130 THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



for a sort of soup made from peas, beans etc., and the word 

 poulticG seems to have had a similar origin. 



Generic names in the Leguminosae have frequently been 

 given in honor of botanists. Such names are commnly of less 

 interest than names referring to plant characteristics though 

 they frequently have a historical bearing on the subject. The 

 gGnusAlbi:s::;ia was dedicated to a noble Italian family which 

 is said to have introduced plants of this genus into Europe. 

 Lespedeza commemorates a certain Spanish Lespedez who was 

 governor of Florida about the time of the botanist Michaux 

 and Rohinia honors John and Vespaian Robin, two Frenchmen 

 father and son, who were first to cultivate our Robinias in 

 the old world. John Robin was herbalist to Henry IV. 

 Schrankia is named for Franz von Schrank and Zorma for 

 Johann Zorn both German Botanists. Dalea is for an English- 

 man, Samuel (or Thomas) Dale who flourished in the 17th 

 century and Vigna is for Dominic Vigna an Italian scientist. 

 As a matter of interest it may be added that Cicer, the name 

 of the European chick pea seems to have given origin to the 

 family name of Cicero while Faba, the name of the bean genus 

 is supposed to have given the patronymic to the famous Roman 

 general, Fabius. 



Among American botanists immortalized by genera of 

 Leguminosae are Thomas Morong {Morongia), Dr. David 

 Hosack, professor of botany at Columbia College and owner 

 of an early botanical garden (Hosackia), Prof. Casper Wistar 

 a distinguished anatomist of Philadelphia who spelled his 

 name with an a though the genus is known as JVistcria. A 

 similar liberty has been taken with the name of J. G. Glcditsch 

 a German botanist of the time of Linnaeus in the naming of 

 a genus which is now written Glcditsia. 



