90 ERYTHEA. 
The genus is dedicated to the late lamented Dr. J. Bernard 
Brinton of Philadelphia, a most intelligent student of Soli- 
dago and its allies. 
By referring to pages 10 to 13 of this volume, it will be 
recalled that, in disposing of a certain natural group forming 
a part of Gray’s “Aplopappus,” a number of species of that 
author’s “ Bigelovia” were taken up, as of the same natural 
group, the Hricameria of Nuttall, and the whole subordinated 
to the still earlier genus Curysoma. It now remains for us 
to consider other members of the inharmonious Bigelovia of 
the Synoptical Flora. 
The exact type on which the elder DeCandolle established 
his genus of this name, is an herb of the Southeastern United 
States. It was first brought to the knowledge of botanists 
by Michaux, under the name of Chrysocoma nudata. More 
than thirty years later DeCandolle separated it from Chry- 
socoma and made it the type of his Bigelovia; and generic 
rank has since then always freely been conceded to it, with 
the exception that Dr. Otto Kuntze, in promulgating his 
extraordinary view of the limits of Aster, referred there this 
plant also. But the genus must needs be maintained; 
though none who have regard for the stability of generic 
names can reasonably continue Bigelovia as the name for it; 
for this Bigelovia was historically the sixth (!) real or sup- 
posed new genus to which the same name had been given. 
Rafinesque published a Bigelovia in 1819; Smith another, 
in the same year or earlier; Sprengel had a third in 1821, and 
DeCandolle himself attempted a fourth in 1824, a fifth in 
1830, and ended with the sixth in 1836. 
It is both unwise, and quite behind the time, to attempt 
the further employment of a name that has five chances of 
reverting to some other genus by right of priority; and 
Rafinesque’s name, CHONDROPHORA, the earliest safe one, has 
already been brought forward in the recent volume (V) of 
the Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club. 
1 Asa Gray as early as 1842 was care as of the precarious tenure of 
the name Bi pce for this e, and, in the rg & Gray Flora offered 
a provision titute, setae ‘oe cit. 1, in f dats Either 
he was uawans of, or chose to ignore, CidsnietanOm, then already six 
years before the botanical ar ublic, 
f 
