The Lewis and Clark Herbarium

Plants Collected by Lewis and Clark

Nicotiana to Purshia

Pyrola asarifolia - image © James L. Reveal

Pyrola asarifolia Michx.
(Probably seen but not collected)

Nicotiana quadrivalvis, inflorescence - image © James L. Reveal Nicotiana quadrivalvis, flower - image © James L. Reveal

Nicotiana quadrivalvis, detail of flower - image © James L. Reveal Nicotiana quadrivalvis, fruits - image © James L. Reveal

Nicotiana quadrivalvis Pursh

Nicotiana quadrivalvis Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept.: 141. Dec (sero) 1813. (Solanaceae) - Indian tobacco. PH-LC 146 (Moulton 114). Obtained from Native Americans along the Missouri River above the Walworth-Campell Co. line in South Dakota on 12 Oct 1804.

Oenothera cespitosa Nutt.
Oenothera cespitosa Nutt., Cat. Pl. Upper Louisiana No. 53. Aug-Sep 1813. (Onagraceae) - tufted evening primrose. PH-LC 147 (Moulton 115a) and PH-LC 148, flower and leaf fragments in upper right-hand corner of the sheet (Moulton 115b). Collected possibly by Lewis between the Great Falls of the Missouri River in Cascade Co., Montana, the Teton River in Chouteau Co., Montana, or less likely by Clark along the Jefferson River in Jefferson Co. or Madison Co., Montana. The species was gathered on 17 Jul 1806. Synonymy: Oenothera scapigera Pursh.

Oligoneuron rigidum (L.) Small var. humile (Porter) G. L. Nesom
Oligoneuron rigidum var. humile (Porter) G. L. Nesom, Phytologia 75: 27. 1993. (Asteraceae) - low hard-leaf flat-top-goldenrod. PH-LC 205 (Moulton 161). Collected along the Missouri River of Charles Mix and Brule cos., South Dakota, perhaps on 12 Sep 1804 but possibly on 12 Sep 1806, and if so then gathered in Andrew Co., Missouri or at St. Michael's Prairie in Buchanan Co., Missouri, where the plant is not presently known to occur. Synonymy: Solidago rigida L. var. humilis Porter.

Orthocarpus tenuifolius (Pursh) Benth.
Orthocarpus tenuifolius (Pursh) Benth., Scroph. Ind.: 12. 1835. (Orobanchaceae) - thin-leaf owl-clover. PH-LC 149 (Moulton 116). The label data are confused. Collected perhaps at Travelers' Rest in Missoula Co., Montana, on 1 Jul 1806, or more likely along the western bank of the Bitterroot River and the Clark Fork of the Blackfoot River in Missoula Co., Montana, on 3 Jul 1806. Synonymy: Bartsia tenuifolia Pursh.

Oxytropis besseyi (Rydb.) Blank.
Oxytropis besseyi (Rydb.) Blank. in Mont. Coll. Agric. Sci. Stud., Bot. 1: 80. 1905. (Fabaceae) - Bessey's locoweeds. PH-LC 151 (Moulton 118a) and PH-LC 152 (Moulton 118b). Collected at or near Travelers' Rest in Missoula Co., Montana, on or about 2 Jul 1806, or more likely along the west bank of the Bitterroot River and the Clark Fork of the Blackfoot River in Missoula Co., Montana, on 3 Jul 1806. Synonymy: Oxytheca nana var. besseyi (Rydb.) Isley

Packera cana (Hook.) W. A. Weber & A. Löve
Packera cana (Hook.) W. A. Weber & A. Löve (Asteraceae) - silver-woolly groundsel. No extant material. Supposedly collected by Lewis and Clark on the "banks of the Missouri." The lost specimen could just as likely have been Pakera plattensis (Nutt.) W. A. Weber & A. Löve (prairie groundsel). Synonymy: Senecio canus Hook., S. plattensis Nutt.

Paxistima myrsinites (Pursh) Raf.
Paxistima myrsinites (Pursh) Raf., Sylva Tell.: 42. 1838. (Celastraceae) - Oregon boxleaf. PH-LC 153 (Moulton 119a), K (Moulton 119b) and PH-LC 154 (Moulton 119c). The first sheet and the left-hand specimen on the second was collected somewhere from Cape Disappointment to Seaview near the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Co., Washington, on 16 Nov 1805. The right-hand specimen on the second sheet and the third sheet was collected on the Lolo Trail, perhaps along a branch of Fish Creek, in Idaho Co., Idaho, on 16 Jun 1806. Synonymy: Ilex myrsinites Pursh.
Pedicularis cystopteridifolia Rydb. in Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 1: 365. 1900. (Antirrhinaceae) - fern-leaf lousewort. PH-LC 155 (Moulton 120), fragments in packet. Collected along the Blackfoot River in Powell Co., Montana, on 6 Jul 1806.

Pedicularis groenlandica Retz.
Pedicularis groenlandica Retz., Fl. Scand. Prodr., ed. 2: 145. 1795. (Antirrhinaceae) - bull elephant's-head. PH-LC 155 (Moulton 120), fragments mounted on the sheet. Collected probably near Kamiah, Idaho Co., Idaho, in late May of 1806 rather than along the Blackfoot River in Powell Co., Montana, on 6 Jul 1806 as Pursh (1813: 426) gives the location of the species as on "the low plains of the Columbia."

Pediomelum argophyllum Retz.
Pediomelum argophyllum (Pursh) J. W. Grimes in Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 61: 69. 1990. (Fabaceae) - silver-leaf Indian-breadroot. PH-LC 156 (Moulton 122a). Collected along the Missouri River below the mouth of Cannon Ball River in Sioux Co., North Dakota, on 17 Oct 1804. PH-LC 157 (Moulton 122b), traditionally considered a Lewis and Clark collection, was gathered by Nuttall on the upper Missouri River, probably in North Dakota, in 1811. Synonym: Psoralea argophylla Pursh.

Pediomelum esculentum (Pursh) Rydb.
Pediomelum esculentum (Pursh) Rydb. in N. Amer. Fl. 24: 20. 1919. (Fabaceae) - large Indian-breadroot. PH-LC 158 (Moulton 123). Collected possible at Calument Bluff in Cedar Co., Nebraska, on 31 Aug 1804. Synonymy: Psoralea esculenta Pursh.

Penstemon barrettiae A. Gray
Pennellianthus frutescens (Lamb.) Crosswh. in Crosswhite & Kawano, Amer. Midl. Naturalist 83: 362. 1770. (Antirrhinaceae) - Japanese beard-tongue. No extant specimen. It is not known what Pursh had before him when he indicated that Lewis had collected this species. As the taxon is endemic to eastern Asia, obviously Lewis found a true Penstemon. Penstemon barrettiae is one possible candidate. It is locally common near The Dalles and would have been just in flower when Lewis was in the area.

Penstemon fruticosus (Pursh) Greene
Penstemon fruticosus (Pursh) Greene in Pittonia 2: 239. 1892. (Antirrhinaceae) - shrub beardtongue. PH-LC 159 (Moulton 124). Collected along the Lolo Trail from near Lolo Creek to Eldorado Creek near the mouth of Lunch Creek in Idaho Co., Idaho, on 15 Jun 1806. Synonymy: Gerardia fruticosa Pursh, Penstemon lewisii Benth.

Penstemon wilcoxii Rydb.
Penstemon wilcoxii Rydb. in Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 28. 1901. (Antirrhinaceae) - Wilcox's beardtongue. PH-LC 160 (Moulton 125). Collected near Kamiah in Idaho Co., Idaho, on 20 May 1806.

Phacelia heterophylla Pursh
Phacelia heterophylla Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept.: 140. Dec (sero) 1813. (Hydrophyllaceae) - variable-leaf scorpion-weed. PH-LC 162 (Moulton 127a) and PH-LC 163 (Moulton 127b. Collected near Kamiah in Idaho Co., Idaho, on 9 Jun 1806.

Phacelia linearis Rydb.
Phacelia linearis (Pursh) Holz. in Contr. U.S. Natl. Herb. 3: 242. 1895. (Hydrophyllaceae) - thread-leaf scorpion-weed. PH-LC 164 (Moulton 128). Collected along the Columbia River at Rock Fort Camp near The Dalles in Wasco Co., Oregon, on 17 Apr 1806. Synonymy: Hydrophyllum lineare Pursh.

Philadelphus lewisii Pursh
Philadelphus lewisii Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept.: 329. Dec (sero) 1813. PH-LC 165 (Moulton 129). (Hydrangeaceae) - Lewis' mock orange. The left-hand specimen was collected along the Clearwater River between the mouth of the Potlatch River and Pine Creek in Nez Perce Co., Idaho, on 6 May 1806. The right-hand specimen was collected along the banks of the Clark Fork of the Blackfoot River near present-day Missoula, Missoula Co., Montana, on 4 Jul 1806.

Phlox speciosa Nutt.
Phlox speciosa Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept.: 149. Dec (sero) 1813. (Polemoniaceae) - showy phlox, bush phlox. PH-LC 166 (Moulton 130a) and K (Moulton 130b). Collected along the Clearwater River between Pine Creek and Big Canyon Creek, Nez Perce Co., Idaho, on 7 May 1806.

Phyllodoce empetriformis (Sw.) D. Don
Phyllodoce empetriformis (Sw.) D. Don in Edinb. New Philos. J. 17: 160. 1834 (Ericaceae) - pink mountain-heath. No extant material. Pursh (1813: 264) cited Lewis material from "On the Rocky-mountains and near the mouth of Columbia river" under Menziesia empetriformis Sm. Inasmuch as this is a high elevation species the latter location is most unlikely. Much more likely is that Lewis and Clark found the plant in the mountains of central Idaho or in the Bitterroots on the border of Montana.

Physocarpus capitatus (Pursh) Kuntze
Physocarpus capitatus (Pursh) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 1: 219. 1891. (Rosaceae) - Pacific ninebark. No extant material. Collected apparently either at Fort Clatsop, Clatsop Co., Oregon, on 1Dec 1805, or more likely along the Columbia River perhaps in Columbia Co., Oregon, or Wahkiakum Co., Washington, on 25 Mar 1806, as Pursh (1813: 149) said he saw "imperfect specimen ... gathered on the Columbia." Synonymy: Spiraea capitata Pursh.

Pinus ponderosa C. Lawson
var. ponderosa (upper l), var. scopulorum Engelm. in S. Watson
Pinus ponderosa C. Lawson var. scopulorum Engelm. in S. Watson, Bot. Calif. 2: 126. 1880. (Pinaceae) - Rocky Mountain ponderosa pine. PH-LC 167 (Moulton 131a) and PH-LC 168 (Moulton 131b). Collected along the Clearwater River near the mouth of the North Fork of the Clearwater River in Clearwater Co., Idaho, on 1 Oct 1805.

Plagiobothrys tenellus (Nutt. ex Hook.) A. Gray
Plagiobothrys tenellus (Nutt. ex Hook.) A. Gray in Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 20: 283. 1885. (Boraginaceae) - Pacific popcorn-flower. PH-LC 169 (Moulton 132). Collected along the Columbia River at Rock Fort Camp near The Dalles in Wasco Co., Oregon, on 17 Apr 1806.

Poa secunda J. Presl
Poa secunda J. Presl in C. Presl, Reliq. Haenk. 1: 271. 1830 (Poaceae). - Canby's blue grass. PH-LC 170 (Moulton 133). The phase of this complex species gathered by Lewis along the trail toward Weippe Prairie northeast of Kamiah in Idaho Co., Idaho, on 10 Jun 1806 is sometimes called P. canbyi (Scribn.) Howell (Fl. N.W. Amer. 1: 764. 1903). A second Lewis collection obtained in north central Montana on 29 Aug 1806 recently was discovered at the Royal Botanic Garden in Kew, England, in 2005. Based on the Kew sheet, Pursh described Aira brevifolia Pursh (Fl. Amer. Sept.: 76. Dec (sero) 1813), a name that could not be used in the genus Poa.
Polanisia dodecandra (L.) DC. subsp. trachysperma (Torr. & A. Gray) Iltis in Rhodora 68: 47. 1966. PH-LC 171 (Moulton 134). (Capparaceae) - broad-seeded red-whisker clamyweed. Collected along the Missouri River near Vermillion, in Clay Co., South Dakota, on 25 Aug 1804.

Polemonium pulcherrimum Hook.
Polemonium pulcherrimum Hook. in Bot. Mag. 57: ad t. 2979. 1830. (Polemoniaceae) - beautiful Jacob's-ladder. PH-LC 172 (Moulton 135). Collected along the Lolo Trail near Hungery Creek in Idaho Co., Idaho, on 27 Jun 1806.
Polygala alba Nutt., Gen. N. Amer. Pl. 2: 87. 1818. (Polygalaceae) - white milkwort. PH-LC 173 (Moulton 136). Collected either by Lewis on the south shore of the Missouri River, opposite Williston, in McKenzie Co., North Dakota, or by Clark along the Missouri River in McKenzie Co. at a site now under Garrison Reservoir. The collection was gathered on 10 Aug 1806. Synonymy: Polygala senega L. var. tenuifolia Pursh.

Polygonum bistortoides Pursh
Polygonum bistortoides Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept.: 271. Dec (sero) 1813. (Polygonaceae) - American bistort. PH-LC 174 (Moulton 137). Collected on the Jim Ford Creek of the Clearwater River on the Weippe Prairie in Clearwater Co., Idaho, on 12 Jun 1806. Synonymy: Bistorta bistortoides (Pursh) Small

Populus balsamifera L. subsp. trichocarpa (Torr. & A. Gray ex Hook.) Brayshaw
Populus balsamifera L. subsp. trichocarpa (Torr. & A. Gray ex Hook.) Brayshaw in Canad. Field-Naturalist 79: 95. 1965. (Salicaceae) - black cottonwood. PH-LC 175 (Moulton 138). The label data are confusing relative to journal notes written by Lewis. Collected possibly along the Columbia River in May, in Idaho in Jun , or most likely at Travelers' Rest in Missoula Co., Montana, on 2 Jul 1806. Synonymy: Populus trichocarpa Torr. & A. Gray ex Hook.

Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall subsp. monilifera (Ait.) Eckenw.
Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall subsp. monilifera (Ait.) Eckenw. in J. Arnold Arbor. 58: 204. 1977. PH-LC 176 (Moulton 139). (Salicaceae) - plains cottonwood. Collected somewhere along the Missouri River on the upper Great Plains from Montana to Nebraska in Aug 1806. Synonymy: Populus deltoides var. occidentalis Rydb.
Potentilla pensylvanica L. var. strigosa Pursh, Fl. Amer. Sept.: 356. Dec (sero) 1813. (Rosaceae) - hairy Pennsylvania cinqfoil. No extant material. Probably collected somewhere along the Missouri River on the upper Great Plains, but when and where is unknown.

Prunus emarginata (Douglas ex Hook.) Eaton.
Prunus emarginata (Douglas ex Hook.) Eaton., Man. bot. ed. 7:463. 1836. (Rosaceae) - bitter cherry. PH-LC 178 (Moulton 140). Collected near Kamiah in Idaho Co., Idaho, on 29 May 1806.

Prunus pensylvanica L.f.
Prunus pensylvanica L. f., Suppl. pl. 252. 1782. (Rosaceae) - pin cherry. PH-LC 180 (Moulton 141b). Collected along the Missouri River below the mouth of White Earth River in Mountrail Co., North Dakota, on 10 Aug 1806. Synonymy: Cerasus pensylvanicus (L. f.) Loisel.

Prunus virginiana L. var. melanocarpa (A. Nelson) Sarg.
Prunus virginiana L. var. melanocarpa (A. Nelson) Sarg. in J. Arnold Arbor. 2: 117. 1920. (Rosaceae) - western chokecherry, black chokecherry. PH-LC 179 (Moulton 141a). Collected near Kamiah in Idaho Co., Idaho, on 29 May 1806. Synonymy: Padus virginianus (L.) Mill. subsp. melanocarpus (A. Nelson) W. A. Weber

Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) A. Löve
Pseudoroegneria spicata (Pursh) A. Löve in Taxon 29: 168. 1980. (Poaceae) - bluebunch wheatgrass. PH-LC 181 (Moulton 142). Collected along the trail toward Weippe Prairie northeast of Kamiah in Idaho Co., Idaho, on 10 Jun 1806. Synonymy: Agropyron spicatum (Pursh) Scribn. & J. G. Sm., Festuca spicata Pursh.

Pseudotsuga menziesii L. var. menziesii (Nutt.) Piper
Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco in Bol. Soc. Brot., Ser. 2, 24: 74. 1950. (Pinaceae) - Douglas-fir. No extant material. Lewis and Clark made several references to this species in their journals, observing both the coastal var. menziesii and the more inland var. glauca (Beissn.) Franco (Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir). If a collection was made it is now lost.

Psoralidium tenuiflorum (Pursh) Rydb.
Psoralidium tenuiflorum (Pursh) Rydb. in N. Amer. Fl. 24: 15. 1919. (Fabaceae) - slender-flower lemonweed. PH-LC 183 (Moulton 144a) and PH-LC 184 (Moulton 144b). Collected at the Big Bend of the Missouri River in Lyman Co., South Dakota, on 21 Sep 1804. Synonymy: Psoralea tenuiflora Pursh. It has been traditional to assume a sheet of Psoralidium lanceolatum (Pursh) Rydb. (=Psoralea lanceolata Pursh or wild lemonweed), namely PH-LC 182 (Moulton 143), to be a Lewis and Clark collection. The specimens were actually gathered by Thomas Nuttall in 1811.

Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC. ex Poir.
Purshia tridentata (Pursh) DC. ex Poir. in Lamarck, Encycl. Suppl. 4(2): 623. 1816. (Rosaceae) - bitterbrush. PH-LC 185 (Moulton 145), fragment at GH. The only sheet was collected in Nevada Valley, Powell Co., Montana, on 6 Jul 1806. Pursh (1813) indicated the plant was also found along "the Columbia river." Synonymy: Tigarea tridentata Pursh.

The photographs here are by James L. Reveal and by A. Scott Earle. Those taken by Reveal were for The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia as part of the Save America's Treasures Program of the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historical Preservation, and the Institute for Museum and Library Services to protect the priceless specimens found by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. In the spring of 2003, a book by Earle and Reveal entitled Lewis and Clark's Green World: The Expedition and its Plants was published by Farcountry Press. A CD by Earle E. Spamer and Richard M. McCourt, entitled Lewis and Clark Herbarium (CD) and also published in 2003, is available from the Academy of Natural Sciences. For a full array of the plants seen or collected by Lewis and Clark see Images of plants seen or collected by Lewis & Clark made by Reveal. For information on all aspects of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, see Discovering Lewis & Clark.

All images are copyrighted by the photographers and their use, for any purpose, requires written approval.

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For more information contact Dr. James L. Reveal at jlr326@cornell.edu

Text modified from The Lewis and Clark collections of vascular plants: Names, types and comments by J.L. Reveal, A.E. Schuyler, & G.E. Moulton published in the Proceeding of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (149: 1-64. 1999).
Page created by James L. Reveal, A. Scott Earle, Richard M. McCourt and Earle E. Spamer

Posted 17 Sep 2001, revised 6 Feb 2008