| Thomas Jefferson was the United States minister | | | | Americanus; Candleberry myrtle, Myrica cerifera." |
| to France following the great American, Benjamin | | | | Oak trees were valuable to the early colonists for |
| Franklin in 1785. While acting as the French | | | | use in building houses, furniture, tools and fuels, |
| minister to the United States, Jefferson surveyed | | | | Jefferson listed these as: "Black Oak, Quercus |
| crops of agriculture in France searching for fruit | | | | nigra; White Oak, Quercus alba; Red oak, Quercus |
| trees, nut trees, grape vines, berry plants, and | | | | rubra; Willow Oak, Quercus phellos; Chestnut Oak, |
| many other potentially useful crops that might be | | | | Quercus prinus; Black jack Oak, Quercus aquatica, |
| commercially grown in the United States. Many of | | | | Clayton, Query?; Ground Oak, Quercus pumila, |
| these seed plants and trees were exported to | | | | Clayton; Live Oak, Quercus Virginiana, Millar; |
| the American colonists and planters for | | | | Many flowering trees were planted in Thomas |
| experimental growing on United States farms and | | | | Jefferson's garden estate at Monticello, such as |
| plantations. In exchange to the French, many | | | | Dogwood trees, Grancy Greybeard, Redbud tree |
| native plants of the United States were exported | | | | and Locust trees listed as: "Wild pimento, Laurus |
| to France and Europe for testing. Plants and trees | | | | benzoin; Sassafras, Laurus sassafras; Locust, |
| such as red, and black raspberries, scuppernong | | | | Robinia pseudo-acacia; Honey-locust, Gleiditsia la; |
| grapevines, muscadine grape vines, pecan tree | | | | Dogwood, Cornus florida; Fringe or snowdrop |
| seed, Citrus seed, and plants such as mutated | | | | tree, Chionanthus virginica; Redbud, or Judas-tree, |
| cultivars of orange, lime, grapefruit, kumquat, | | | | Cercis, canadensis." |
| lemon, and tangerine, that centuries before had | | | | The importance of evergreens was obvious to |
| been introduced by the Spanish colonists into | | | | Thomas Jefferson, and he listed them as: "Black |
| Florida from Europe and Africa. Grains such as | | | | or pitch-pine, Pinus taeda; White pine, Pinus |
| corn and the famous American tobacco products | | | | strobus; Yellow pine, Pinus Virgincia; Spruce pine, |
| were also favorite imports to Europe. The Indian | | | | Pinus foliis singularibus, Clayton; Hemlock spruce fir, |
| Blood peach tree produced exceptional fruit, even | | | | Pinus Canadensis; Aborvitae , Thuya occidentalis; |
| from planted seed, and American grapevines, wild | | | | Juniper, Juniperus virginica (called cedar with us) |
| plum and cherry trees were used as root stock | | | | Cypress Cupressus disticha; White cedar, |
| for grafting fruit trees and grapevines. Mulberry | | | | Cupressus Thyoides." |
| trees, pawpaw trees, and strawberry plants were | | | | Jefferson reported that many cash agricultural |
| also exciting new plant introductions into Europe. | | | | crops of America were of native or mysterious |
| American native nut trees such as the American | | | | origin that included: "Tobacco, Nicotiana; Maize, Zea |
| chestnut, Castanea dentata, and the Chinquapin | | | | Mays; Round potatoes, Solanum tuberosum; |
| nut, Castanea pumila, as well as many species of | | | | Pumpkins, (Squash) Cucurbita pepo; Cymlings, |
| Hickory trees, Pecan trees (Carya illinoinenis), | | | | Cucurbita verrucosa; Squashes, Cucurbita |
| several species of walnut trees including Juglans | | | | melopepo" |
| nigra, and the American filbert, Corylus americana | | | | Besides the production of crops from native |
| (Hazlenut) were all received for commercial | | | | plants, Jefferson wrote that American farms |
| agricultural testing in European countries. | | | | produced: "wheat, rye, barley, oats, buckwheat, |
| Thomas Jefferson made a note on his plant | | | | broom corn, and Indian corn, rice, tobacco, hemp, |
| interests to the State of Virginia in the year 1787 | | | | flax, cotton and indigo." |
| #VI, "A notice of the mines and other | | | | Long and the round potatoes, "turnips, carrots, |
| subterranean riches, its trees, plants, fruits, etc." | | | | parsneps, pumpkins, ground nuts." Ground nuts |
| with his interests in "the orchards produce apples, | | | | were today's peanut, Arachis hypogaea. |
| pears, cherries, quinces, peaches, nectarines, | | | | Thomas Jefferson listed many grasses and grains |
| apricots, almonds, and plumbs." Thomas Jefferson | | | | in his report to include: "Lucerne, St. Foin, Burnet, |
| was also a learned botanist who could intelligently | | | | Timothy, ray and orchard grass, red, white and |
| discuss the fruit trees, berry plants, grapevines, | | | | yellow clover, greenswerd, blue grass, and crab |
| and nut trees in the Latinzed, scientific language | | | | grass, Panic, Panicum of many species; Indian |
| with the agricultural elite authorities of his time. In | | | | millet, Holcus laxus; Holcus striosus; Wild oat, |
| his writing to the state of Virginia, he wrote: | | | | Zizania aquatica; Wild pea, Dolichas of Clayton; |
| "Scarlet strawberries, Fragaria Virginiana of Millar; | | | | Lupine, Lupinus perennis; Wild hop, Humulus lupulus." |
| Whortleberries, Vaccinium uliginosum; Wild | | | | Thomas Jefferson reported that American |
| gooseberies, Ribes grossularia; Cranberries, | | | | gardens were producing in the year 1787; "Musk |
| Vaccinium oxycoccus; Black raspberries, Rubus | | | | melons, water melons, tomatas, okra, |
| occidentalis; Blackberries, Rubus fruticosus; | | | | pomegranates, figs, and the esculent plants of |
| Dewberries, Rubus caesius; Cloud-berries, Rubus | | | | Europe, Jerusalem artichoke, Helianthus tuberosus; |
| chamaemorus." | | | | Long potatoes, Convolvulas batatas;" |
| About native wild and escaped plants, trees, and | | | | Various ornamental plants such as flowering |
| vines, Jefferson reported on wild fruits like | | | | Sweetshrub, Poke Weed Salad, Passion Flower, |
| Elderberry, Elder, Sambucus nigra; Papaw, Annona | | | | Jerusalem Artichoke and Tuckshoe were: "Upright |
| triloba" and the mulberry, proper for its food, | | | | honeysuckle, Azalea nudiflora; Calycanthus floridus; |
| grows kindly, pomegranates and figs. Wild cherry, | | | | American aloe, Agave Virginica; Sumach Rhus, Qu |
| Prunus Virginiana, Cherokee plumb, Punus | | | | species?; Poke, Phytolacca decandra; Itea |
| sylvestris fructu majori, Wild plumb, Prunus | | | | Virginica; Granadillas, Maycocks, Maracocks, |
| sylvestris fructu minori, Clayton, Wild crab-apple, | | | | Passiflora incarnata; Tuchahoe, Lycoperdon tuber." |
| Pyrus coronaria; red mulberry, Morus rubra; | | | | Thomas Jefferson reported useful vines: "Ivy, |
| Persimmon, Diospyros Virginiana. | | | | Hedera quinquefolia, Trumpet honeysuckle, Yellow |
| Thomas Jefferson had a great interest in timber | | | | jasmine, Bignonia sempervirens." and the |
| trees from which lumber was made into dwellings, | | | | seemingly insignificant "Long Moss, Tillandsia |
| furniture, tools, fuel, etc. He reported: "Black birch, | | | | Usneoides" |
| Betula nigra; White birch, Betula alba; Beach, Fagus | | | | Medicinal herbs such as Datura, Marshmallow, |
| sylvatica; Ash, Fraxinus Americana; Fraxinus | | | | Ginseng and Jimson Weed were reported along |
| Novae Angliae, Millar; Elm, Ulmus Americana, | | | | with: "Senna, Cassia Ligustrina; Arsmart, |
| Willow, Salix Query species?; Sweet Gum, | | | | Polygonum Sagittatum; Clivers, or goose-grass, |
| Liquidamber styaciflua. Plane-tree, Platanus | | | | Galium spurium; Lobelia of several species; Palma |
| cooidentalis; Poplar liriodendron tulipifera; Populus | | | | Christi, Ricinus; James-town weed, Datura |
| heterophylla; Black poplar, Populus nigra; Aspen, | | | | Stramonium; Mallow, Mallow rotundifolia; Syrian |
| Populus tremulus; Linden or lime, Tilia Americana; | | | | mallow, Hibiscus moschentos; Hibiscus virginicus; |
| Red flowering maple, Acer rubrum; | | | | Indian mallow, Sida rhombifolia; Sida abutilon; |
| Horse-chestnut, or Buck's-eye, Aesculus pavia; | | | | Virginia Marshmallow, Napaea hermaphrodita; |
| Catalpa, Bignonia catalpa; Umbrella, Magnolia | | | | Napaea dioica; Indian physic, Spiraea trifoliata; |
| tripetala; Swamp laurel, Magnolia glauca; | | | | Euphoria Ipecacuanhae; Pleurisy root, Asclepias |
| Cucumber-tree, Magnolia acuminata; Portugal bay, | | | | decumbens, Virginia snake-root, Aristolochia |
| Laurus indica; Red Bay, Laurus borbonia; | | | | serpentaria, Black snake-root, Actaea racemosa; |
| Dwarf-rose bay, Rhododendron maxiumum; Laurel | | | | Seneca rattlesnake-root, Polygala Senega; |
| of the Western country, Qu. species?" | | | | Valerian, Valeriana locusta radiata; Gentiana |
| A group of smaller trees reported by Jefferson | | | | Saponaria, Villosa and Centaurium; Ginseng, Panax |
| was "Holly, Ilex aquifolium, Cockspur hawthorn, | | | | quinquefolium; Angelica, Angelica sylvestris; |
| Crataegus coccinea; Spindle-tree, Euronymus | | | | Casava, Jatropha urens. |
| Europaeus; Evergreen spindle tree, Euonymus | | | | |