134 Dr. Smithes Inquiry into the real Dauctis Gmgidium. 



As I never met with an authentic specimen of Daucus Gingi- 

 dium in any herbarium, I presume the above detail may not be 

 useless. It shows how much attention is necessary to avoid 

 error in botanical synonyms, and how essential it is, in all diffi- 

 cult cases, to trace the history of a plant to its sources. I be- 

 lieve there is scarcely a genus, among the umbelliferous plants 

 in particular, which would not afford matter for several such 

 disquisitions as the present. 



J. E. Smith, 



Norwich, March 25, 1806. 



VII. De- 



