining Mts. and 
Chipewyan Mts. the snowy peaks of which rise 
20 to 25 thousand feet.— The Apalachian Mts. 
are the Southern Alleghanies, the highest be- 
