8 



EEYTHEA 



sufficiently from the genera where they were placed, to oblige 



me to separate them for the advantage of ;the science. These 

 •will be:" etc. 



The seventh in order of these "thirty" is Jacksonia. 

 So then, so far are we from being left to imagine the man 

 dealing with an Asiatic plant, that we have his express and 

 thrice reiterated assertion that his type is an American plant, 

 which he has observed and decided upon. The thing which 

 he meant as its equivalent in nomenclature was clearly the 

 Cleome dodecandra of Michaux; and he did not attempt to 

 prove or disprove the identity of this with the Linna^an C 

 dodecandra. They were very different plants; but whether 

 Eafinesque ever found that out or not, we know not; nor does 

 It concern us. He has, however, left it impossible for one 

 who reads his paper to think that he had any Indian species 

 of Cleome m view, as type of Jacksonia. Mr. Britten in 

 London says that "Prof. Greene shrunk from allowing Eafin 

 esque's Jackso?iia to claim the Linn^an specific name-"^ and 

 Mr. Britten may now see that Prof. Greene had 'every 

 rational historic warrant for declining to apply that specific 

 name to that American plant to which Michaux had erred 

 m applying it. Dr. Britton, however, some years ago did re- 

 apply it;^ and one of the synonyms of Jacksonia trifoliata is 



Polamsta dodecandra, B. S. P., of Dr. Britton's making; an 

 error he might have avoided if he had read-as we hope he 

 may soon find time to read-the whole of Eafinesqne's 

 paper m the Medical Repository. It is well said by Dr. 

 Britton, as above quoted, that "In matters of nomencla- 



possible in all matters appertaining to scientific work. Dr. 

 Britton has long since shown exactitude in dealing with a 

 generic name by Rafinesque, published, indeed, on the same 



page with Jacksonia. I refer to Scoria. This he rightly 

 rejects, as a name, for the good reason that it does not 

 express exactly what was in the mind of Rafinesque. Now 

 we are all sure-or may become so by reading all of that 



XXXI 



