Harvard Botany Libraries

Arrvd. June 22. St Louis June 4th 1843

My dear Doctor,

Your letters of 25 and 28 March have reached me, as also all the parcels entrusted to the care of Mssrs Poppe.— I am sorry to be failed again in my endeavor to name a new genus after Lindeheimer, but will try again as you say. He is now busy in Texas; in New Orleans he has been for some days with Prof {John Leonard} Riddell and got good hints from him. — He has sent me about thirty specimens from Galveston in a very small parcel, of which I have sent you some a few days ago to the care of Mr {John} Carey. — You will find the Linum berendieri, certainly distinct; you will oblige me by classing them; especially the Primulacea, for me certainly a new genus, but probably not new to others as it is comon on Galvesston.— Also the Utricularia from wet meadows.— The Atheropogon from Beardstown appears to me new and I have ventured to name and describe it. Among his plants is your Psoralea rhombifolia with fine fruit.— So Lindheimer is at work and will send me a collection perhpas by the end of this month, for distribution.

Geyer left here under the protection ofDr. Wm {William} Stewart; he had to equip himself and arm himself; for food and especially for transporation of baggage, and collections Stewart is furnished by Stewart who has left here beginning of this last month with a party of about 60.

Lüders is also gone with him, but more especially with a party of Catholic missionaries, who have a settlement on the upper waters of Clark river, I believe. He expects to stay there next winter and perhaps next summer too. Geyer will perhaps return to the foot to the mountains, and the Black Hills and make his collections there; but he is yet undecided.

These three offer their collections for sale; I will here take care of them, number, etc the different collections specimens and they may be had either here from me or from you or some body else east, New York for example, who would trouble himself with this business. Perhaps Mr Carey would take care of it, and take one set for his trouble. I wish you would arrange all that, if you can do it without much trouble. Your offer to assist me in naming the plants will be very acceptable, as I am from want of the new works and other reasons unable to do much in that way. I shall therefore always send you a full set of the plants as soon as I can after their arrival for that purpose, which you will please keep for your own herbarium. —

Now the price: You think $10 the Rocky Mt plants and $8. the Texan plants are proper prices — Hooker writes me £2 is the usual price in England, $10. or 2 guineas would be too much for many to pay in New York as they have to bear freight and entrance duties (!!) besides; still he sends the names of 4 subscribers, Prof {Alexander} Braun my correspondent in Germany writes me that about $8.00 is the highest price, paid in

species. — When I get further materials from Hooker, and perhaps? from Washington & Philadelphia, and from Texas & the Mountains I may give another addition. — I do not think that I may have any thing to alter so far; though you are inclined to alter make my Lepidanches Cuscutas again. — I think we have less remarkable differences constitute genera in other families.

You would do me a favour by returning my specimen of Artemisia canadensis from Manitoo, as I have no other one.

Have you examined my Texan Compositate with my additions or remarks? I have examined Egletes or Leucopsidium again, and if this fall specimen is not different from the summer form the central forests are sterile, as I have said before. — Do you find any difference between the Arkansas & Texas speciemens?

Is not the Cynosciadium — which I send you now a distinct species? it is very different in growth and in fruit from my Arkansas species of pimata;

You would do me a great favour if you would name not only the specimens which you return to me, but also the others; which you keep — (I send them partly for that purpose) and send me the names.

Don't forget to send the advertisement (the writing of which together with some accompanying recommendation I must leave to you) of the Rocky Mt & Lindheimer collections to the different journals, also to French journals — Any one may subscribe to all collections or to Geyers or Lüders or Lindheimers separately — payable at delivery here or in New York. —

Pray don't call too many species for their collectors; the name should rather be taken for some distinctive mark if possible — If the older botanists had done so, we would have to wade through thousands and tens of thousands of such names — it appears to be a rather new plan. I think it might do well enough in a large genus when truly distinctive names are difficult to find; — but the name of Drummond for example I hear or see so often now, that it begins to grate on my ears!

{John Charles} Fremont was here beginning of May for nearly 2 weeks, and I assisted him in his preparations and gave him

instructions for geological & botanical researchers and collections. He will if possible ascend the Arkansas to its sources cross over to Lake Bonneville and then to the Columbia! He said he was not authorized to take any botanist with him; but Stewart has taken besides Geyer a gardner and a German scientific gentleman" with him, who says he is also" botanist & geologist — We will see what they do. I have no doubt Geyer will do more than all the others together. —

With a genus for Geyer & Lindheimer we ought to wait I think till they discover send one themselves, it will be more gratifying then. —

I am now translating and working out a manuscript monography of American Equisetum by my friend Prof {Alexander} Braun in Carlsruhe, which I will send you in a few weeks, as soon as I have again be able to compare living specimens of our two Equiseta; you will follow, also Chara afterwards; I only wish I could find get together more American Charae for him. —

Lessingia germanorum you did like the name, but it does not mean Germans, but brothers; called so by {Ludolf Karl Adelbert von} Chamisso, in honour of his friends the brothers {Christian & Carl} Lessing; one is the botanist, the other is one of the most talented painters in Germany, a man of powerful and original genius, I don't know therefore wether the name ought to be written wiht a large capital!

Matricaria discoidea appears to be native here; it grows on roadsides but also far from town in grassy places in the woods.

Write me soon if you can find time and don't forget to make the necessary additions (price etc) to Geyers Catalogue; and the advertisement of the Rocky Mts & Texas collection

Yours entirely George Engelmann

Double PAID 50 Prof Asa Gray Cambridge Mass

[postmark] St. LOUIS JUN 6 Mo.

[note in Asa Gray's hand] [Torr?] Gerardia stricta = G. spiciflora is in Texas Drummond, Nutt

St Louis July 27th 1843

My dear Doctor,

Yours of June 22d was received on July 3d increased practice, and sickness and death in my family prevented me from answering your letter sooner. First I must mention that about 6 or 8 weeks ago I sent you a small parcel of plants from Texas, received this spring from Lindheimer; about four weeks ago I sent another parcel with some others, which I had received since, and a few days ago I sent the 3d parcel, with a few Personatae for Mr {George} Bentham, which I considered very interesting. They were all directed to the care of Mr John Carey 333 Greenwich Sta except the last which was directed to Wiley & Putnam. Will you get the latter? — and how will you obtain the first if Mr Carey has left New York — will they not be lost? I wish you would make some researches after them. — I am done packing and labeling Geyer's Illinois plants; — more trouble than I expected; Shall I send all 20 American collections of 150 species to Wiley & Putnam, New York? Or do you advise me to keep a few here? — Thirty more containing only 100 species I will send to Germany. — Please send me the copies of my descriptive Catalogue, except about 30, of which you add one to each bundle of plants and send the others to my friends and correspondents {Moses Ashley} Curtis — {Samuel Botsford} Buckley — {William} Oakes — {John} Carey and the others, also to the Academy — Philadelpha and the National Institute: Washington — You forgot to tell me how high you fixed the prices.

I see that my friend A. Braun in Carlsruhe has a little prematurely announced the Texan etc collections in Germany for 12 to 15 florins — but before we can offer them at that price, we must see how many may be taken at 8 or 10 dollars. —

Your offer and conditions I gladly accept — I have neither leisure, nor books collections etc sufficiently to do the work alone, or do it so well as to be credible. —

I send you some remarks so far as I have made them.

I am anxious to see your Cuscuatae; from Mr Curtis I have got the true {Cuscuta} pentagona; from Lindheimer I have a new one, which I call {Cuscuta} mucronata; and a beautifull large flowered spring form on the sea coast on Lycium etc of {Cuscuta} neuropetala, which appears to be the most common species in Texas, with most different localities and seasons

Helianthus? I do not know what I wrote you about this genus; we have not many species here, but they appear some of them sufficiently difficult. {Helianthus} doronicoides assumes many different shapes; and approaches by some intermediate forms to lack flowers, and by this to rigidus!! Whenever you want to know what I have seen, I will send you specimens and write you about it more fully. —

I have found here in our lakes the true Ceratophyllum demersum, and no other species! [drawing]

I continue to examine the Euphorbia, and have got some species which I find no where described, also two from the Upper Platte rivers; one from Texas etc.

I have this fall examined our Acalyphas — — Some years agoAcalypha} monococca I have found one specimen of Elliotts {Acalypha} caroliniana never since, which appears to be not known to many other botanists; their {Acalypha} caroliniana is only a form of {Acalypha} virginica, with broader leaves, longer petioles, and a little larger seeds — {Acalypha} caroliniana Ell is nearly related with {Acalypha} ocymoides Kunth (Spreng syst. III. 883) and ought to be called {Acalypha} elliottii. — On the Mississippi rocks with Solidago Drummondii. I have found another species, which might be called {Acalypha} monococca, as it has one very large seed in the one celled capsule — and linear nearly entire leaves.

Braun asks me for a paper of you on Ceratophyllaceae — have you a copy left to spare?

Leptopoda brachypoda I have collected late in October with yellow disc and partly pistillate radial flowers!! I shall send you specimens, which I can only distinguish from Helenia autumnalis by the much smaller less globose heads off!! —

Now to our collectors: Lindheimer has sent me another box, with many very interesting plants — but they have suffered some by the moisture; he promises more before new year — I shall wait for that before I send you any, but then you shall have a full set, and we will begin to work them out. —

Lüders is gone with one of the Oregon — companies, and I have had no further news from him.

Geyer is gone with Sir William Stuart to the mountains, and from there with the Jesuits to a mission in the North western mountains; — he will go from there next summer to the Columbia and with all his collections to England. He sends nothing, nothing but a short, insolent letter for all my trouble, which I have had with him, and the 150 dollars which it has cost me to fit him out!! So much for honesty and gratitude! — —

Another gentleman who accompanied Stuart brought down a small collection, which I had half an hour to look at. He gave me two Euphorbias and a Croton, which I do not know many of Fremonts plants were amongst them and of the Fremontia he had a stick 3/4 inch thick ! — Fremont I believe is gone over to Oregon and will not —— be back before next fall.

Cuscuta oxycarpa caule ramoso, floribus pedunculatis, cymosoumbellatis, 5-partitis; tubo corollae globoso-campanulato, calycis segementa ovata, obtusa, leviter crenulata et lacinia limbi ovatas obtusas patentes (demum reflexas) duplo superante; staminibus limbum subacquantibus; squamis fimbriatis (convergentibus?) basi inter se connatis; styles filiformibus ovarium stylopodio ejus dem longitudinis coronatum, elongate-pyriforme subnequantibus; corolla cum staminbus manescente ad basin capsulae (maximae) acutae persistente.

The tissue of the corolla is always destitute of the large pellucid dots or air cells constantly observed in {Cuscuta} vulgivaga and appears to be composed (especially about the tube) of regular, somewhat elongated sexangled cells, easily observable on the dried specimens with a glass. In the common species the cells are linear, much elongated and interspecied with the large air cells. Flowers & dried fruit are mostly twoce as large as in {Cuscuta} vulgivaga.

You collected it in ravines in western Virginia, in Tygart Vally, on Negro Mountain. 2. A new Lepidanche (which we will have to consider a subgenus to which C. cuspidata from Texas is the connecting form) at least a new one to me, but probably the true {Cuscuta} compacta Chois. As his plant is something like my Lepid. aspressa, and is from Carolina & Alabama, I have hardly a doubt, that you will find in it your Negro mountain Lepidanche! Just compare the figures & descriptions, and let me know the result! —

But both Lepidanches are perhaps still more closely allied than the two species just above described. The principal difference is in the more slender corolla, which exceeds the scales of the calyx considerably, and is about half as wide, and whos as L. adpr. {Lepidanche adpressa} and whose lobes are much narrower. The consequence is that the fruit (though really nearly globose) looks much more pointed. — The whole flower is smaller then in L. adpressa Lepidanche compacta floribus arote sessilibus, glomentis 5-partitis sepalis sub novem, leviter crenulatis, concarvis adpressis, orbiculatis interioribus minoribus; tubo corolla cylindrica calycem et lacinius limbi lineari-oblongas, obtusas duplo superante; staminibus limbo brevioribus; squamis pimatifido — laciniatis; ovario cum stylopodis stylos

subaequante; capsula globosa, subacuta corolla marcescente obteota.

You found it on some evergreen bush (what is it? with spinulosa — serrate leaves) send on Alnus? In Buncombe Co {County} and at the base of Negro Mountain.

Your fragment on Prinos glaber from Alabama sen to me about a year ago, is the same! who collected it? [drawings a-f] a two flowers of Lep. comp. {Leipoldtia compressa} on Prinos b one sided fruit on Evergreen c three seeded fruit on Alnus d flower of C. {Cuscuta} oxycarpa e ovary f flower of Lepid {Lepidanche} adpressa a is a drawing made from your specimen from Alabama on Prinos as the N. Carolina species were rather past flowering.

3. Your Lepidanche from western Virginia on Carpinus, [Sanilax?] etc is our L. adpressa

4. Cuscuata coryli on Ceanothus western Virginia, on Helianthus and Aster also western Virginia. The calyx is a little larger, the coroll less deep, than here, the scales very rudimentary, one or two filaments only, or wanting. The coroll hardly covers the capsule when ripe? Both 3 and 4 I had not seen from any other locality, than St Louis

5. The only specimen of C. {Cuscuta} vulgivaga from the bank of the Catawba between Morgantown & Ashville! Did you not collect more of it, because recognize it as the common plant, or is it place C. oxycarpa there in the mountains, and [Ires?] in its place C. oxycarpa appear?

Will you publish any thing about the result of your excursion? You may then in a note publish these two Cuscutas also — or we can do it in a note to the account of Lindheimers collections, where I have to say much of Cuscuta — I believe I have told you that a new one, C. cuspidata, is amongst them.

Guara lindheimeri has flowered here and in Carlsruhe Germany, was here and there admired on account of its rich flowers and has been lost again! I have no seeds Have you preserved it? Of Oenothera rhombipetala I will send you seeds as soon as I can get them from Mr {Nicholas} Riehl, who cultivates these plants 10 miles from here! Is it not the same as O. bifrons? I am very much inclined to think so. I have no seeds from Lindheimer this year.

so far — but hope to get some with the next box, which I expect every day.

Send to Braun if you pleas a few copies of the Equisetum paper and of Geyers Catalogue, fold this up the size of a large letter, seal or glue a strip of white paper crossways over it so: [drawing] so that it will be seen that it is finished mattter, and direct it: Prof. Alex. Braun Carlsruhe, Grand Duké dé Bade, Allemagne and send it by a Havre packet — I hope in that way it will arrive safely. I hope you will get [Ohams?] for him. Who is Mr {Benjamin Daniel} Greene in Boston, whose [Ohams?] he has seen? [pencil annotation in Asa Gray's hand: 2 copies du Jany 24th

Very truly yours G Englemann

[postmark] S[t] LOUIS JAN 9 Mo.

Single 25 Prof Asa Gray Cambridge Mass.

F. Lindheimer's Texian collections.

1 Ranunculus texensis Engel. & Gray [I have sent it to you without number I believe; what I have sent you as No 1 we will call No. 3; No. 3 is probably equal to No. 5.] This species is nearly related with R. pusillus. We subjoin the diagnosis of both and of the following, also an undescribed species, which have all probably been comprised under R. pusillus. Ranunculus pusillus Poir caule flacido, — subramoso, glabro; foliis petiolatis, inferioribus ovatis denticulatis, superioribus lineari-lanceolatis, basi petiolatis, Corum membranaceo — dilatata et bracteis ciliatis; petalis sub-5 lineari-spathulatis sepala ovata obtusa decidua, subaquantibus; staminibus pluribus; carpellis subglobosis, obtussiusculis, laevibus in capitulum globosum congestis. Wet places & margins of ponds, in capitulum globosum congstis.

1. Ranunculus texensis E&(G.) caule erecto, ramossimo, basi hispidpo; foliis petiolatis, inferioribus ovatis, subcordatis, denticoulatis, superioribus lineari — lanceolatis [loss]

2) 61. Gaura lindheimerii n. sp. erecta, hirsuta, s. pubescens, foliis infimis obovatis spathulatis, obtusis, lyrato pimatifidis; foliis caulinis sessilibus lanceolatis, acutis, sinuato-dentatis (subinde margine crispis), supremis integris; bracteis ovatolanceolatis, acutis, ovarium superantibus, deciduis; calycis tubo infundibuliformi, ovarium aequante, segementis hirsutis duplo triplove breviore; petalis brevissime unguiculatis, subrhomboideis, calyce subbrevioribus; nuce subsessile supra infraque attenuata, 4-angulata, acute carinata, faciebus usque ad medium carinatis, trans versium plicatis.

Prairies, from Houston to the Brazos; fl. in April & May and again in August and September. — Stems much branched, 2-4-5 feet high. The Spring specimens collected in Spring have larger flowers than those of the fall. — It appears to be near G. villosa Torr, but is distinguished by the larger bracts, and the subsessile ovate — lanceolate, not linear pedicelled fruit. — Fruit apparently similar to that of G. tripetala Cav, but never triquetrous, and calyx segments always much longer than the tube. —

Note. Mr Lindheimer has also sent a few specimens of the following undescribed species of Gaura. 1. Gaura exaltata n. sp. caule erecto, infra villoso, supra adpressa pubescente, paniuclato-ramoso; foliis lanceolatis s. lineari- lanceolatis basi et apice angustatis, sparsium repando denticulatis, adpresse pubescentibus; bracteis linearibus, deciduis; calycis segmentis tubum aequantibus, ovarium canescens bis, terve superantibus; petalis spathulatis longe unguiculatis, nervis inconspicuis intermediis notata.

Prairies, margins of woods, Houston. Aug to Octob. Stems 6-9 feet high, growing in groups, often exclusively covering large spaces of ground. — Near Gaura biennis, but distinguished by the much smaller flowers, the oblong or spathulate long unguiculate petals, and the shorter and thicker fruit; — from G. parviflora by the short canescent ovary, and smoother leaves.

2. Gaura bracteosa n. sp. caule erecto, ramoso infra adpressa pubescente, suprea canofoliis lanceolatis acuminatis, repando-denticulatis, adpresse pubscentibus; bracteis lanceolatis persistentibus, ovarium et fructum longe superan-tibus; calycis segmentis tubum aequantibus, ovario canescente duplo longioribus, petala oblonga unguiculata superantibus; nuce sessili canescente, ovato-lanceolata acuta, canescente, obluse 4-carinata, nervis inconspicuis intermediis notata.

Prairies near the seacoast at the mouth of Buffalo Canyon and of the Brazos; July to August.— Apparently 3 or 4 feet high. — Near the last mentioned, and G. biennis but easily distinguished by the long leafy bracts, which resemble the upper leaves. Flower and fruit smaller than in G. biennis; fruit of the same shape, acute at both ends; much more slender than the fruit of G, exaltata. Petals smaller and narrower than in G. biennis and shorter unguiculatis than in G. exaltata.

3) Gaura glabra n. sp. caule erecto, supra ramoso, glabro; foliis sessilibus, lanceolatis, repando-dentatis, glabris; bractis lineari-lanceolatis, ciliatis, persistentibus, ovario longioribus; calycis hirsuti tubo sequentis bis nerve breviore, ovarium lineare hirsutum subaequante; nuce — . Wet prairies near the coast near Lynchburg; beginning to flower in July. — Apparently 2-3 feet high. Calyx (and flower?) very similar to that of G. lindheimerii; but the ovary is longer and more slender. Distinguished from that and all others by its smoothness and green colour, and by the large ciliate presistent bracts.

4. Gaura purpurea n. sp. caule basi suffruticoso), [= G. drummondii in Asa Gray's hand] adscendente, puberulo, virgatim ramoso; foliis canescentibus, lanceolatis, sinuato-dentatis, acutis, canescent -ibus; bracteis minutis, ovatis, acuminatis minutis, ovaris multo brevioribus, subpersistentibus; tubo calycis canescentis segmenta et ovarium gracile busi attenuatum subaequante bus, petalis (demum purpureis) calyce multo brevioribus; nuce — .

Margin of rivulets, west of the Brazos, August. — 1-2 feet high, somewhat canescent; apparently near Gaura drummondii, with like this is the only Gaura, where ovary, tube of calyx and segments are of about the same length; apparently distinguished from it by the very short bracts, which are often soemwhat peristent. Petals and anthers are dark red, darker than the petals of G. coccinea. The unripe fruit of our specimens is linear-lanceolate, 4-angled, somewhat terete at base. From G. coccinea it is distinguished by the loose inflorescence, the shorter bracts and the longer ovary.

Besides these Texian Gauras I have collected 1835 in Arkansas the following undescribed species: 5. Gaura arkansana n. sp. caule erecto, puberule, virgatis ramoso; foliis lanceolatis, acutis, subdenticulatis, inferioribus in petiolum attenuatis; superioribus subsessilibus; bracteis lanceolatis, parvis, deciduis; tubo calycis canescentis ovarium duplo superante, segmentis et petalis obovatis unguiculatis, bis breviore; nuce canescente, obovata, basi attenuata, apice acuta, carinato-4-anulata, nervis inter mediis notata.

Wet grassy spots in small valleys near the Hot Springs, Arkansas, Aug-Sept. — Stem erect, about 4 feet high, frequntly red, leaves also turning reddish. — Near Gaura biennis in habit; but fruit shorter, more acutely angled, and somewhat attenuated at base; lobes of calyx and petals much longer than the tube. The flowers resemble somewaht those of G. lindheimerii and G. glabra but the calyx is adpress pubescent, not hirsute, and the ovary much shorter. 62. Eryngium coronatum T & Gr. 63. Cynosciadium pinnatum DC β. pumilum Distinct from the common erect form