List of species described by the Lewis and Clark Expedition
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Frederick Pursh
for $70 to do the complex task of describing 124 of his collections, which Pursh did and published in 1814.
Animals
Mammals
- Discovered (for the first time by European Americans):
- Cynomys ludovicianus)
- Neotoma cinerea)
- Ursus arctos horribilis)
- Odocoileus hemionus)
- Vulpes velox)
- Lepus townsendii)
- Described:
- Taxidea taxus)
- Castor canadensis)
- Ovis canadensis auduboni)
- Bison bison)
- Ursus americanus)
- Spermophilus columbianus)
- Canis latrans)
- Sylvilagus floridanus)
- Sciurus niger)
- Cervus canadensis)
- Sciurus carolinensis)
- Canis lupus)
- Mustela frenata)
- Fiber zibethicus)
- Puma concolor)
- Thomomys talpoides)
- Lontra canadensis)
- Blarina brevicauda)
- Odocoileus hemionus columbianus)
- Erethizon dorsatum)
- Vulpes vulpes)
- Spermophilus richardsonii)
- Mephitis mephitis)
- Spermophilus tridecemlineatus)
- Odocoileus virginianus)
Birds
- Discovered (for the first time by European Americans):
- Nucifraga columbiana)
- Phalaenoptilus nuttallii)
- Centrocercus urophasianus)
- Sterna antillarum athalassos)
- Melanerpes lewis)
- Described:
- Corvus brachyrhynchos)
- Carduelis tristis)
- Falco sparverius)
- Turdus migratorius)
- Pelecanus erythrorhynchos)
- Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
- Riparia riparia)
- Ceryle alcyon)
- Pluvialis squatarola)
- Dendragapus obscurus)
- Cyanocitta cristata)
- Euphagus cyanocephalus)
- Molothrus ater)
- Branta canadensis)
- Conuropsis carolinensis)
- Bombycilla cedrorum)
- Petrochelidon pyrrhonota)
- Charadrius melodus)
- Columbian sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus)
- Chordeiles minor)
- Corvus corax)
- Tyrannus tyrannus)
- Ardea herodias)
- Ardea alba)
- Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus)
- Aquila chrysaetos)
- Bubo virginianus)
- Picoides villosus)
- Eremophila alpestris)
- Charadrius vociferus)
- Chondestes grammacus)
- Lanius ludovicianus)
- Numenius americanus)
- Anas platyrhynchos)
- Mergus serrator)
- Zenaida macroura)
- Colaptes auratus)
- Circus cyaneus) - tentative
- Pandion haliaetus)
- Ectopistes migratorius)
- Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus)
- Charadrius melodus)
- Tympanuchus phasianellus jamesi)
- Melanerpes erythrocephalus)
- Buteo jamaicensis)
- Agelaius phoeniceus)
- Bonasa umbellus)
- Grus canadensis)
- Chen caerulescens)
- Anthus spragueii)
- Bartramia longicauda)
- Sturnella neglecta)
- Caprimulgus vociferus)
- Grus americana)
- Meleagris gallopavo)
- Catoptrophorus semipalmatus)
- Aix sponsa)
Reptiles
- Western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis)
- Heterodon nasicus)
- Bull snake (Pituophis catenifer)
- Apalone spinifera)
- Thamnophis elegans vagrans)
- Phrynosoma)
Fish
- Discovered (for the first time by European Americans):
- Ictalurus furcatus)
- Ictalurus punctatus)
- Hiodon alosoides)
- Mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni)
- White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus)
- Described:
- Cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki)
- Westslope cutthroat trout (O. c. lewisi)
- Coastal cutthroat trout (O. c. clarki)
- Catostomus catostomus)
- Stizostedion canadensis)
Plants
The plants listed below were indeed collected by Lewis, but a number of them (at least those marked with *******, were previously collected and described or were not described from the Lewis collections and therefore are not considered to be the first for science. For an accurate list see [2] and [3]
- Discovered (for the first time by European Americans):
- Sarcobatus vermiculatus)
- Blue flax (Linum lewisii)
- Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argentea)
- Curly-top gumweed (Grindelia squarrosa)
- Fringed sagebrush (Artemisia ludoviciana)
- Indian tobacco (Nicotiana quadrivalvis)
- Lanceleaf sage (Salvia reflexa)
- Shadscale (Atriplex canescens)
- Snow-on-the-mountain (Euphorbia marginata)
- White milkwort (Polygala alba)
- Aster oblongifolius)
- squaw bush (Rhus aromatica)
- Bearberry also called kinnikinnick (Arctostaphylos uva-ursi)
- Bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa)
- Broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae)
- Canada milk-vetch (Astragalus canadensis)
- Common horsetail, also called scouring rush (Equisetum arvense)
- Common juniper (Juniperus communis)
- Mimulus guttatus)
- Creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis)
- Dwarf sagebrush (Artemisia cana)
- Eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides)
- False indigo (Amorpha fruticosa)
- Fire-on-the-mountain (Euphorbia cyathophora)
- Golden currant (Ribes aureum)
- Large-flowered clammyweed (Polanisia dodecandra trachysperma)
- Long-leaved sagebrush also called mugwort (Artemisia longifolia)
- Anemone canadensis)
- Needle-and-thread grass also called porcupine grass (Hesperostipa comata)
- Pasture sagewort (Artemisia frigida)
- Prunus pennsylvanica)
- Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa)
- Purple coneflower (Echinacea angustifolia)
- Purple prairie-clover (Petalostemon purpurea or Dalea purpurea)
- Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa; formerly Chrysothamnus nauseosus)
- Raccoon grape (Ampelopsis cordata)
- Rigid goldenrod (Solidago rigida)
- Cleome serrulata)
- large button snakeroot (Liatris aspera)
- Artemisia dracunculus)
- Spiny goldenweed (Machaeranthera pinnatifida or Haplopappus spinulosus)
- Thick-spike gayfeather also called prairie button snakeroot (Liatris pycnostachya)
- Rocky Mountain juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)
- Wild four-o'clock (Mirabilis nyctaginea)
- Zizania palustris)
- Wild rose (Rosa arkansana)
See also
References
Sources
- Paul A. Johnsgard. "Lewis and Clark on the Great Plains: A Natural History".
- H. Wayne Phillips (2003). Plants of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. ISBN 978-0-87842-477-1.
- Paul R. Cutright & Paul A. Johnsgard (2003). Lewis and Clark: Pioneering Naturalists (2nd ed.). ISBN 978-0-8032-6434-2.
- V. C. Holmgren (1984). "Birds of the Lewis and Clark journals". We Proceeded On. 10 (2–3). Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation: 17–22.
- The Journey - Science. "U.S. National Park Service - Experience Your America." <http://www.nps.gov/archive/jeff/lewisclark2/CorpsOfDiscovery/Preparing/Science.htm>.