343 
Mariposa County as a Botanical District-—IV. J. W. Congdon 
(Zoé, iii. 314-325). 
This part of Mr. Congdon’s paper deals with the subalpine re- 
gion, and enumerates 295 species inhabiting it. 
Menizelia affinis as a Field Weed. “Edward L. Greene (Erythea, a 
= 188). 
Musee.—A Synopsis of the Genera and Species of. J. G. Baker 
_ (Ann. Bot. vii. 189-222), 
This is a very important contribution to our knowledge of the 
Banana Family. The genera are Heliconia with 29 species, all of 
Tropical America, H. platystachys of the West Indes and Guate- 
mala being described as new, Svrelitsia with 4 species, all of Cape 
Colony, Ravenala with 2 species, one Madagascan, the other of 
Northern South America, and Musa, with 32 species, all of the 
Old World. The banana, J. Sapientium in its wild seed-bearing 
form (JZ. senunifera, Lour.), Mr. Baker concludes probably extends 
from Behar and the Eastern Himalayas to the Philippine and 
Malay Archipelagos. oe og SS 
North American Silenee and Polycarpe.—tThe. B. L. Robinson 
— (Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts and Sci., xxviii. 124-155, reprint ; 
Contrib. Gray Herb., New Series, No. V.). 
This is a treatment of the genera and species of these tribes of 
the Caryophyllacez, preliminary: to their description in the con- 
tinuation of Dr. Asa Gray’s Synoptical Flora of North America. 
It includes Dianthus with 5 species, Gysophila with 2, Zznica with 
1, Saponaria with 2, Silene with 50, two of them described as new, 
Lychnis with 1 5, L. Taylore being a new one from Arctic America. 
Agrostemma with 1, Drymaria with 5, Polycarpon with 2, Lef- 
4ingia with 3 and Stpulicida with 1 species. The arrangement 
and method of the paper is much the same as that followed by 
Dr. Gray ina similar work. The citation of genera is carried 
back to the first edition of Linnaeus’ Genera Plantarum (1737) in 
©pposition to the agreements reached at Rochester and Genoa, 
where the first edition of the Species Plantarum (1753) was decided 
upon as best. The original authors of species are not cited in 
_ Parenthesis, which is also contrary to the Rochester code. We 
4ppend a few notes on the plants described by Dr. Robinson. 
