OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 139 



synonyms the P. Digitaria of Poiret and the P. Michauxianum of 

 Kuuth. Elliott supposed his Milium paspalodes to be the same as 

 Michaux's plant, from which it is however distinct, as plainly appears 

 from both his description and his figure. Failing to lind any other 

 species with which to unite it, I have given it the above name. As 

 shown by Di-. Vasey, it belongs to Bentham's section Anustrojjhus. 



Andropogon furcatus, Muhl. The name " A. Provincialise 

 Lam.," has recently been revived for this species, — a name which 

 was also published by Retzius (Obs. 3. 43) in the same year (1783) 

 and for probably the same grass, Lamarck's species was based upon 

 what was said to be a grass of Provence in southern France, which 

 had been described and tigured by Gerard in 17G1, but which La- 

 marck had not seen in flower. The synonyms that are cited by 

 Gerard and Lamarck are known to belong at least in part to A. Ischce- 

 miim, Linn., a common species of southern Europe. But Gerard's 

 figure and description do not apply well to any Proven9al grass 

 that has since been discovered, nor to any grass so nearly as to our 

 A. furcatus. It appears certain that A. furcatus was in cultivation 

 in several of the gardens of Europe at or before Lamarck's time, as 

 specimens are found in the Herbarium at Paris, ticketed as reported 

 from Provence, and in the Linnaean Herbarium, where in fact, accord- 

 ing to Sibthorpe and Kunth, it stands for the type of A. Ischcemum. 

 The plant cultivated at Paris in 1835 as A. Provincialis is minutely 

 described by Kunth, and the flower figured, and this is beyond doubt 

 A. furcatus. It is highly probable, therefore, that the original A. Pro- 

 vineialis^ aside from its synonymy, and A. furcatus, are the same 

 species. But were this absolutely certain, Muhlenberg's name should 

 still be retained. Andropogon Proviiicialis, like Asclepias Si/riaca, 

 is a false name, and it cannot be justifiable to make a change for the 

 sake of reviving and perpetuating an error. 



Eragrostis campestris, Trin. Trinius cites as a synonym of 

 this species Poa nitida, Ell., notwithstanding that Elliott describes 

 his grass as having the spikelets on long pedicels and the axils gla- 

 brous, while the species of Trinius has the spikelets subsessile or 

 very shortly pedicelled and the axils somewhat hairy. His description 

 corresponds far more accurately with that of Elliott's "Poa refracta, 

 Muhl.," which is considered by Dr. Chapman as a variety of E. pec- 

 tinacea. It is distinct from that species in its more sparsely and 

 divaricately branched panicle, the spikelets nearly or quite sessile 

 along the brnnchlets. and the flowering glumes very acute or acumi- 

 nate. It is also more glabrous, having only the throat of the sheaths 



