37 



even by recent authors). Braun says that the species described by 

 Wallroth in 1815 are in "indescribable confusion"; that the species 

 described by him in 1833 in the Flor. crypt. German, are a " monstrous 

 conglomeration." Agardh excessively divided up the species ; his 

 species must be reduced from thirty-two to fifteen, and similar re- 

 ductions must be made in the works of Kiitzing and Wallman, in 

 the latter of which 116 species must be reduced to thirty-five. Alex- 

 ander Braun first brought order out of complete chaos, and to his 

 labors in building a system of classification upon a correct under- 

 standing of the real structure of the plant, we are wholly indebted. 

 All former classifications are worthless, and all former names, which 

 represent a number of different species, must be discarded. 



