Elliott, Stephen, 1771-1830. Stephen Elliott papers, 1791- approximately 1947. Letters from Henry Muhlenberg to Stephen Elliott, 1812 December 1-1815. gra00020. Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Botany Libraries, Harvard University.

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13th. July 1814 558—618

[postmark] LANCAR . P 25 JUL PAID 15 Stephen Elliott Esquire Charleston franco S. Carolina

Lancaster Jul 13, 1814

Dear Sir

Your letter and packet arrived here safe by our mutual friend Mr. Collins and I hasten to acknowledge the great pleasure I received thereby. Mr. Collins is my only steady botanical friend in the middle part of North America who keeps up a good correspondence and follows but a few other correspondents of former times. Besides my old friend yourself, Baldwin and a new friend D. Bigelow from Boston I have none steady enough they loose patience. Hac in transitu.

Respecting your queries in your last letter for which receive my thanks, they are valuable to me as by questioning we may find truth, I answer [Veronica romana may be a variety of peregrina, the plant has numerous varieties, in garden and cultivated places it is a large spreading plant then the marilandica L. caroliniana Walter, in woods less nearer to romana. Salvia n. 466 is not yet in my Catalogue. What is the Pennyroyal of Cumberland Island which D. Baldwin sent to me as a fragment.

Collinsonia of Oemler never vegetated, his specimen was not clear a racemis terminalibus, bractis pedicellis aequalibus, Stam. 2 anthers bilobis. — Commelina erecta remains dubious saepe procumbens — petales 2 maioribus pedunculo Solitaris 2 — 5 floro this is probably the same of Willdenows plant he had from me and named it carol. rad ♃. Comelina. Elliott 472 and Lyon caul prostrato, pedunculis 2. my communis agreeing with polygama. ☉ petalis 2 majoribus Commelina longifolia virginica ♃. pedunculis 2 uno 1 fl. altero plurifloro. The time of flowering does not agree exactly in Hort. Kew. Is there a fourth species? Paspalum I will look again. Your 185 seemed to me the membranaceum Walter virgato affine, your 482 was new to me I took the term mucronatum from Chloris mucronat. . . . Panicum dimidiatum is not yet in my Catalogue I had doubts whether is was L. Panicum viride we have certainly here but also a dubious near plant, which Schreber named Ictosum Swarzii. Your n. 282 remains in doubt I certainly seen a Panicum agreeing with medicarium rudimente floris neutrius — and took it for speciosum Walter. The Agrostis juncea Mx is according to Schreber and Swarz the real A. indica L. Panicum barbulatum Mx is nearest to heterophyllum Schreer, laxiflorum L Mark discolor Sprengel in my index. In your numbers some remained uncertain 87 ramulosum? D. Baldwin had still more which want revision. Paspalum distichum you sent and I have a good specimen from Swarz. Swarz had several Milia which are now under Digitarea]

Until we have an opportunity to compare Michaux or Linne's herbaria we have to remain in the dark and so what the Yankies do guess a while.

Looking over your numbers I see how much is less for such guessing work. I will mention some of them with a few queries

Your own names for plants, not in my Catalogue will be sacred to me. and do take time to furnish me with a list and specimens of the new plants. If possible I wish to have a new edition in my own time, which is but short

Have you found none of my Fucus and Confervae in the last packet to give me a name? and also a better name as addition to the Catalogue. I sincerely wish emendations. My MS copy is full of them.

I could not venture to compare your last numbers with my herbarium as yet and will do it as my circumstances will permit a close investigation. In the mean time I give you what I have and can guess, reserving for future day the dies diem docet. [558 Poa viridis pratensi affinis 559 Bromus secalinus 560 Agrostis decumbens — not different from Thouins stolonisera 561 Agrostis alba 562 Poa stolonifera Haller 563 Carex imperf. 564 Carex imperf. 565 Schoenus sparsus Elliot 117 valdi affinis 566 Schoenus rariflorus Elliot 365 567 Leerisa orizoides [oryzoides] 568 Scirpus trichodes 569 Lobelia kalmii 570 Galium uniflorum Mx 571 Galium claytoni [claytonii] Mx tinctorium affini 572 Polycarpon tetraphyllum new to me 573 Arenaria rubra videtur 574 Atriplex virgata affinis 575 Rumex persic. [persicarioides] Am I right? Specimen imperfect. 576 Vicia new to me near mont monantha 577 Campanula divaricata. 578 Ledum buxifolium L 579 Not to be seen habit of Silene 580 Euphorbia helioscopia — is it native 581 I guess Allionia 582 Euphorbia something like Euphorbia ipecacuanhae — 583 Chelone latifolia 584 Trifolium can you see any difference from pratense 585 Lithospermum arvense? 586 Viburnum nitidum — 587 Arabis thaliana? 588 Ranunculus } 589 Ranunculus flammula? } I have many to add to future Catalogue 590 Ranunculus } and wish to compare Cal. Cor. Semen — 588, 590, 591 591 Rununculus } are new to me 592 Rununculus repens } 593 Rununculus hispidus } 594 Ranunculus sceleratus } 595 Anenome carol. [caroliniana] new to me 596 Stellaria uniflora Walt. imperfect — cf. Alsine uliginosa 597 Sonchus near asper semine [strealo?] vix rugoso. 598 Liatris 425 cf. uniflora Wallter 599 Marshallia angustifolia 600 Erigeron not in my Catalogue 601Solidago not odora H.K. unknown 602 Solidago not odora H K } 603 Solidago reserved for exam. } 604 Solidago } 605 — N.N. Galardiae att. pray send more sp. with seed 606 Parthenium integrif [integrifolium] L. better simplicifolium 607 Orchis 608 Orchis near plycodes [plycoides] L. cristata Mx 609 Bumelia 610 Siam nodiflorum new to me

611 Prinus coriacea Brickell not in my Cat. is it a Prinus? 612 Vaccinium myrsinites lucidum crassifolium may be var. one like it my [utifol.?] procamb. 613 Chelone obliqua if the corolla is rosea. 614 Hippia L. is caul. ☉? New if different from Holonifera. 615 Sanguisorba canadensis 616 Arum now Caladium. uncertain — 617 Malope malacoides? is it native — seeds not seen 618 Iris tripetala Walter — How is capsula?]

I have tired you or myself by a long letter and would have much to say and to enquire as old friends are apt to get talkative. Friend Kin has passed through here some time ago on his travels to Tenessee [Tennessee], also Mr. Lyon a few days ago and friendly enquired after you. Mr. Correa passed through in too great a hurry with out being able ot call. Mr. Schweiniz in North Salem has sent to me a catalogue of Salem fungi very general, he is a great acquisition to us. He is amongst the Moravians and assistant to the Revd Mr. Van Vleck — Perhaps you can open a correspondence, to which I have encouraged him. My strength is like Davids in old times!

Fare well my valuable friend — and if can spare some of your time to distant friends let me have some part of it. I remain with unchangeable esteem

Sir Your most obedient servant Henry Muhlenberg

10th. Oct 1814

[postmark] LANCAS. P PAID OCT Stephen Elliott Esquire franco Charleston South Carolina

Lancaster Oct. 10, 1814

Dear Sir

It seems to me an age since I had the pleasure to hear from you! My last letter from you with a packet addressed to our excellent friend Mr. Collins arrived here July 9, 1814. I sent to you my thanks and my observations July 13, by mail, but since that time no answer has come. I pray to god that your health has been spared and that my anxious wish for a continued and constant correspondence will be fullfill as long as my short time in this transitory world continues.

Mr. Collins has continued my faith correspondent and we often remember you. Mr. Kin is still alive, he has been on a southern excursion and has returned with a number of curious plants, but Mr. Lyons [Lyon] who had called at Lancaster and gone to Tenassee [Tennessee] has gone forever, and departed of a bilious fever at Ashville on the 13th of September last as Mr. Collins has informed me. Mr. Lyons has deserved well of botany and his loss will be felt. I am sorry that I am disabled to see his collection left at Philadelphia in the hands of Mr. Landreth.

Besides Mr. Collins I have found several new correspondents who have favoured me with valuable communications and specimens. D. Isaac Cleaver at Philadelphia has sent me N. 1-23, N. 1-21, N 1-100 from the Jersies and the seashore — Nothing new to me if note Polygala tenilla Baldwin, which may be the real viridescens L. different from nana Michaux.

O [Obadiah] Rich has sent me Synopsis of the Genera of American Plants, printed at Georgetown 1814, probably O Rich the author. Have you seen this? It contains only N A. plants, amongst them Triumfetta unknown to me. Is it known to you. D. Baldwin continues his most valuable letters and calendarium from Jul-Aug. D. Bigelow from Boston has published a Flora Bostonensis, he had sent me his dubious plants, and continues to send them. The work deserves to be read amongst our plants he as Cakile endentula, Iris graciles.

The Revd Van Vleck now at Salem sent me several N Carolina plants, nothing new except Azalea calendulacea different from Kins, Carduus pectinatus VV. very near Cnicus horridus but floribus incarnatis nec flaviscentibus, Sarracenia flava agreeing with Walters not Jacquin, Gratiola viscida Dallman. Pray compare your numb. 470. We have a Gratiola intermediate between virginica and quadridentata Mx, the latter is cal. 5 ph. the first 7 ph. Viscida would be a good name for the intermediate specimen which has likewise Cal 7 phyll.

The Sarracenia deserve your particular notice. We all agree in Catesby 70 which is pupurea L. Catesby 69,a to the left is a variotaris Mich. Lacunosa Bartram adunca H A. But what is 69,b to the right hand? Is it the rubra Walter? to which of the two belong. the flower, which is the psittacina Mich. D. Baldwin sent me 2 species 926 flore purpureo appendice obtus et mucroni. and N. 1146. appendice nutante cor. lutea.

Mr. Van Vleck specimen has no flowers, the habit of the leaves is more 926. He gives me the information that they had 2 visitors at Salem from the south ward One Mr. Leconte on an excursion through the mountains, and one D Mc Bride a former neighbor of Mr. Walter. What an excellent opportunity to explain a number of dubious plants of the Flora caroliniana Walter, if both of these gentlemen would join in the communicating their observations! Certainly we have to look further to some plants of Fl Carol. Walter then to his expression a linea bis duplicata quinqua ginta millia passeum. —

Pray remember my wishes to hear your observations on Walters Anonymous Obolaria car. [caroliniana] Waltheria car. [caroliniana] Hydrastis, Anemone carol. [caroliniana] Rajania, Carthamus and so many others which Walter may have received from distant parts.

From Europe I had but one letter lately. My excellent friend, Persoon has favoured me wiht a letter from Paris dated, Jul 15, 1814. He intends publishing a new edition of his Synopsis — On the Continent little has been published, he mentions a Supplement of Swagrichen Musci — Beanvois on Grasses, in Britain more has been done Turner fuci, Dillwyn Conferv. Hooker Kingerm. —

He mentions that D. Benj. Barton had sent to him the first sheets of his Flora virginica and wishes to have the opinion of American botanists. Unluckily we can not get to see anything of this work. I had a distant look but there was nothing like "multum in parvo."

Mr. Collins communicated a new catalogue of indigenous plants of the state of N. York made by Jacob Green A.M. A number of new plants are mentioned. Several (between 4 — 500 plants) were sent to me for my opinion, my opinion has been exactly copied without adding my name to the new plants, how far Mr. Green has hit the other names I can not yet judge. Our N York gentlemen are very slow in acknowledging and answering letters.

We may expect a new work published in England in 2 volumes flora Americana Pursh. I know Mr. Pursh personally he is a good botanist and as he has an excellent opportunity to examine Claytons and even Linne's herbarium and so many botanical gardens I expect a great deal, but still a great part of our plants are untouched.

I long to see your additions to my catalogue or rather a catalogue of Carolina plants taking in the known and newly discovered plants. A beginning has been made, let us continue.

If you get any leisure hour look again at some of your numbers and correct my names or add where I knew no name, indeed some specimens were not to be distinguished I mention the Hill. Nn. N. 25 Phalaris — is the root ♃? — 41. Ludwigia. — 42. Nymphaea 47. Ephedra 185. Paspalum 199 Thymbra Walt. 203, 206, 211 — Carices 230, Nn. 323, Liatris 373, 372 Helianthus 420. Polygala 425 Liatris 426. Liatris 435 Nn 442 Allionia? 457. Aster palud? [paludosus] 466 Salvia 483. [Atra.?] 574. Atriplex 579 — Ranunculus 605 — 616. is it the same with 296.

The different Solidagines and Asteres will remain the crux and adversaria for a long time yet. Have you compared our numbers, and has Mr. Leconte been of assistance to clear the remaining doubt. Surely we have a number of N S. and we should try for a good name. The specimens from D. Baldwin were too small. Should peace be made then I hope to get a general collection of American Asteres and Solidagines.

In one of my former letters I mentioned my wish to see a catalogue of the Charlestown botanic garden — and your opinion of a few plants which D. Baldwin had seen in his first visit. Num 916 Ageratum 919 Calendula? 923 Eclipta 930 Juncus aphyllus 942 Arundo donax? an cicur. Amongst my adversaria is a Castamea nana Brickell is it a real species or only a variety?

You will oblige me very much by writing often. With my best wishes for your health I remain with great esteem Sir Your most obedient humble servant Henry Muhlenberg.

[P.S. Looking once more over your last numbers I find a few observations in my journal 573 is your 235 Arenaria marina (rubra) 576 is probably Lathyrus pusillus NS of my Catalogue 614 is Hippia 616 Arum is it not 296, have you another virginum? 618 Iris — we have a trepetala already, what name is suitable for this 618? 589 differs from lingua with us, is it different from R. [Ranunculus] flammula 591, R. [Ranunculus] is near between muricatus and echinatus though really distinct from each.]