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THE BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF G. W. CLINTON |
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THE BOTANICAL JOURNAL OF G. W.
CLINTON – May 1865 |
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[1865.] May 1. To date, this spring, have
collected & had identified by Mr. Peck 15 mosses & one Liverwort. The elm in the barn yard, going from the
Williamsville road to the entrance of the Gun [?] is Ulmus racemosa. At any
rate the flowers are racemed, though I can discover no sign of corkiness on
bough or branch. [Ulmus racemosa Thomas is Ulmus Thomasi Sargent,
according to House, 1924). The Rock Elm has older twigs that are often
irregularly winged with plates of cork.] [1865.] May 13. Went, by 12*30' P.M. train to
Suspension Bridge, & walked in the Whirlpool Wood. Found the
Arctostaphylos in full bloom. Carex eburnea abundant on the rocks in the wood
on the edge of the cliffs. [1865.] May 14. P.M. Wheelbarrow Point,
Erythronium albidum passing flower, could not find any Erigenia. Day brought in Carex pedunculata from a wood, or,
rather from where a wood, recently felled, had been, near the Cent. R. R.
cattle yards, 2 ‑3 miles from the City. He also found there Viola
rotundifolia. [1865.] May 15. Rowed down to Falconwood, towed
back by the Undine. The endogenous? [indigenous?] little plant (=Ranunculus
reptans) on the bank of Strawberry, above Little Bay, has not yet made its
appearance. The willows cultivated on the head of Grand Island (Salix
purpurea) was cut last year for the market, & the stumps are just putting
forth new shoots. Saw no signs of fructification. Collected some Floerkea.
[The Undine is a steam ship (ferry).] [1865.] May 19. Expressed a bundle of grasses,
Carices, ferns &c. to Hon. John Stanton Gould,
Hudson, N.Y. [1865.] May 22. Expressed package to Miss Rhoda
Waterbury, Schoharie, and to James L. Bennett, Providence, R.I. Walked out to Smoke's Creek. Collinsia verna
abundant, in the wood just above the R. R. bridge. Its inflorescence being
centripetal, it is in nice condition, flowers above, full sized fruit below.
Collected also Viola Canadensis (and, as I found out on the 30th, 1 specimen
of V. striata). Oryzopsis asperifolia, Vaccinium Pennsylvanicum, Carex
pubescens ?!, This season, until today, I have collected very little. I have
enjoyed grabbing mosses & sending them to Mr. Charles H. Peck, for
determination. And I have called several times on Addie Wilson, & enjoyed
ministering to her botanical tastes. God Almighty be thanked for this great goodness
to me this day! [1865.] May 23. P.M. Rode with Dr. Gay, to
Gennessee St. wood. A Carex and a Poa, noticed yesterday, which in their
immature state bother me, abound there. [1865.] May 25. Thursday. Mary made up a package
of plants, to be put in Express to morrow, for C. M. Tracy, Curator of
Botany, of the Essex Institute, care of Dr. Henry Wheatland, Secretary, Salem,
Massachusetts. Expressed it 26th. ['Mary' is Mary Wilson. Day wrote of her in the
Plants of Buffalo and its Vicinity, mentioned above: "Early in the
history of the Society, the investigation of our Lichens was generously
undertaken by Miss Mary L. Wilson, then of our city, now of Haverhill, Mass.
The success which attended her efforts in this difficult and neglected field,
is demonstrated by the very valuable collection of plants of that order,
constituting a part of the [Clinton] Herbarium. Miss Wilson has now enhanced
the value of her labors by preparing with her own hand the list of the
Lichens of Buffalo which makes a part of the Catalogue." (Day p. 74).] [1865.] May 28. Sunday. After dinner, walked on
Seneca St., to Cent. R. R., on that, to the Plank road, on that to 1st road
crossing it, on that, turning to the left, across the Conjocketies to next
cross road, on that, turning to the left, to Pine Hill road, & a little
beyond, & turned into the wood on the right, in the corner of that wood,
found genuine Sphagnum, & Drosera rotundifolia, also Carex disperma. Took
a moss or two. Cut through the wood to the Schanzlin Road. On that road, in
the front yard of Mr. Crocker, the milk‑man, found Fedia olitoria ?(!)
growing freely among the grass. Also, on the edge of a small garden, further
on, saw a thrifty single plant of the same, evidently spontaneous. Took the
street car at Schanzlin, & home by 6*20! [Probably the Main Street street car.] [1865.] May 29. Monday. Took 5 A.M. train to
Batavia, thence by 7 A.M. train, on Canandaigua & Niagara Falls R. R. to
Caledonia (17 miles) & the conductor, transportation] kindly carried me 2
1/2 or 3 miles further & let me off in the swamp. Entered it about 8 A.M.
Found Cypripedium parviflorum (=pubescens), but don't believe in the species.
The Poa of our wet woods, I think it is alsodes, although the branches of the
panicle are (often at least) in fives, common here, & quite a tall &
handsome grass, also Milium effusum, and Carex laxiflora v. patulifolia ?
& a Climacium. Gathered a little Equisetum scirpoides, but it is not in
fruit, & dosen't appear as though it had been, & ever would be.
Mitella nuda is in this swamp, & also in the one at Caledonia. Got back
to Caledonia at about noon, dined at Shaw's tavern. Walked in the wood
&c., in the left bank of the creek & back, & crossed to the swamp
on the right bank. A Carex, probably flava (!) abundant. The Salix candida is
in fruit, & the fruit frequently open, Lonicera oblongifolia & Potentill
fruticosa just beginning to flower. A leafless bush just beginning to show
heads of flower buds & terminal leaves. May be a Myrica or a Rhus: =
Myrica cerifera, male. The Juncus in this swamp may be Balticus (!), may be
filiformis, did not examine its rootstock. Must send it to Bebb, immature
though it be. From the swamp took the road & walked down to Seth
Green's. He was out fishing on the
stream. Took the 5*45' train & got home at about 7 1/2 P.M. Found some
specimens of Viola striata left by Day, I presume. Yes! Smoke's Creek wood.
[1865.] May 30. P.M. Walked with Day, turned
into the wood east of & this side of the tollgate, & so, through the
next copse, & by Ambrose's tavern, to Mr. Crocker's, collected more Fedia
olitoria, a garden umbellifer, = anise. Chaenophyllum sativum. Viola
tricolor, in his front yard, walked back a little way, & then turned to
the right, into the fields & copses, found Scirpus Clintonii abundant.
Then back, homeward, stopped in at Mr. Hodge's garden, & young Mr Hodge
gave me specimens of Aesculus Pavia, &c., a Cytisus? Mem. In Mr.
H.'s garden, to be obtained ‑ Althaea off's, as Day thinks, but I don't. Not
near flowering. The Scotch Thistle, neither Silybum nor
Chenopodium, = Echinopsis. Aristolochia tomentosa Cheiranthus Magnolia On the Plains also collected a specimen or two of
a dwarf oak, Staphylea, Lithospermum arvense, Erigeron bellidiflora, say Specularia, large. By Mr.
Forsyth's[e?] (the Granger place) gate, took specimen of Rhamnus cathartica
in flower, & of a small leaved Ulmus. [1865] May 31. P.M. In White's Grove, found
Scirpus planifolius, and a trailing Rubus (blackberry) which is not hispid,
& is much smaller than what I have taken for R. villosus v. humifusus. It
is R. canadensis. Took 1 or 2 specimens, & also collected some Viola
arvensis, Moehringia, Lathyrus ochroleucus &c. I can now distinguish
Crataegus coccinea & C. tomentosa. (think we have, of thelatter, vars.
pyrifolia & punctata. I don't believe we have Cerastium vulgatum. Walked on to the wood on Delaware St. In the
swamp, near the old house, Pyrus arbutifolia, quite tallish. Ought to get it
in fruit. On the edge of the swamp near Delaware St., plenty of Sphagnum,
took some. In damp ground, in the field south of the woods, a small red
fungus, took some. |
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Scientific names may be looked up in the online checklist of Western New York plants. Find genus names beginning with A - C D - K L - P Q - Z. |
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