Asa Gray correspondence files of the Gray Herbarium, 1838-1892 (inclusive). Correspondence with George Engelmann, 1840-1856. Botany Libraries, Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, Mass.

though the extreme forms are certainly very distinct.

As at present advised, I would refer your specimen from western New York on Decodon verticillatus to {Cuscuta} saururi, and not Carinata — and also Mr Carey's specimen from Georgia — The C. carinata, tetrameris is certainly very singular, and may prove on further investigation a distinct species. C. cephalanthi is generally 4 androus I have again examined at least 10 specimens and a hundred flowers. — Finally I had occasion to examine a Cuscuta from Mt. Sinai, and that agrees with the other European ones in the filiform stigma!

I request you therefore to make if it is still time, the following changes:

In the Conspectus of the Species instead of a. Europeans say: a. Inhabitants of the old world 2. C. europaea etc 3. C. epithymum etc segments of calyx and corolla acuminate, shorter than the tube of the corolla 4. C. arabica Fresen segments of calyx and corolla acute, illegible Europe Mount Sinai. longer than tube of corolla 5. C. epilinum etc alter numbers 6. 7 etc. # five parted on pentamerous. 7. C. chilensis ## four parted 8. C. cephalanthi 9. C. coryli : 10. C. carinata calyx carinate, segments of corolla obtuse half as long as tube. N. America 11. C. saururi segments of corlla obtuse equal to tube Southern and Western States 14. C. polygonorum In the description of the Species you please mark the following changes. C. cephalanthi flowers mostly 4 parted C. coryli grows in hazel thickets in Praries and barrens Illinois & Missouri C. carinata speaking of the locality say: Var. & appears to be the southern and western form — strike out : [On Deocodon Dr Gray] add: Western Pennsylvania (Dr. Short) — — Georgia — strike out: (J. Carey) and add: (Dr Boykin in herb Short)

at the end of the Article strike out the last paragraph beginning: "the specimens from Georgia — — to refer it to this species

C. saururi add to the locality: this fall, Sept. 1841: Sub-sequently I had occasion to examine specimens from Western New York, on Decodon (Dr A Gray) from Western Pennsylvania (Dr Short) from Kentucky on Polygonorum (Dr Short), from Alabama (Dr Prout) and from Georgia (J. Carey). ——— It may be that carinata & Saururi must be united and constitute the true Gronovian C. americana but so far I believe I can distinguish them by the Carinata has smaller flower, fruit only half as large, round lobes of calyx, deeply campanulate tube and short round lobes of corolla.

Saururi has larger more open flowers, large fruit, oblong lobes of calyx and of corolla which are equal to tube. — The scales appear to be not very constant. —

Nothing botanical else at present. Can you obtain a copy of Elliot's flora for me?

You will also do me a favour by sending me the last edition of Eaton's manual; I have sent my copy to Texas, and must have some thing else till your flora is finished —

Any thing you have for me you can send by Mr Poppe, Pearlstreet 92, as I understand that he sends a box of goods on here immediately — but if you do, you must ask him to send it right away with that box — annother opportunity will soon offer by Mr Kimm — who leaves here in the course of this month and shall take things on to you

Yours Truly Dr G Engelmann

A Gray MD New York

Eaton's Manual

Single 25 [postmark] ST LOUIS JAN 8 MO.

Dr Asa Gray care of Dr Torrey 30 McDougal Street New York

You will get the usual number of extra copies for me from Silliman I expect — You will oblige me by keeping a number for yourself, Prof Torrey and my New York correspondents, send one to the Academy Philadelphia, Nat. Institut Washington Dr {Henry} King, Washington — Dr {Joseph} Barrat, Mr [?] Ct Mr {William} Curtis N. Carolina, and send the balance to me.

Any expenses for me, Mr Kimm will refund.

St Louis Jan 21st 1842

Dear Doctor

I got your letter of the 5th last & just in time for this one, which I shall send tomorrow by Mr Kimm. He must take a small parcel of plants for you, but I am sorry that he is unable to take with him other parcels, which I have prepared for you and the other gentlemen, who send me specimens. I think I will fill a small box and trust to the common conveyance.

I have put aside for you (together with those, you got lately) 51 American and 16 [4?] European plants — for Mr {John} Carey 57 American and 19 European plants, such as are identical or very similar to American species — for Mr {Ashley Colt} Brownne I have 38 American and 46 European — less I believe, than both gentlemen sent me, but it is only a beginning and in the course of this summer I shall collect more, and shall have more leasure next winter to arrange my old European collections and select duplicates. For you I have put aside especially such European plants as are rarer, not to be obtained every where, and are important for the study of their American relations. — I wish you would look through the parcels for Mssrs Carey and Browne and take any thing you like for yourself, before you hand them over to them; only take a note of it, and let me know, so that I may make up, if I can, the deficiency.

What has become of Mr {Samuel Botsford} Buckley, he used to correspond prety frequently with me — but lately I have got no answers from him. I have been very unfortunate with him

in regard to exchange, several parcels, which he sent me have been lost, and not one arrived!

I am much obliged to you for the trouble you take with my manuscript etc. July will do. It gives me time to compare more specimens. Who is the person whom I have to address in Philadelphia, if I should like to compare the Cuscutas of the collection of the Academy now, when {Thomas} Nuttall has left? I am afraid though, it would be too much asked. But could you get some information from London before the end of April? — You are very kind in offering to undertake the undoubtedly very necessary duty of englishizizing my English. Would it not be better to have the diagnosis [to?] — latin; my manuscript is so but I translated it under the expectation, impression that English terms were more customary here.

— I would not advise you to send only specimens of Myosotis etc in newspapers but if you have any thing which may be lost without too great a loss, just try it; if it is found out in our post office I have to pay only letter postage 25 c. thats all! —

Some Cuscutas are certainly very much alike, and I am undecided wether my {Cuscuta} saururi and {Cuscuta} carinata are really different, and wether {Cuscuta} cephalanthi does not also belong have; this last question I will and can decide with certainly next season, the first is more difficult; but all the others appear to me very distinct. I think I said it in the introduction that most species are occasionally 4 — or 5 — merous, and I never make this a distinction. All or nearly all the

flowers of Cuscuta carinata, which I have examined, are 5 parted; only one specimen from Connecticut is tetramerous — but I would not separate if from the others; but {Cuscuta} cephalanthi, {Cuscuta} coryli, and {Cuscuta} polygonorum are generally tetra merous — all so far as I know only western plants, which I have found with in your Mr Carey's or Prof Shorts collection —

I send you inclosed a little paper with the seeds of 3 Nasturtiums. You will find that which I called tanacetifolium different from palustre — {Nasturtium palustre} is common here, petals large, seeds large etc {Nasturtium} — ? grows so far as I know only in mud on the banks of the Mississippi at low water, is always smell, of if large, always very ramose, and spreading never more than 4 or 5 inches high, the long fruit — racemes laying procumbent on the mud never erect the {Nasturtium palustre} grows sometines with it, but is always easily distinguished. It might be called {Nasturtium} ramosissimum, but I suppose it must be either Nuttall's limosum or obtusum, probably this. Nuttalls diagnosis are not always satisfactory; the names are both appropriate.

You say the Marsilea (Nuttall, Arkansas) has no fruit — how is Douglas's from Texas, — in the same condition?

If that Eupatoria of which you got hereby a specimen is different from resinosus? it is not described in your Flora. You must have seen it in Berlin, I should think.

I wish you were satisfactorily through with Compositae, but I hope your

make no allusion to yourself and your state of health when you say you are not astonished that it broke DeCandolle's health.

Do you know a dioicous {dioecious} Rumex of the western states? I have had it long in my herbarium from here and from Arkansas, and had it called R. angustifoliums; it is actually new? I can find no description any where. You get a female specimen. I shall collect more, for it grows hardly two miles from here in abundancce, in the prairies of the Mississippi bottom.

Rumex angustifolius, fl. dioicis, laciniis perigonii fructiferi interioribus (valvis) rotundato-reniformibus crenulatis frutu acute-triangulato multoties majoribus; exterioribus (calyce) linearioblongis reflexis; foliis inferioribus lanceolatis s. spathulatis, in petiolum longuin angustatis superioribus linearibus, (recuquam hastatis). sessilibus; stipulis laciniatis.

var B. minor, ramosa, on sandstone rocks, Arkanas.

It resembles in fruit R. acetosa a little, but must be more nearly related to {Rumex} angustissimus Ledeb. of Siberia according to description. Stem is erect, simple, and about 2 feet high.

I send you a specimen of our Samolus, and the european one to compare — I would hardly distinguish it specifically but some difference is very apparent in size of seeds, proportion of capsule and calyx and direction of pedicella. How is the eastern Samolus? Specimens from New Orleans resemble ours somewhat. —— Is it not singular that just in this family so many plants are similar in both continents. Centunculus — Lysimachia thyrsiflora — Utricularia (?)