452 Xanthiusn. 
From the above statement, it appears that much obscurity 
and difficulty arises in botany, when errors creep into the dis- 
tinction of species: to detect those errors, and to ascertain the 
synonyme of obscure species, is not one of the least useful 
botanical labours. Having found, last year and this year, in 
the neighbourhood of New-York, a species of Xanthium differ- 
ent from any described by the authors, and intermediate be- 
tween the X. strumarium and X. orientale of Linneeus, I pre- 
sume that it may be the X. orientale of Muhlenberg, Leconte, 
and Morison, and the Xanthiwm of Canada, mentioned by 
Decandolle, Dumont, &c. I have given to it the name of 
X. maculatum, since the stem is spotted like the Conium mact- 
latum. None of those authors having described it, I suppose 
that its description will be acceptable, and will serve to fix this 
new species among the American botanists. 
Therefore it will appear, that the X. orientale, which had 
been considered as a native of Asia, Europe, and America, is 
composed of at least three species; the European species, 
which has been called X. macrocarpon by Decandolle, the 
American species, which I have called X. maculatum, and the 
Asiatic species, to which the name of X. orientale ought t 
remain; but which ought to be better described, and more 
fully distinguished from the X. macrocarpon by those who may 
chance to meet with it. I even suspect that many species 
grow in Asia, since that of Ceylon may be different from the 
Chinese and Siberian species. 
Xanthium Maculatum. 
Definition. Stem flexuous, round, rough, spotted with black; 
leaves long-petiolate, cuneate-reniform, nearly trilobe, sinuate- 
toothed, obtuse, rough, and thick ; fruits elliptic, obtuse mur 
cate; thorns rough. 
Description. The root is annual, thick, and white. Th* 
stem rises from one to two feet; it is upright, without thorns, 
very thick, and with few branches; it is covered with oblong 
black, and rough spots. The leaves are few, but !arg® 
with very long petiols ; they are nearly reniform, with am 
acute base, and have three nerves; the teeth are unequal 
oeatiectiead 
