d02 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM, 
VICIACEAE. 
THE PEDICELED SPECIES OF PAROSELA IN MEXICO. 
The genus Dalea was first described by Linnwus in 1737, in his 
Hortus Cliffortianus and also in his Genera Plantarum of the same 
year. In his Species Plantarum of 1753 it was reduced to Psoralea, 
where it remained until revived by Jussieu in 1789 (although he 
included in it what we now know as Kuhnistera). It was again taken 
up by Ventenat in 1799, by Cramer in 1803, and by Willdenow also 
in 1803. ‘The last author and date are usually quoted as authority and 
beginning of the restored Dalea. 
If this were the full history of Dalea we should have little trouble, 
for the only question would then be as to authority and date of restor- 
ation, 
In the meantime, however, two other authors used the name Dalea 
for other genera, viz, P. Brown in 1756 and Gaertner in L788, on 
account of which, according to our usage regarding homonyms, the 
restored Dalea of Linneus can not be used. 
This is assuming that we begin our genericand specific nomenclature 
with 1753, which date has received the sanction of two influential bodies 
of American botanists the past vear, which thus reaffirm the decision 
of the international botanical congress of 1892. If, however, we go 
back of 1753 for our starting point with genera, as some able botanists 
hold firmly that we ought to do and as in some cases there is good 
ground for doing, then the Dualea of Linneus should still stand. The 
Berlin botanists hold to the name Dalea on the ground that it) has 
been long in use. There is still a third way in which Dalea L. can be 
maintained and this purely on the principle of priority, viz, because 
Linneus published Dalea as a homonym of Psoralea dalea. This 
technical ground might be resorted to for the preservation of the name 
were it not that a careful examination of other similar cases in  Lin- 
neus’s Species Plantarum shows that many of our well-known genera 
would be thrown into confusion by a like procedure. 
After a careful consideration of all the arguments both for and 
against Dalea, I have come to the conclusion that the name should be 
given up. This will require the use of Parosela of Cavanilles, which 
name has already been used by several American botanists. 
For several years past I have been studying the Mexican species of 
Parosela and collecting a large amount of material, with the intention 
of presenting asvnopsis of the genus at an early date. There has long 
been a feeling among botanists that this genus was badly in need of a 
reyision. The late Mr. Walpole was preparing for me drawings of the 
foliage and of dissections of the flowers, and had already thus figured 
167 species, Although there is a great amount of material on hand 
