PREFACE. 
The following catalogue of the plants growing without cultivation 
in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, is based chiefly on the collec- 
tions made by the \\Titer during the last thirty years and now in the 
herbarium of the New England Botanical Club at Cambridge, supple- 
mented by those of other members of the Club, deposited in the same 
place. A few species are entered in the list which are not represented 
in that herbarium but no species has been admitted which the writer 
has not personally examined. In the case of difficult groups every 
effort has been made to ha\'e the wTiter's identification verified by 
competent authorities. In the Appendix a list is given of plants which 
have been attributed to the County, specimens of which have not 
been seen by the writer or by some competent authority. A list is also 
given in the Appendix of plants which the writer believes have been 
attributed to the County through error. 
No catalogue of the plants of Berkshire County has been published 
since Dewey's list in 1829 {vid. Introduction, p. 178). The great 
advance made in our knowledge of the New England flora since then 
seems to justify the publication at this time of a summary of our 
present knowledge of the flora of the region. 
That such a list must be incomplete goes without saying. Addi- 
tional introduced plants are likely to make their appearance at any 
time. There are doubtless a few native plants in the County which 
have up to the present eluded the search of collectors. Our knowledge 
of the range within the County of some of the plants in the list is still 
incomplete. One of the functions of a local list is to stimulate students 
to add to the knowledge therein containiMl. The writer will be glad to 
hear from anyone who has additional data to olfcr. Conununications 
to be of value should \)v accompanied by specimens from wliicli the 
identity can be determined, together with particulars of oct iirrence, 
etc. These specimens should \)v ])roperly dried uudi'r i)ressure. 
In the present list the names of ;ill indigenous species, \ arietit-s, and 
forms are printed in bold-faced type; tliose of iutroduct'd sp«>eies, 
varieties, and forms in small capitals. The nonieiu-lature and order 
followed are those of Cray's Manual, scNcnth edition, exci'pt whciT a 
later name has ;ii)parently reet-iAcd the sanction of the editors of the 
