70 Recent Literature. [zoe 



are launched by the author; but his wholesale transference of the 

 species of a thousand genera, many of them of great extent, can only 

 be considered an instance of colossal vanity, which will go far to con- 

 vince botanists of the value of the zoological rule. It is impossible 

 to assign any other reason than the gratification of personal vanity 

 to the author's addition of "OK." to all the species of such genera 

 as Astragalus, Selaginella, Lepiota, Corticium, etc., the value ot 

 which species he could not possibly know. It is an amusing 'cir- 

 cumstance that in America the abbreviation with which his pages 

 is so plentifully besprinkled is a slang expression in common use, 

 said to have had its origin in indorsements on papers submitted 

 to an eminent politician, who was as lawless in orthography as 

 our author has proved himself in botany. When questioned as to 

 its meaning, he explained that it meant "Oil Korect." 



It IS to be hoped that in giving new names to his genera he did 

 not act from a malicious desire to render the recipients of his 

 favor ridiculous. Such names as " Bakeropteris," " Bisbceckelera," 

 " Biscogniauxia," " Brittonamra," "Cookeina." " Durandeeldea," 

 " Greeneina," " Henribaillonia," " Jacksonago," " Jamesbrittenia,' 

 " Peckifungus," " Radlkoferotonia," " Sirhookera," " Sirmuel- 

 lera," " Smithiantha," may look well to his eyes and sound agree- 

 ably in his ears, but his taste is likely to be unique. 



Among the numerous changes which, if adopted, would affect our 

 Cahfornian plants, may be mentioned Buda, which the author adopts 

 instead of Tissa, because the latter remained longer a " nomen nu- 

 dum;" but with a degree of inconsistency for which one would have 

 hardly looked, he shortly after adopts Meadia instead of Dodeca- 

 theon, transferring all the "species" (of whose value he is necessa- 

 rily absolutely ignorant) to a genus which remained "naked" till 

 his day — that he might attach " OK." to the species. 



Agoseris, which he accepts in place of Troximon, is in similar case 

 according to Mr. Greene the devoted discipleof Rafinesque,for all the 

 species are claimed by Mr. Greene in " Pittonia, " which of course 

 he could not do if there were a type species. Dr. Kuntze neverthe- 

 less, having apparently kept the scope and intention of his work 

 entirely secret, renames the species under the same date as Mr. 

 Greene, but of course attaches "OK." to all of them. A similar 

 muddle results from the equally inexcusable renaming of Legumin- 

 ous species by Dr. Taubert in Bot. Centralblatt, September, 1881. 



