Mertens and Koch's DeutschlancTs Flora. 363 



In the third class are some excellent observations upon the Grasses, 

 both in allusion to their divisional characters, and to the arrangement of 

 Palisot de Beauvois. Scirpus multicaulis of Smith, though not found in 

 Germany, is mentioned as a distinct species, but nearly allied to the Sc. 

 uniglumis of Link. 



The Alopecurus fulvus of Smith is supposed to have an affinity with 

 Alop. paludosus, the A. subaristatus of Michaux. The genus Gastridium 

 is adopted for Milium lendigerum. It is rightly suggested that the name 

 Agrostis stolonifera should be abolished ; it being indeed scarcely possible 

 to ascertain precisely what Linnaeus meant by it or by his Agr. alba. 

 Under this latter species, our authors have a host of names, which others 

 have considered distinct plants ; and we are glad to find how nearly they 

 agree with our own opinion, expressed in the Flora Scotica, on the same 

 subject. Thus we have under A. alba the Agr. stolonifera, varia, Sfc. of 

 Host; ambigua of Roem. and Sch., decumbens, giganlea and patula of 

 Gaudin ; coarctata oiHoffm. ; capillaris of Poll- ; compressa of Willd. ; and 

 parviflora of Schrader. Arundo Phragmites, is made Phragmites vulga- 

 ris. Molinia of Schrank is taken up for the Melica cccrulea. In the ge- 

 nus Glyceria of Brown, these authors not only, like Smith, place, besides 

 the Gl. Jluitans, the Poa distans, maritima and aquatica, but also the 

 Aira aquatica of Linn, of which Sir James Smith has also observed that, 

 in natural affinity, it comes near to Gl. jluitans, maritima, and distans. 

 Poa badensis and Molinieri we are glad to see united with Poa alpina. 



There are some excellent remarks upon the Festuca? of various authors. 

 But this genus requires a complete revision, and many supposed species 

 must be abolished. Festuca vivipara, Sin. is made a variety of F. ovina. 

 Bromus multiflorus, Sm. is brought as a synonym to Br. grossus of Desf. 



We should recommend that our Parietaria? be more attended to. Most 

 of the continental authors make two species, which Willdenow distin- 

 guished as P. officinalis et judaica; to the latter, under the name of P. 

 diffusa M. et K., our plant of Smith and Flora Londinensis is referred ; but 

 we are almost sure of the existence also of what Mertens and Koch have 

 called P. erecta, whether or not it be well characterized as a species. The 

 observations upon various species of Potamogeton, as well as indeed the 

 whole volume, we confidently recommend to the attention of the British 

 botanist ; for there is so much care and attention bestowed upon all the 

 descriptions and remarks, and so much research displayed in the investi- 

 gation and determining of the species of other authors, that we conceive 

 MM. Mertens and Koch to have rendered an essential service to the bo- 

 tany of Great Britain and the European Continent in general, as well as 

 to their own country. Mertens is a professor at Bremen, and lias been lon« 

 known for his profound knowledge of the Algcc. Koch is, we believe, a 

 physician at Kaiserslautern. 



During the present year, there has been published at Nuremberg a 

 " Compendium Flora Germanica." The first volume in I'Jino, now be- 

 fore us, extends to the end of the class l'olyandria. It is arranged accord- 

 ing to the Linnrcan system. 



