Excerpt from Botanical Bulletin, Vol. 1: November, 1875
Querci near Hanover, Ind. - In my botanical tramps this fall I have been very much attracted, and in fact, charmed by the oaks of this neighborhood. For some unaccountable reason these noble trees have never been satisfactorily determined. Many botanists have gone prowling around peering into every imaginable nook and corner for fear some diminutive little member of the vegetable kingdom may escape them, although it may be of no use to any one except a botanist. They never think of looking over their heads and studying the grander works of the plant kingdom, and of learning the names of things not only interesting to themselves but to every intelligent citizen in the land. I have met botanists who had on their tongues' ends the name of every shrub and herb, but who would have been compelled to yield to almost any intelligent farmer's boy if asked to name the trees. With the aid of a botanical friend I determined to give the trees of this region such an overhauling as they had never enjoyed. In the flora of Jefferson county, contained in the Report of the Indiana State Geological Survey for 1870, five Querci were reported for the county. In the list for 1874 the number was increased to six. We are now able to report with certainty nine species of the genus Quercus growing within an hour's walk of Hanover and hope to be able to report others from the county. The species are Quercus alba, L., Q. maerocarpa, Mx., Q. bicolor, Willd., Q. Prinus, L., var. acuminata, Mx., Q. imbricaria, Mx., Q. coccinea, Wang., Q. coccinea, Wang., var. tinctoria, Gr., Q. rubra, L., Q. palustris, DuRoi. Q. alba is by far the most common and valuable species. Q. palustris is used considerably for making clapboards and is one of the best marked species of the genus. The acorns are much smaller than those of any other of our species, are beautifully striped with paler lines and grow in most wonderful profusion. We noticed a tree upon which they were hanging in perfect clusters. It is reported that Q. maerocarpa is used for making shingles but I cannot vouch for the truth of this statement. - Ed.
Aster Nov?-Angll?, L. - This large and beautiful Aster is found growing spontaneously in this neighborhood. It sometimes attains a height of eight feet, showing that the conditions of soil and climate are very favorable for its development. I have noted two things about this species that are not mentioned in any description I have seen. Thee first thing noticed when analyzing the flower was the strong, and to me, offensive odor coming from the heads, especially when bruised. I have been unable to decide what the odor most resembles, and think it must be sui generis. It is a little like camphor or turpentine, and probably is a mixture of several strong-smelling hydrocarbons. It is so characteristic that if a head of the plant was brought to me in the dark I could at once pronounce it to be A. Nov?-Angli?. It is a pity that in dried specimens the fragrance is lost. Many plant odors are very characteristic, but are never mentioned because the plants have been described from dried specimens and the discoverer has made no note of the fact. Besides the odor of the plant just mentioned, I, call to mind the delightful fragrance of Coreopsis tripteris, L., the heads of which exhale most decidedly the odor of mignonette.
The second point noticed in regard to A. Nov?-Angli?, was the wilting and folding in of the rays after sunset. I tried to get some good specimens one evening after sunset but could not find a single head among the hundreds I saw that did not look hopelessly wilted. This is one of the finest illustrations of the so-called "sleep of plants" to be seen in this region. - Ed.
Notes on certain species of the genus Asplenium. - This genus of Filices figures somewhat largely here when compared with other genera, not only in its number of species, and their distribution, but a. Это и многое другое вы найдете в книге Botanical Bulletin, Vol. 1