THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 95 



The medicinal virtues of Aletris farinosa, albeit they are 

 no longer acknowledged by the Pharmacopeia, have given it 

 a nmnber of names such as "colic root," "ague root," "ague 

 grass," "bitter grass," "bitter plant" and "aloe root." The 

 plant is called "stargrass" and "blazing star" with no more 

 propriety than when these names were bestowed on Chamae- 

 nerimn. "Unicorn root" and "unicorn horn" applied to this 

 plant indicate a confussion of it with the preceding species. 

 "Mealy starwort," however, is a name of its own and refers 

 to the scurfy corollas. 



FOSSIL PLANTS AND CLASSIFICATION 



Henry S. Conard, GrinneeIv CoIvI^EGE 



IN two papers published two years ago, the writer attempted 

 to bring together several lines of botanical research into 

 an outline of classification for it is our conviction that 

 a true taxonomy must aim to embody the results and conclu- 

 sions of all research in every field that has any bearing upon the 

 problem of plant relationships or resemblances. The outline 

 there presented and re-affirmed here is : 



1. Thallophyta 



2. Embryophyta 



1. Atracheata (Mosses) 



2. Tracheata 



1. Lycopsida (Lycopodiales Equisetales) 



2. Pteropsida 



1. Aspermae (Ferns) 



2. Gymnospermae 



3. Angiospermae 



