_ Miscellanies. 169 
will be observed that DeCandolle has disposed the Ericacex nearly 
in the manner first proposed in the Théorie Eléméntaire, consider- 
ing the Vacciniez, Monotropex, Pyrolacex, &c., as sv many distinet 
families ; a view, however, which will not probably be ultimately 
adopted. Among the uncertain or little known Ericaceous plants, 
DeCandolle has introduced the genus Pickeringia of Nuttall (which 
was founded upon Cyrilla paniculata of the same author, published in 
the fifth volume of this Journal:) this however has been long since 
ascertained to be a species of Ardisia, which belongs to a very differ- 
ent order; and Mr. Nuttall has accordingly recently dedicated to Dr. 
Pickering a curious Leguminous plant from California. The genus 
Galax, DeCandolle has appended to Pyrolacex, (tribe Galacex,) a 
view which appears to be confirmed by an unpublished plant from the 
mountains of North Carolina, which, in compliment to an assiduous 
and well-known American botanist, will bear the name of Shoriia 
galacifolia. 
The prior portion of the seventh volume (published in 1838) as 
well as the whole of the fifth (1836) and sixth, (1837,) is exclusively 
devoted to the immense family of the Composite, (the class Syngene- 
sia of Linneus,) which fills more than seventeen hundred closely 
printed pages, the immediate preparation of which occupied the inde- 
fatigable author for seven years! “We may take this family as a fair 
example of the vast increase in the number of known species within 
the last eighty years, or even a much later period, as a large propor- 
tion of this increase is due to the discoveries of the last ten or fifteen 
years. The whole number of Syngenesious plants described by Lin- 
neus in the first edition of the Species Plantarum, (published in 
1753,) including the few Composite referred to other classes, is five 
hundred and fifty five, which is about one hundred and fifty less than 
the now described species of the single genus Senecio. We have not 
time nor space to enumerate the species of the order in succeeding — 
systematic works, so as to show the progressive increase. Suflice it 
to say that the whole number known to Linneus and published during 
his lifetime cannot exceed eight hundred species, while the number 
described by DeCandolle is in round numbers about 8700, which are 
disposed in eight hundred and ninety three genera. If to these we 
were to add the species which have been since published, or are being 
published in works now in progress, and also the very numerous un- 
published species which exist in all the large collections, making at 
the same time reasonable allowance for nominal species, the number 
of Composite at present known would scarcely fall short of ten 
thousand, which considerably exceeds the whole number of both fiow- 
ering and flowerless plants described by Linnzus or his contempora- 
Vol. xxx1x, No. 1.—April-June, 1840. 22 
