124 PITTONIA. 



Madura into the synonymy of the tree. The following may 

 be of service to those who may wish to trace for themselves 

 the early bibliography. 



loxYLON P03IIFERUM, Raf. Am. M. Mag. ii. 118, and FL 



Ludov. 170 (1817). Madura aurantiaca, Nutt, Gen. ii. 233 

 (1818). Toxijlon auranikicim, Eaf. Med. FL ii. 268 (1830). 

 Toxijlon Madura, Kaf. Aut. Bot No. 1091 (1836). 



BOLELIA. 



Eafiuesque, Atl. Journ. 120 (1832). CUnionia, Dougl. in 

 Lindl. Bot. Reg. xv. t 1241 (1829), not of Eaf. (1817). 

 Gynampsis, Eaf. Herbarium Rafinesquianum, 48 (1833). 

 Wiitia, Kunth. Emim. v. 156 (1850). Downingla, Torr. Pac. 

 B. Rej). iv. IIG (1857). 



Lindley in publishing the Clintonia of Douglas, makes no 

 reference to any earlier employment of that generic 'name. 

 The Clinionia of Rafinesque had nevertheless been twelve 

 years in print But the leading American botanical authors 

 of that time, Jacob Bigelow and Amos Eaton, had not given 

 it their approval, and he may have been guiding himself by 

 their opinion, or he may have been unaware that any genus 

 of which this mij^Jit be a homonym had been proposed. 

 However, Eafinesque was not unprepared to meet the emer- 

 gency. He was an ardent admirer of that eminent statesman, 

 philanthropist and patron of science, DeWitt Clinton, and 

 was set for the defense of the beautiful liliaceous genus 

 which he had dedicated to him. Having observed that a 

 second Clinionia was in print, he immediately asserted the 

 right of his own genus to that name, citing De Candolle's 

 example for the observance of the law of priority, and also by 

 implication reiterating his favorite notion that an author may 

 publish generic names "pro tern.," as he expresses it, and 

 alter or withdraw them at his will, or even that he may license 

 some one else to suppress such provisionally published name. 



