
          Scattering & you see its mode of growth - the specimens
from which Michaux & Elliott made thier descriptions,
were no doubt from those I call stunted
& they have therefore both committed an error.
The pedicel [crossed out: atta] of all the flowers constantly submersed
is conspiculously [?] & on each of these
forks or pedicellulae the anthers are attached thus.*
The pedicels of the [crossed out: stunted] flowers of the stunted plants
have scarcely any [?] as you will see by referring to
the specimens - Inclosed you will find [?] [?]
small plants scraped from a dry rock, showing
its growth as well as the strong points of adhesion to the
rocks each joint will throw off a runner & hence it
is easy [added: to see] how dense the mat is when from the want of
water constantly [added: over] flowing [crossed out: water] it, it acquires no length
but makes up the deficiency in excess of fruit.

What is the reason that this "moss" as the people call
it has all disappeared on the Rivers [East?]. The falls
of the Savh. [savannah] Oconie [Oconee?], Ochmulgee [Ocmulgee]& Flint Rivers formally 
abounded with it. Now in the two former you can
scarcely find a trace of it & it is almost entirely gone
from the two latter. It is impossible that our Cattle
& hogs can extirpate it: for they can only make a
partial destruction, there being thousands of
places in the rapids of the Rivers inaccessable
to them. I incline to the belief that the turbidness
of our waters is incompatible with its existence.
After our lands are cleared all our streams
become muddy & no doubt the deposition of the sediment
from the water upon the Podostemum after
a few years [nearly?] extirpates it. I notice here above
there are dams for fish traps among the shoals & the
water rendered somewhat stationary that all the
moss has a sickly yellow appearance.

There are myriads of worms on the leaves a few of which
you will see on the dried plants _ the most rapid currents
do not detach them & they become an inch long.

[crosswise in the left margin:
* the imature flower is [included?] in a [?] [?] spathe which seems to be [?] by the
extension of the pedicle. Observe the spathe [uniformly?] the length of the pedicle. Pursh is more accurate.
        