Elliott, Stephen, 1771-1830. Stephen Elliott papers, 1791- approximately 1947. Letters from James MacBride to Stephen Elliott 1812 October 7-1814 March 8. gra00020. Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Botany Libraries, Harvard University.

7th. Oct 1812

[faded post mark] CHARL[?] Double Oct. 7th Paid [19?]

Stephen Elliott Esq. {Esquire} Beaufort S.C. Mail.

St. Stephens Oct. 7th 1812

Dear Sir

Your favour of the 24th ult was duly recd. I am truly obliged to you for the attention you have paid to my enquiries. I have preserved excellent specimens of the foliation of varietes (1 & 2) of Lilium, & you will be enabled to set the matter aright— L. superb. [Lilium superbum] & martag. [martagon] Walt I hold to be the same species & are comprehended by my first var. This philadelphicum may be my var. 2. for on the inspection of a dried specimen I believe the petals are somewhat clawed.

Among the new species you saw on your way to Columbia one only is known to me viz Lactuca—— Among the Ligulata of Syngensia polygam. aequal. I hope to point out some new species to you next year— Your Menyanthes I never saw we have but one.— I could not visit the Eriogonum this year at the proper season, business imperiouly forbade it.

I now give you a few addenda to the medical catalogue. 1 Veronica angustifolia popularly Mountain Rosemary & by some "Sarsaparilla"— The roots are fibrous fleshy, & to the taste pungent aromatic & bitter— A decoction of them long persevered in has removed syphilis in field negroes — This I have witnessed & if at all neces =sary can give you detailed evidence. Syphilis, however, you know exists under various forms & in various degrees of virulence accor =ding the habits of body & manner of life of its subjects. The simple diet of the field negro makes this evil comparatively light— The use of this plant at an antisyphilitic is widely diffused. 2. "Baccharis sessiliflora" besides being used used as an expectorant is a decided diuretic. My friend DJ Ravenel of Lower St Johns has tested it lately in 3 or 4 cases. On my own person it produces and increase of urine very sensibly— Digitalis purpurea is a decided diuretic & yet in high repute as a remedy in pulmonary consumption, therefore Baccharis's is not singular in this two fold action. We have not attended to the pulse. 3. The nuts of our Cypress yield readily inconsiderable quantities a stimulating oil much used here as an external remedy in rheumatism.

[loss] chronic affections. As a topical stimulant I have only attended to it & think it well deserving notice. It is apt to excoriate & blister☞ if used undiluted. 4. Critonia kuhnia? The root of this plant is of some importance as an article of the materia chirurgica. Reduced to a powder the bark of the root is applied to old foul ulcers with evi =dent advantage. The effects are escharotic.— I have lately used it— Am I correct in designatine it Critonia? It grows in high dry pineland only. It may be found in light oak & hickory land too— The stalk rises to the height of 3 feet & is often reddish brown. The leaves are alternate, linear lanceolate, sometimes super ne serrata. Its pubescena consists a roughness & viscidity which we observe in some species of Eupatorium expecially in the E. lineaifolium. Indeed this plant strongly resembles the Eupatoria especially in its flower. The flowers are of a dirty white or cream colour the florets in each flower are from 5 or 9 or 10. [Bloom middle of September till now] The styles are deeply cloven, each division clavate & decumbent The pappus is elegantly plumose. The Anthera long, yellow, & united by a then transparent web——. 5 Were it not that the American Materia medica is already so rich in the class of astringents we might insert into it the Vaccinium arboreum (Michx). Its fruit gathered late serve extremely as an astringent in loose bowels. I knew a case of bilious diarrhea brought on by the immoderate use of opium cured by this remedy when the resources of the physician had proved inadequate. The root is highly astringent & used in some neighborhoods as a remedy in diarrhea. The leaves were recommended to me by a medical gentleman as a good substitute for the Arbutus uva ursi so famed in Nephritis—

The bark & excrescences of our oaks may well exclude the Galla aleppiceae from our shops—— As tonics too some of this genus have been well tried & found efficacious—

Today I passed thro' part of the calcareous tract & collected for you some plants of Angelica lobata Walt & have preserved them in their native soil earth so that I hope you will be able to propagate them readily — This plant is becoming rare, hogs seek for it==

1 with great avidity, besides a the fertile lands will soon all be under cultivation The roots are often six inches long & 3/4 of inch in diameter. I know nothing. of the A. nondo — A. integrifol. Walt. is common here.

You mentioned sometime ago the Gentiana ochroleuca as being the true Sampson's Snakeroot, with as the Gentiana japonica Walt. is reputed to be that plant. Is ochroleuca a synonym of one of Walter or Michx.'s species?

Since my last the following of your [Dendernita?] of Michx have only met my observation. Spilanthes urens bloomed Augt. 29 Tripterella capitata ———— Sept. 4 Liatris tomentosa ————— 15 Chelone glabra (Var β) —— Oct. 3 Arare gynandrous plant. —— Sept. 25 {It may be Cypripedium, if so {it is new — I never saw a Cypripe{dium & have no generic [characters?] {to refer to ————— Eclipta procumbens 9. Augt. —

Besides I have seen several doubtful plant specimens of which I will send you— I hope you have already corrected a mistake in one of my former communications I denominate considered "Queens Delight" as Stillingia ligustrina. The Stillingia ligustrina is very rare here as you will see in the enclosed sketch — I meant S. sylvatica.—— Has our Glycine apios ever been cultivated? It bids fairer in its wild state to become an important article of food than could the Solanum tuberosum previous to cultivation. Vide Humboldts Essay on New Spain. In the Cooper river — ricelands the knobs of the plant are not only multiplied but enlarged. Negroes eat them freely —— I am sorry no opportunity offers of sending you specimens— I have them ready— The canal is now open but not a boat has passed—

I am, Dear Sir, With great respect yours J.Macbride

I should be extremely gratified } were you to pay me a visit duirng } your botanical excursions —— }

St. Johns Nov. 7. 1812

Dear Sir,

About 10 days ago I directed to care of Chisolm & Taylor & sent, a box containing such specimens as I tho't worth sending. I had collected a great many more but I could not bestow sufficient attention to their preservation & so they were ruined by mould.— I never attempted the preservation of specimens before & was quite ignorant of the proper mode. I feel not a little ashamed on pressing such ill preserved & mutilated plants— I conclude you will detect me in erroneous nomenclature, this you will have the liberality to over look when you reflect that I exercise a profession which leaves me scarcely any leisure & of all others ought to have the full occupation of the mind. I frequently when attempting to refer a plant to its proper place in the floras have to depend on memory alone. Should you wish to make further enquiries respecting any particular specimen refer to the word which I have written on the inside of the leaf or fold of paper— The words on the back have no reference to the plants enclosed— The Gynandrous plant mentioned in my last is probably described by Walter or Michaux but I candidly confess I can not decide which is it— It seems to me to

belong to Swartz's Cymbidium rather than to any of the genera of Mich. or Walt.— Today I send by the canal boat of Artobe two boxes of roots— The large box contains six roots of Angelica & in the middle is a Gynandrous plant, or [Glaphiria?], in seed— The small box contains an Elytraria & the knobs of a Convallaria or Streptopus, the stalk of which I inserted among the specimens. Nov. 1. I met with for the first time in my life a spike flowering Monotropa in the lime stone lands— It is slender compared with "uniflora" coral coloured, scales acute— The whole plant is villose Is it M. hypopithys or lanuginosus. Do you wish to see it? Lilia, Ilex, Planera, Salix &c I will send in the course of this month.— Is the box with my specimens I put some grasses collectd early in the spring, I began to collect all I could find but found that I could no persevere for more than a month in this design for my profession interfered. I hope you may find something among them new.— At least 10 of the desiderat. Mich. were lost by mould—— I am sorry you did not finish the catalogue of Desiderat: Walt: however I much question whether I could have paid much attention to them for since the middle of August I have been almost [hampered?]

to death by business.— My experiments with regard to the insect a [likely?] procep exhibited by the Sarracenia were chiefly made on S. variolaris — S. flava was under inspection when the maggot was laid — I mention this to correct an error you seem to be under in in you last where I [think?] of the [scarity?] flora of your neighborhood—

Still I meet with tubers exhibiting proofs of their ligneous origin.— I write with one in view which exhibits proof of having emanated form a hickory!! root—

I have to regret very much that my station in life permits one so little to indulge my inclination for pursuing studies connected with Nat. history I [hope] however, the next year to be more [servica-?] ble to you than I have been this— My task is now defined — I have had lately the satisfaction to correct one of Linnaeus's errors & at the same time to corrobrate the opinion of the unfortunate Hasselquist with respect to the heart formation of the heart of some species of the genus Lacerta. Our alligator has evidently a double heart of a very peculiar structure which I have been at some pains to exa =mine & note. This [separates?] the alligator, crocodile, & from the rest of the Lacerta & forms them into a new genus. at the same time— I hope to hear from you often—

I am yrs with great regard J MacBride

Excuse [?]

Exam [?]

7. Nov. 1812

[postmark] CHARLN SC 12 1/2 NOV 11 Stephen Elliott Esq. {Esquire} Beaufort S.C. {South Carolina} Mail.