215 



affect the question in the least that something else may or may 

 not share the same fate. *' Every jug must stand on its own bot- 

 tom." But in point of fact what other species is there of the 

 White Mountains or Labrador which we must accept on the same 

 grounds that we do Uva Ursi? Not one. True, by a process 

 of elimination, the expert salicologist is led to believe that 5. 

 planifolia, Pursh, had it been as well described as 5. Uva Ursi, 

 would have anticipated .S. chlorophyllay And.; but no one in the 

 last fifty years has thought of identifying a species very obscure- 

 ly described from leaves only. 



Turning now to the objections urged by Professor Tucker- 

 man, we find his argument to run like this : Hooker admits S, 

 Uva Ursi doubtfully in his flora, while he enumerates 5. retusa 

 as belonging to our northern regions ; "* Pursh gives no charac- 

 ter which will distinguish his 5. Uva Ursi from 5. retusa, there- 

 fore ^\ Uva Ursi is 5. retusa. Now, to begin with (and it will do 

 to end with, for that matter) 5. retusa has never been found in 

 America; the plant so named by Hooker being an Arctic species 

 of very different character, belonging in fact to a group havin 



cr 



no representative in Europe. That while Andersson was willing 

 to accept Tuckerman's name, he placed no value upon the argu- 

 ment by which its imposition was in the first place maintained, is 

 shown by the fact that he flatly and without equivocation cites 

 ^. Uva Ursi, Pursh, under S, Ctitleri, and not under the species 

 to which is referred 5. retusa, Plook ! If the reader will think 

 out for himself all that this implies, I need not say another word. 

 It was a happy thought of Prof. Tuckerman's to name this 

 willow for Manassah Cutler, and if sentiment might be allowed 

 to shake a '' wavering balance " I would gladly see it adjusted in 

 favor of ^. Cutleri ; but the balance does not waver, it sinks heav- 

 ily with the weight of facts and authorities on the side of 5. Uva 

 Ursi. 



Aphelion fasciculatum in Montana. 



Mr. E. R. Drew's " Notes on the Botany of Humboldt Coun- 

 ty, California," which formed so interesting a feature of the June 

 number of the Bulletin, contained a few remarks on the ten- 



^>llinian's Journ. xlv. — j). 36. 



