15 



Of Valerianaceous plants 16 species are mentioned, some 

 of which belong to Valerianella, here called Fedia. 



Of Dipsacese but one species has been found, and that the 

 Dipsacus sylvestris of Europe. 



The whole of the remainder of this part of Drs. Torrey 

 and Gray's work is occupied with Composite, which extend 

 to the end of DeCandolle's Asterese, comprehending therefore 

 the difficult genus Aster. The genus Liatris has been studied 

 with care, and some additions have been made to it ; never- 

 theless the species are reduced to 19, partly in consequence of 

 the separation of the genus Carphephorus, and partly from the 

 abolition of several so called species ; L. intermedia is referred 

 to L. squarrosa ; L. stricta to cylindracea ; L. laevigata to 

 tenuifolia ; L. pauciflosculosa to gracilis ; L. virgata, pilosa, 

 dubia, and turbinata to graminifolia ; L. resinosa to spicata ; 

 L. brachystachya to pycnostachya ; L. sphseroidea, borealis, 

 heterophylla, squarrulosa and aspera to scariosa. Similar 

 reductions are made in Eupatorium and other large genera ; 

 but it is in Aster that we find most to remark upon. 



This genus, whose species most abound in the United 

 States, has been subjected to several dismemberments by mo- 

 dern Botanists. Galatella, Sericocarpus, and Diplopappus 

 are adopted by our authors, who add the Dieteria of Nuttall 

 for some pinnatifid species ; but they reject Biotia, Tripolium, 

 we think unadvisedly, for the two latter genera are surely as 

 well characterised as Galatella at least. It is in the genus 

 Aster, strictly limited, that occur those crowds of varieties, 

 mules, sports, species, or whatever else they may be called, 

 which originating, or at least appearing for the first time, in 

 European gardens, have successively exercised the ingenuity 

 of garden Botanists, from Willdenow and Nees down to 

 DeCandolle. Our authors have not only had good materials 

 for study, but have also been able to profit by the experience 

 of those Botanists w T ho have preceded them ; they have judi- 

 ciously employed these means, confining themselves to the 

 plants known to be really wild, and thus avoiding those 

 sources of error which are almost certain to exist among 

 species domesticated for many years. The result of their ex- 

 amination has been to reduce the species very considerably, 

 sometimes in all probability with reason, as in the case of A. 

 spectabilis, ericoides, and miser, but in other instances with 

 doubtful justice, as in the instances of A. dumosus from which 

 October, K.— 1841. k 



