NEWS NOTES AND CURRENT COMMENT. 59 



fascicle, and concludes with Garryacea 1 . In general, this botanst 

 is a follower of the school of nomenclature which centers in 

 America chiefly around Professor Greene, of the Catholic University 

 at Washington, D. C., and the botanists of Columbia University. 

 B< '.-ides the changes necessitated by the adoption of Article IV of 

 the Rochester Code, the " Once a Synonym always a Synonym " 

 provision of this school, he goes even farther than they do in 

 splitting up old-established orders, genera and species into their 

 respective suborders, sections, and varieties. This tendency, if 

 carried out to its logical conclusion, will render the naming of 

 individuals necessary and will result in ever-increasing confusion. 

 The pursuit of names rather than knowledge of plants will come to 

 be the goal of the efforts of the systematic botanist. Nothing else 

 can be studied. The great complication will take so much time, 

 that there will be none left for other work. However, the pendulum 

 will probably swing back, as it has done before, to the other extreme. 

 Undoubtedly much good will have been accomplished through this 

 analytical study, and consequently the future synthesis be nearer the 

 truth than it was before. 



The conscientious striving for trutli, which distinguishes the work 

 of this botanist, his independence in asserting his own views, and his 

 thorough, careful work^command our respect; while the enthusiasm 

 and self-denial, which have resulted in the publication of a work 

 of this magnitude by an author comparatively poor in money, at 

 his own expense, commands^again^our admiration. 



Some of the most noticeable changes from the nomenclature of 

 the Botany of California, Geological Survey, are the following : 

 Rosacea? is divided into Amygdalacese, Pomacea?, Rosacea?; Saxi- 

 fragacese is divided into Saxifragacese, Hydrangeacea?, Ribesiacese; 

 Cornacea? is divided into Cornacese, Garryacese; Prunus and 

 Cerasus are separated ; Pyrus is divided into Malus and Sorbus ; 

 Comarum is removed from Potentilla ; Spinea excludes Holodiscus, 

 Aruncus, and Filipendula, which are considered distinct genera ; 

 Saxifraga is divided into Peltiphyllum, Saxifraga, Saxifragopsis ; 

 Tellima and Lithophragma are considered distinct genera, as well as 

 Mitella and Mitellastra; Oenothera is split into Onagra, Oenothera, 

 Anogra, Taraxia, Sphaerostigma, Chylismia, Pachylophus ; Glosso- 



