Lewis and Clark - Letters - Letter to the Editor

American Forests, Autumn, 2003

Editor: I await eagerly the publication of American Forests as I find the articles informative and entertaining and the magazine a high quality publication. Imagine my horror to see on the opening page of "A Realm of American Originals" (Summer) two references to the Lewis & Clark expedition having occurred 300 years ago.

John H. Thomas

Bellevue, Washington

Editor: I have been doing closeup photographs of plants collected and/or described by Lewis and Clark from Lolo Pass to the Pacific Ocean and have studied the various references giving their names and dates. I also have consulted botanists from Oregon and Washington.

In "A Realm of American Originals" (Summer 03), the "Species Discovered" list should include netleaf hackberry (Celtis reticulata), peachleaf willow (Salix amygdaloides), and sandbar willow (S. exigua) under Washington, not Oregon. Three trees--Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), madrone (Arbutus menziesii), and big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) were not discovered by Lewis & Clark. Several plants on the list were misidentified by Thwaites and/or Coues.

Three trees are missing: cascara buckthorn (Rhamnus purshiana) and bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata), and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla).

Phyllis Reynolds

Portland, Oregon