264 BOTANICAL GAZETTE. 



covering the valuable kinds is one that requires no scientific knowledge of the 

 plants, and commends itself for its practical common sense. He gathers fresh, 

 clean-looking specimens. If they have a bad or unpleasant odor when cook- 

 ing they are discarded ; and one will soon be able to tell the good from the bad 

 at this time with considerable certainty. A small amount of the cooked fun- 

 gus is then eaten ; if it has a pleasant taste and no disagreeable results follow, 

 it is partakeu of more freely next time, and is soon put on the list of valuable 

 kinds. Tasting of the fresh fungus is but little assistance, as an acrid or nau- 

 seating property is often dispelled in the preparation. There is no doubt that 

 the danger of fungus-poisoning has been unnecessarily exaggerated. With the 

 caution just pointed out the danger is so greatly lessened that it is practically 

 reduced to zero, and no one need hesitate to make use of this abundant supply 

 •of nourishing and palatable food. It may be added that many sorts will be 

 found harmless enough, but of no more culinary value than so much grass or 

 wood, being either not juicy or without a rich flavor. 



On the first page of the sketch of Dr. William Baldwin, published in our 

 last number, at the end of the seventh line, for " Josiah," read " Joshua." 



CURRENT LITERATURE. 



A Revision of the genus Fraxinus, by Th. Wenzig, in Engler's Botanische Jahr- 

 buch,iv. p. 164-188 (1883), is evidently the result of much pains-taking, and quite 

 free from all tendency to undue multiplication of the species. In the American 

 species he generally follows, and much commends, the Synoptical Flora of 

 North America; making, however, certain changes, the propriety of which is 

 to be questioned. 



F. Greggii, Gray, is given as a synonym of F. Schiedeana, Cham. & 

 Schlecht. (which was Dr. Torrey's original suggestion), upon the evidence of 

 the description. Wenzig has only Schiede's plant; we have only Gregg's and 

 Bigelow's. So the case is not yet settled. A collection of our specimens with 

 Wenzig's description of F. Schiedeana leads to a belief that the two are not 

 identical, but we hope to have them directly compared. 



Coming now to the American Fraxinasters, Dr. Wenzig makes the two sub- 

 sections, Epipterce and Peripteree, which we have insisted on, though without 

 giving them_ names. But to our surprise he refers our F. viridis to the latter, 

 thus separating it widely from F. pubescens, the samara* of which are just the 

 same. He does not figure the fruit of our F. riridis, which he has from " Bren- 

 del and Buhl " (Eiehl?), surely either the wrong thing, or in abnormal form. 

 Taking his species in order we have : 



F. Americana, L. To this is referred F. juglandifolia of Willd., as well as 

 of^ Lain., doubtless on authority of the herbarium, and as the character bv 

 Willdenow^ looks that way, we may conclude that the reference of his plant in 

 the Synoptical Flora to F. viridis is a mistake. The reference of the original 

 of this latter name we will discuss in another connection. F. epiptera of 

 Michaux is of course referred here. 



Var. microcarpa and var. Texensis, Gray, are simply adopted. 



Var. Uhdei and var. ovaeifolia, are from Mexico, coll. Uhde, and are 

 unknown to us. 



Var. pistacijefolia is founded on F. pistacicefolia, Torr., and we are unable 

 ■to draw distinct limits between its forms and those of F. Americana. 



