
          Recd. [Received] Aug 12

Augusta Hancock Co. Illinois, July 24, 1844

My Dear Sir,

Your favor of 9th inst. [instance] is recd. [received]
Mr. Holton left here a few days ago for Pike Co. [County] Ill. He 
collected some plants. He has found Mentzelia aurea 
there this season. I have met with some not observed 
before here. Arabis dentata, Myosotis inflexa Engelm. [Engelmann],
Equisetum levigatum [laevigatum], Plantago pusilla, & a dwarf Lepidium.  
Some rare carices grow here. I have found this season 
abundant, Herpestis rotundifolia & secured many good
specimens. This plant does not agree with the generic description 
(nearer Obolaria) flowers from June 1st to Aug. Calyx of 2 bracted 
& calyx 2 leaved, leaves linear; corol white, tubular, tube short yellowish
corol 5 parted [added: & white]; stam. [stamens] 4, 2 [added: but a little] shorter [crossed out: illegible], insterted at top of tube 
& at the division of the corol: style 2 cleft at top, stig. [stigma] 2, round,
capsule ovate 1? celled, many seeded. Calyx bracts broad ovate. 
I intend to send you some (& I have beautiful specimens) 
I enclose a fragment here & what I call Centunculus minimus. 
I have not yet sent you any plants for which 
I expected a return, & am willing to give you a set 
of my rare ones. I have been trying 2 or 3 years to get 
together a collection so that I might have them 
for comparison, so that I might be able to detect 
all the rare ones here & have had to work hard to collect 
for all who had such as I wanted but as I am 
getting a large stock now, I shall soon be at more 
leisure. It is very difficult [added: to] send any parcel to
N. York as I never know when I can send till the day
almost. I keep a parcel ready to tie up all the time.
I sent some to Dr. Knieskern & Dr. Barratt among them
a new? Veratrum. It grow about 15 miles from me
Heuchera richardsonii is abundant here. I have sent 
specimens a year ago to Dr. Short & Engelman [Engelmann] who say
I was right in the name. I have received some 800 species
from Dr. Engelmann & he has promised more as he is in my debt.
I have sent Dr. Short already about two thousand specimens

        