the BritiJJj Ftici, with particular Defcriptions of each Species, 175 



The errors which have attended the inveftigation cf this plant, 

 are owing in a great meafure to Linnaeus himfelf, who inadvertently 

 under his ceranoides quoted the figure of Morifon above mentioned. 

 The figure altogether militates againft the defcription which he 

 gives of ceranoides; for he defcribes it as having apices ve/lculofos, 

 which mammillofus never has : befides, the fpecimen preferved in his 

 herbarium has no affinity to it; for that is never found with thofc 

 excrefcences which we mention as the chara6leriftic of this plant. 



Linnseus's quoting this figure of Morifon to his ceranoides, led 

 fubfequent authors, who naturally trufted mere to fuch an ex- 

 prefTive figure than to his verbal defcription, to miftake the planf 

 which he named ceranoides. Thus Gmelin fuppofed crifpus to be 

 ceranoides, and mammillofus, inafmuch as it was fo cited by Lmna;us 

 himfelf, a variety of it. 



Mr. Hudfon obferving the frond to be channelled, referred mam- 

 millofus to canaliculatus ; but they differ moft widely, the ends of 

 the branches in one being exceedingly tuberculated, and the other 

 plain. So that we cannot but wonder at fuch a want of accuracy. 



Mr. Lightfoot again carries it back to ceranoides in defiance of the 

 wide difference of the very fructification, of which he feems perfeflly 

 aware. He does not feem tohave noticed the frond being channelled. 



When the learned in the fcience fo differ, we muft deprecate all 

 cenfure upon our vanity, if we prefume to hold out a truer invefti- 

 gation. It cannot be ceranoides of Linnasus or canaliculatus, for the 

 ends of the branches in both thofe fpecies are full of tubercles — in 

 this, plain. It cannot be crifpus^ becaufe the frond is plain and the 

 tubercles are folitary and fixed in the fubftance of the plant ; in 

 this the frond is always channelled, and the fruftification is minute 

 tubercles in the mammillofe proceffes ftandmg out on each fide 

 of the feveral branches. 



It 



