CENT. V. It 



fed, except in the male flowers. Is not this a 

 hybrid Genus? and hybrid new Species? 



434. Gononcus iindulatus Raf. Glabrum, 

 diffusum, ramosum, fol. lanceol. undulatis acu- 

 minatis obtusiuscuHs, geniculis inflatis oblongis, 

 ochreis tubulosis ciHatis; spicis terminaHs nu- 

 tans gracilis imbricatis, basi interrupte foHosis. 

 — In the swamps of Delaware, New Jersey and 

 near Philadelphia, but rare : leaves acrid pun- 

 gent, unspotted, nervose beneath ; flowers 

 green somewhat incarnate inside, male oft;en 

 white, the lower ones commonly with trigone 

 seeds, the upper ones with lenticular seeds. Has 

 it sprung from Mitesia albiflora ? but this has 

 narrow flat leaves, slender naked white spikes. 



435. Gentiana. One of the finest and yet 

 most obsure linnean Genus, Jussieu said of it, 

 an G. dimdendum? Sir James Smith said that 

 Linneus knew not this Genus ! many of his Sp. 

 were doubtful, awd he has put in it even Sp. be- 

 longing to other families. G. aphyla, filifor- 

 mis and heterocllta, have since been united to 

 Exaciim, but the last is a peculiar Genus of 

 Acanthacea ! The whole G. was often divided, 

 but the blundering linneists would not admit the 

 propriety. Tournefort had 140 years ogo 2 

 Genera, Gentiana with campanulate flowers, 

 and Centaurium infundibuliform. Renealm, 

 Morison, Adanson, Necker, i^ichard &c, have 

 tried to improve it, but the Erythrea of Neck- 

 er adopted by Richard has only been generally 

 admitted. The whole requires a radical re- 

 form ; this G. and its family has always been a 



peculiar favourite of mine, and I will he able to 

 rectify the whole, adding many new Sp. also. It 

 is as bad as Saxlfraga was, having 4 to 9 Sta- 

 mens, free or united, calix and corollas of all 



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