70 
REVIEWS AND CRITICISMS. 
Revision der kleineren Ranunculaceen-Gattungen Myosurus, 
Trautvetteria, Hamadryas, Glaucidium, Hydrastis, 
Eranthis, Coptis, Anemonopsis, Actea, Cimicifuga 
and Xanthorrhiza. Von Dr. Ernst Hours. LEnglers’ 
Bot. Jahrb. xvi, 278-324. 
This learned and elaborate discussion the smaller 
genera of Ranunculace is a paper of exceptional interest to 
North American botanists; for several of the genera are’ 
almost or quite exclusively American. Even Myosurus 
known for centuries as an Old World monotype, now, in tha 
development which Dr. Huth so judiciously accords to it, 
appears as for the most partan American genus. As a genus 
its history is most unique. Not known to the ancients, but 
recognized by all authors from the middle of the sixteenth 
century forward, no second species was discovered until near 
the middle of our own century; while of the seven now 
recognized, five have been detected within the last fifteen 
years, and in western North America. 
The two new species proposed by this author are M. 
breviscapus and M. Pringlei. The latter, a plant from 
Chihuahua, distributed by Mr. Pringle in 1887, we had 
supposed would prove a new species if examined critically. 
The former is credited with a remarkable dispersion over 
several portions of the globe, namely, Europe, Africa and 
North America; but three varieties are distinguished and 
characterized. The variety Madoniensis is of the mountains 
of Sicily; var. Africanus is Algerian; var. Californicus is 
of middle California, and has been collected only by the 
‘present writer, according to Dr. Huth; but, if the more 
prominent beak of the achene, and not the shorter scape, be 
the more essential character of the species, almost all the 
Californian “ WM. minimus” will be of this species notwith- 
standing that in the bulk of the specimens the scapes are 
longer, and the spikes shorter than in true M. minimus. 
The common plant of which I speak, n. 1193 of the State 
Sah i Bape 
