
          have villous berries and are not poisonous. I regard it therefore 
 as undescribed, and send you enclosed a leaf that you may 
 judge for yhourself. Gray does not appear to have seen this 
 species in his visit to the mountains of No. Ca. [North Carolina] and indeed 
 makes no mention of any species whatever of Rhus. Perhaps 
 collectors who have visited that region in the last few 
 years may have obtained specimens of it. If you have met 
 with any description of it, have the goodness to lend me a 
 copy. Can you fiurnish me with specimens of Rhus typhina 
 and also of R. pumila and of R. aromatica? These two last 
 are southern species, but I have not met with them, and I 
 was disappointed in not obtaining specimens of R. typhina 
 in the mountains. Did you ever remark that the smooth 
 fruited species are generally poisonous, and the [villous?] fruited 
 harmless? R. pumila is apparently an exception, is it really 
 so?


 I have no specimens of any species in the following 
 genera of Ferns in my Herbarium; can you furnish 
 me with specimens in some or most of the genera. Hypopeltis, 
 Woodsia, Scoloperidrium, Hymenophyllum, Struttiopteris, 
 Vittaria, Ophioglossum, [Psilotum?], Azolla, Salvinia. Eaton's 
 Botany has been my chief manual for Ferns; beside that and 
 Michaux and Pursh (to whom he is indebted) and London's 
 Encyc. of Plants, what other helps can you indicate for studying 
 N.A. [North American] Ferns. Hooker's work was, you said, intended to be 
 extensive and is incomplete. 


 Near the foot of the Balsam Mts in the western part 
 of No. Ca. [North Carolina] I found a tree of about 20 feet high which the people 
        