▁short iana . ▁Short ▁was ▁considered ▁to ▁be ▁the ▁most ▁well - known ▁botan ist ▁west ▁of ▁the ▁Al leg hen ies ▁during ▁the ▁middle ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 th ▁century . ▁ ▁In ▁addition , ▁Short ▁discovered ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁species ▁of ▁plants . ▁These ▁include ▁the ▁Kentucky ▁p ear l wort ▁( St ell aria ▁font inal is ) ▁and ▁the ▁top - pod ▁water ▁l illy ▁( L ud wig ia ▁poly car p ia ). ▁He ▁also ▁discovered ▁Care x ▁short iana ▁and ▁Sol id ago ▁short ii , ▁which ▁are ▁both ▁named ▁after ▁him . ▁ ▁Short ' s ▁most ▁significant ▁writing ▁related ▁to ▁the ▁field ▁of ▁bot any ▁in ▁Kentucky ▁is ▁A ▁Catalog ▁of ▁the ▁Native ▁Ph a en og am ous ▁Pl ants ▁and ▁Fern s ▁of ▁Kentucky . ▁The ▁original ▁work ▁was ▁written ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 3 , ▁but ▁four ▁add itions ▁were ▁written ▁over ▁the ▁next ▁few ▁years . ▁The ▁work ▁describes ▁a ▁total ▁of ▁approximately ▁ 1 3 0 0 ▁species ▁of ▁plant . ▁Short ▁also ▁wrote ▁about ▁plant ▁life ▁specifically ▁in ▁the ▁vic inity ▁of ▁Lex ington , ▁Kentucky . ▁This ▁work ▁was ▁written ▁in ▁ 1 8 2 8 ▁and ▁ 1 8 2 9 . ▁Another ▁work ▁he ▁wrote ▁was ▁a ▁history ▁of ▁western ▁American ▁bot any , ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 6 . ▁He ▁had ▁plans ▁to ▁create ▁with ▁Robert ▁Peter ▁and ▁Henry ▁Gr is w old ▁an ▁illustrated ▁work ▁describing ▁the ▁plant ▁life ▁of