June 4, 1891] 



NATURE 



101 



tracing out in detail the geographical distribution of the 

 species ; and in the " Conspectus " especially, great pains 

 has been taken to separate the subordinate from the 

 primary types. The present work, like Nyman's, does 

 not contain any descriptions. It deals with the geo- 

 graphical range of the species much more briefly, in- 

 dicating it within the compass of a single line. Its 

 strong point is bibliography, and it gives under species 

 a Hst of all the names that have been applied to it by 

 different authors, with a citation of the book and page 

 where each name is published, with a note of the date of 

 publication. The plan followed can be best illustrated 

 by an example, and the following is the way in which the 

 cultivated wheats are dealt with : — 



Triticum, Section Sitopyros. 



19. T. monococcuni, L., Sp. PL, edit, i, p. 86 (1753). 



Syn. : ^gilops Crithodium, Steud., Syn. Gl., i. 



p. 355 (1855)- 

 Crithodium cegilopoides^ Lk., in Linn., iv. 



p. 142 (1829). 

 T. batictan, Bss., Diagn. PI. Or., i. 13, p. 69 



(1853). 

 T. pubescens, MB., Casp. M., p. 81 (1800). 



Europa austro-orientalis (Ceterum cultum). (Cau- 

 casus.) 



20. T. sativum. Lam., Enc, ii. p. 554 (1786). 

 {a) Spelta, L., Sp. PL, ed. i, p. 86 (1753. 



Syn. : T. Zea, Host, Gram., iii. t. 29 (1805). 

 {b) dicoccum, Schrk., Baier. FL, p. 389 (1789). 



Syn. : T. amyleutn, Ser., Mel. Bot., i. p. 124 

 (1818). 

 T. atratum. Host, Gram., iv. t. 8 (1809). 

 T. Cienfugos, Lag., EL, p. 6 (1816). 

 T. Gartneriamtvi, Lag., ib. 

 T. Spelta, Host, Gram., iii. t. 30 (1805). 

 T. tricocaan, SchuebL, in Flora, 1820, 

 p. 458. 

 (c) sativum, Hack., in Nat. Pflzf., ii. 2, p. 85 (1887). 

 a. vulgare, VilL, PL Dauph., ii. p. 153 (1787). 

 Syn. : T. cestivum, L., Sp. PL, ed. i, p. 85 

 (1753)- 

 T. cereale, Bmg., En., ii. p. 266 (1846). 

 T. hybernum, L., I.e., p. 86. 

 Q. compactum. Host, Gram., iv. t. 7 (1809). 

 Syn. : T. velutinum, SchiibL, Diss., p. 13 

 (1818). 

 y. turgidmn, L., Sp. PL, ed. i, p. 86 (1753). 

 Syn. : T. covipositum, Linn., f. SuppL, p. 477 

 (1781). 

 T. Linnaanum, Lag., EL, p. 6 (1816). 

 h. aurum, Desf, FL Atlant., i. p. 114 (1798). 

 Syn. : T. Bauhini, Lag., EL, p. 6 (1816). 

 T. brachystachyum, Lag., ib. 

 T. cochleare. Lag., ib. 

 T. fastuosum, Lag., ib. 

 T. hordeiforme. Host, Gram., iv. t. 5 



(1809). 

 T. platystachyum, Lag., I.e. 

 T. sativum /3, Pers., Syn., i. p. 109 



(1805). 

 T. tomentosuin, Bayle-Bar., Mon., p. 40 



(1809). 

 T. villosuin, Host, Gram., iv. t. 6 

 (1809). 

 Cultum in diversis varietatibus. 



21. T. polonicum, L., Sp. PL, ed. i, p. 86 (1753). 



Syn. : T. Cevallos, Lag., EL, p, 6 (18 16). 

 Cultum, 



NO. 112 7, VOL. 44] 



Of course it is impossible for an author covering such a 

 wide field to work out for himself all the details, and in 

 the critical genera, such as Potamogeton, Festuca, Crocu-^, 

 Iris, Tulipa, and Narcissus, no two authors are ever likely 

 to agree as to which should be classed as primary, which 

 as subordinate types, and which as mere synonyms. The 

 present portion of the work includes only the Gymno- 

 sperms and Monocotyledons. The author admits 250 

 European genera, 1830 species, and 840 subspecies. He 

 keeps up the oldest specific name published under any 

 genus, not, as is usual in England, the name first pub- 

 lished under the genus in which the plant is now placed. 

 I find that a considerable number of books and papers 

 published in England have not been taken into account ; 

 for instance, Maw's magnificent monograph of the genus 

 Crocus, C. B. Clarke's monograph of the European 

 species of Eleocharis in the Journal 0/ Botany, 1887, 

 p. 267, and Arthur Bennett's work on Potamogeton, as 

 summarized in the last edition of Hooker's " Student's 

 Flora." The book has cost great care and pains, and will 

 be found very useful by all who work at European 

 botany. J. G. Baker. 



OUR BOOK SHELF. 



The Missouri Botanical Garden. 8vo, with several Maps 



and Engravings. (Printed for private circulation by 



the Managers, 1891.) 

 The Missouri Botanical Garden is situated at the city 

 of St. Louis, and was founded by the late Henry Shaw. 

 He was born at Sheffield in the year 1800, and emigrated 

 to Canada with his father at the age of eighteen, and a 

 year later moved southward to St. Louis, which was then 

 a small isolated French trading post. He established 

 himself in business as a dealer in cutlery, made a fortune 

 of 250,000 dollars by the time he was forty years of age, 

 and then retired from business. In 1840 he visited 

 Europe for the first time, and in 1842-45 made a three years' 

 tour in the Old World. In 1851 he visited Chatsworth, and 

 particularly admired its garden and conservatories. This 

 led him to entertain the idea of forming a large garden 

 at home. One of the best American botanists, Dr. 

 Engelmann, lived at St. Louis, and Mr. Shaw sought his 

 help and advice. In 1857 he opened a correspondence 

 with Sir William Hooker. He engaged from the Royal 

 Botanic Garden in Regent's Park Mr. James Gurney to 

 superintend the carrying out of his plans. He died in 

 1889, and bequeathed to his trustees 760 acres of land, 

 situated partly within and partly outside the limits of the 

 city of St. Louis, to be kept up as a Botanic Garden open 

 to the public, containing a museum and library. 



On the recommendation of Dr. Asa Gray, Mr. William 

 Trelease, who was then Professor of Botany in the Wis- 

 consin University at Madison, was appointed in 1885 

 Director of the Garden, a post which he still holds, and 

 provision was made for the establishment of a school 

 of botany and the endowment of six scholarships for 

 garden pupils, each worth 300 dollars a year, with free 

 lodging and free tuition. 



The present volume contains a biographical sketch of the 

 founder of the Gardens ; a copy of his will ; of the Act that 

 was passed to enable him to convey the land to the trustees, 

 and of the deed of gift for the endowment of the School of 

 Botany ; a copy of the inaugural address by Prof. Trelease, 

 when the School of Botany was founded ; also of the first 

 annual report of the Director ; of the proceedings at the 

 first annual banquet of the trustees, to which a large 

 number of eminent men of science and other guests were 

 invited ; and of the first annual flower sermon, which was 



