343 



of (2) Orphium, E. Mey., distinguished from Ghironia by having 

 a crenate disk between the calyx and the corolla and having twisted 

 anthers. The last genus, (3) Plocandra, was based on two species 

 which agree with Ghironia as regards absence of disk and with 

 Orphium as regards twisting of anthers. Plocandra, E. Mey., 

 has not stood the test of further investigation; it had to be 

 relegated by Bentham and Hooker to Ghironia {Gen. PL, ii-, p. 805) 

 in 187(5. Orphium, E. Mey., was similarly replaced in Ghironia 

 by Kuntze in 1891 {Rev. Gen. p. 432) ; in this case, however, the 

 necessity for reduction is less evident, and as Orphium has been 

 maintained on different grounds both by Bentham and Hooker 

 {Gen. PL) and by Gilg {Engl. & Prantl Nat. Pflanzenf.) we may 

 with some safety accept it as entitled to generic rank. But it must 

 not be concluded that on this account Kuntze's proposal has no 

 justification ; it is by no means clear that the characters relied 

 upon in separating Orphium, E. Mey., from Ghironia are more 

 important than those which distinguish RoesUnia, Moench, from 

 Ghironia. 



The genus Ghironia, as limited by Meyer, was divided by him 

 into three sections : — § 1, with oblong capsule and narrowed 

 corolla-throat ; § 2, with oblong capsule and uncontracted corolla- 

 throat ; § 3, with globose berry-like fruit and narrowed corolla- 

 throat. The third of these sections includes only C. baccifera, 

 and therefore is equivalent to RoesUnia, Moench. In 1836, 

 however, Eafinesque {Fl. Tell., iii., p. 29) had already based on a 

 species belonging to § 1 his genus Eupodia, and on a species 

 belonging to § 2 another genus Evalthe {ibid. p. 77). Rafinesque's 

 genera are, however, less distinct than Moench's genus RoesUnia, 

 and the groups to which their types belong are certainly not 

 entitled to more than sectional rank. 



The definitions given by Meyer of the genera Ghironia, Orphium 

 and Plocandra were taken up in the following year by Endlicher 

 (Gen. PL, pp. 601, 602). In the case of Ghironia Endlicher adopted 

 Meyer's sections, naming the first Hippochiron, the second 

 Euchironia, the last RoesUnia, adopting in this case Moench's 

 generic name for the one species it contains. There is a slight 

 inaccuracy in Endlicher's citation of types, for Lamarck's plate 

 (PI. Gen., t. 10S, fig. 2) quoted under Euchironia, represents a 

 Rippochiron. We learn from Endlicher that when he published 

 these sectional names the monograph of the Gentianaceae on 



which Grisebach was engaged had'not yet been issued. 



When 



Gent.) did 



;i Ppear, it showed that he had not had access, in preparing it, to 

 Meyer's work of 1837, or to that of Endlicher. Grisebach 

 relegated to Ghironia the genus Valerandia, Keck., but did 

 not associate it with any particular species. He still retained 

 G frutcscens in the genus, but treated it as the type of a distinct 

 section, (1) Trnchanthera, A species, C. Krebsii, nearly allied 

 to one of those included by Meyer in Plocandra, was treated 

 as the type of another section, (2) Pvndosabbatia^ Grisebach 

 ^cognised a third section, (3) SOen ophyllum, which is i the same 

 as Bippochirott, Endl. His remaining sections are (4) Vtscaria 

 l^ (5) Linophyllum, which together correspond to ^uchtronm, 

 En <lh ; and, finally, (6) RoesUnia, which corresponds in intention 



