John Torrey letters, 1831-1873. Asa Gray correspondence files of the Gray Herbarium, 1820-1904. gra00078. Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University.

New York. Jany. 13th 1831.

Dear Sir,

A few days since I found lying on the table in my laboratory your acceptable letter of the 1st init., together with a parcel of interesting plants — for which be pleased to accept my thanks. Being confined to-day by an indis= =position which prevents me from my duties at the medical college but {which} does not incapacitate me altogether from light mental occu= =pation, I have amused myself by looking over your specimens. The cryptogamia I must leave for examination in the spring but I think you have determined most of them correctly.

The few {which} you name Aspidm. filix-fem. {Aspidium filix-femina}, is what I have always called {Aspidium} asplenoides. It is probably A. filix-fem. of Pursh — & also the A. {Aspidium} augustum of Michaux.

{Aspidium} cristatum of your parcel appears to be exactly what Dr. Hooker, in the Edin{burgh} Journal of Science for Feby. 1822, has edited {Aspidium} goldianum after Mr. {John} Goldie, a Scotch botanist who visited this country some years ago. {William Jackson} Hooker & {Robert Kaye} Greville have given a fine figure of it in the splendid Icones filicum ... It must be the plant called {Aspidium} filix-mas by Pursh but a distinct species from the European fern so called. {Aspidium} dilatatum seems to be identical with {Aspidium} intermedium Mitella cordifolia agrees exactly with what I have described under this name & which I have suspected to be the same as {Mitella} nuda

It must also be the {Mitella} prostrata of Michaux. I have never seen but two species of this genus (excluding {Mitella} grandiflora of Pursh which is the type of {Robert} Brown's genus Tellima) among all the plants which have been sent to me from many parts of N. America. The figure in Lam. {Lamarck} ill. {Tableau encyclopédique et méthodique} t. 373 f. 3 has the leaves more acute & serrate than in any of my specimens — but his fig. 2 of the same plate is exactly our plant & the latter is referred by all authors (even by De Candolle in his last vol. (4th) of his Prodromus) to {Mitella} nuda

You ask whether my Trisetum purpurascens is not identical with Danthonia striata of Michaux — you probably meant Avena striata of that author It may be so — but his description is so imperfect that the matter cannot be settled without a reference to his herbarium. I hope to see that {herbarium} myself before many months when I expect to clear up a number of doubts relating to N. American Botany.

The specimens which you numbered, & which you desired me to examine appear to be as follows — (The Carices were in some instances not sufficiently advanced to develop their characters)

No. 1. Andropogon furcatus 2 Eleusine indica 3 Staphylea trifoliata 4 Panicum nitidum — var — 5 {Panicum} species not determined — don't seem to be any of those described in my book — but the Panicum vary greatly. 6 Poa serotina 7 Carex cruciata (young) 8 {Carex} scirpoidea 9 {Carex} hystericina (young) 10 {Carex} stellulata — scarcely distinct from {Carex} scirpoidea

It gives me great pleasure to learn that I am to be benefitted by your future labors in botany & I hope that I shall be able to assist you by the communication of such plants as are peculiar to this region, as well as of foreign specimens. At the present season I am much occupied but my labors are ended early in the spring when I shall take the earliest opportunity of sending you a collection of dried plants. In the mean time I beg you will accept a small parcel of pretty rare Swedish, Lapland & Norwegian plants put up for me Prof. Carling of Stockholm. I have also added the Systema Algarum of Agardh, a small work by one of the first Algologists of the day — containing all the species known in 1824 of the Dept. of Cryptogamia treated for. They shall be left in charge of Mr. F. Brown, 27 Beekman St. who, I hope, will be able to forward them to you in the course of the winter. I shall always be thankful for good specimens of the rarer plants of your neighborhood, as I need a large stock to keep my friends in Europe supplied —

I remain Yours truly J. Torrey

Dr. Asa Gray.

Dr. Asa Gray Bridgewater, Oneida Co New York

[faded postmark] NEW YORK JAN 14

New York, April 29th 1831

Dear Sir,

I have just found a note on my study table, left by Mr. F. Brown, informing me of an opportunity of sending a parcel to you on Tuesday next. Unfortunately I am in the midst of the confusion of reviewing my quarters & my collections are so deranged & un-come-at-able that I fear it will not be in my power to send you much at this time. I will, however, try & put up a few specimens for you, for I hope on Monday next to have at least my own apartment in order.

If you should visit New York the present season I hope it will not be when I am absent at Princeton — for I expect to spend about 9 weeks at that place, commencing with the first of June next. My residence in the city is No. 30 McDougal St. on the corner of Prince St. — where I shall be very happy to see you —

I am at present much occupied with botanical pursuits. The 2nd. vol. of my Flora is at last resumed, — & I am engaged in superintending the printing of an American ed. of Lindley's new work, entitled "An Introduction to the Natural System of Botany" It is an 8vo. ed. of about 400 closely printed pages & in the best style of that distinguished botanist. It is the very work which has been needed for years — for it is the 1st treatise on the subject in the English language — if we except the

translation of Jussieu by Sir J. E. Smith. I have prefaced an Appendix containing all the known North American genera, with the authority for each genus — a few synonyms — & the number of species hitherto observed within the limits of our Flora — that is from Mexico, north — : the whole arranged according to the improved orders in the body of the work. There will be also a few tables exhibiting the relative proportions of the different grand divisions, tribes & orders. I have also prefixed to the principal work a very excellent little introduction to botany by the same author. ___ I have the present season resumed the study of mosses & have commenced a general account of the species hitherto observed in North America. The skeleton of the work is already prepared & a place provided for any new materials which may come to hand. You will oblige me very much by collecting for me all the Musci which you observe. I wish my a large quantity of each species so that when I have determined a number I may have enough to last for some time. The specimens should be in fruit if it is possible to obtain them in that state. I am sure we have many new species in the Middle & Northern States for I showed my collection to Mr. {James L.} Drummond the great Scotch Muscologist a few days ago & there were many in it with which he was un= =acquainted. This gentleman, as you are probably aware accompa= =nied Capt. {John} Franklin & Dr. {John} Richardson in their last exped{ition} to the North.

He spent two years (most of the time among the Rocky Mountains) & made extensive collections, especially of the mosses. On his return he published 50 sets of dried specimens, each containing about 280 species, of mosses. One set I have just received. The gentleman is just now on his way to the regions west of the Mississippi for the purpose of collecting plants. He sent out two tons of paper round by the way of New Orleans! So that you may judge how extensively he in= =tends to collect. ___ B[loss] mosses — I particularly wish Hepaticae — these growing generally with the mosses can be collected with them — let them be collected even without fruit. Though I have mentioned these tribes I do not wish you to confine yourself to them — I want all the rare plants and also such as are somewhat peculiar to the region around you — In return I hope to furnish you with European specimens authentically named & also such plants as grow in this region, that you do not already possess. ___ We have but little botanical news here — indeed there are but few workers left. Mr {Lewis D. de} Schweinitz has just sent to Germany, to have printed, his great work on N. American fungi in 3 vols. Mr. {Abraham} Halsey is pre= =paring a catalogue of the Cryptogamous plants growing within 30 miles of New York & I am getting up a new Catalogue of the Flowering Plants, accor= =ding to the Nat. Method.

I am Dear Sir Yours truly J. Torrey