STANDLEY REVISION OF CICHORIACEOUS GENERA. 353 



De Candolle, and later Bentham, suggests that the name was probably 

 based upon T. virginicus and T. dandelion. Bentham says: a Ado- 

 pogon * * * est verisimiliter K. virginica." Kuntze evidently 

 concluded that what had been suggested as a possibility was actually 

 the truth and proceeded to transfer to Adopogon all the species of 

 Krigia and Cynthia, Adopogon antedating Krigia by one year. 

 Necker's description of his new genus, however, precludes this use of 

 his name. In the first line upon page 56 of the first volume of the 

 Elementa we read : "Pappus * * * stipitatus f and again in the 

 ninth line "pappo stipitato." It is true that the description seems 

 to apply to only three of the Linnaean species of Tragopogon, T. vir- 

 ginicus, T. dandelion, and T. lanatus. It evidently does not apply 

 to either of our American species, neither of which has the pappus 

 stipitate in any sense of the word. After examination of specimens of 

 Tragopogon lanatus (Scorzonera lanata) the writer is inclined to 

 believe that Necker must have had that plant in mind. The pappus 

 of this plant is hardly stipitate, but the achene is prolonged into a 

 long beak and it may have been this character to which Necker 

 referred. It is sufficient for our purpose that our American plants 

 have not such a pappus. Some writers, notably De Candolle, have 

 suggested that Necker was mistaken in giving this character to his 

 genus, but we may take it for granted that he knew what he was 

 writing about. At any rate the statement is not due to a typograph- 

 ical error or slip of the pen, for it is repeated. Since Necker did not 

 actually name a species as the type of the genus it seems wisest to 

 proceed upon the supposition that in the characterization of the new 

 genus Necker was more accurate than his successors have credited him 

 with being. 



Aside from this one name there is little doubt as to the meaning of 

 generic and specific names in this group. Linnaeus was very careful 

 in his descriptions of the two species upon which the genera Krigia 

 and Cynthia were founded. There are few species to be maintained — 

 so it seems after careful examination of all available material — and 

 there is, accordingly, little uncertainty regarding the application of 

 the many specific names that have been published in the group at 

 various times. The following treatment of these plants will at least 

 help to make clear the synonymy and true generic and specific rela- 

 tionships of the group. 



SYSTEMATIC TREATMENT. 



KEY TO THE GENERA. 



Bracts 5 to 8, erect in fruit, ovate or lance-ovate, distinctly keeled; pap- 

 pus of 5 broad, conspicuous, obovate scales, with as many alter- 

 nating bristles; these about twice as long as the scales and scarcely, 

 if at all, longer than the acheme; annuals 1. Cymbia. 



70272°— vol 13, pt 10—11 4 



