218 Notices of new and beautiful Plants, 



appears to be the (E. humifusa of Nuttall, who discovered it grow- 

 ing on the sea-coast in Florida. It is a small, low growing, spread- 

 ing species, one plant covering about a foot of soil, with numerous 

 pink flowers. If the plants are set in a shady situation, the flow- 

 ers acquire a darker color. A desirable little plant for growing in 

 pots in parlors, from which the sun is excluded by the situation of 

 the house. In the text accompanying this plate, Dr. Lindley has 

 some remarks upon the genus (Enothera, which has lately been 

 revised by "one Mr. Spach," a German botanist, resident at Paris. 

 We agree entirely with the sentiments of Dr. Lindley upon this 

 subject, and are so well convinced that they are the same views of 

 all who have watched the course of modern botanists, that we have 

 made the following extract, which should be attentively read : — 

 " A proneness to disturb existing nomenclature is very commonly 

 alleged against modern botanists in a mass, and is looked upon by 

 the public, who are much inconvenienced by it, as a besetting sin 

 in modern natural history. That there is a good deal of prejudice, 

 much misconception, and no small degree of ignorance in this pop- 

 ular outcry, I or any botanist could easily prove ; for it is impos- 

 sible that, in a science of observation, the ideas of any man should 

 remain fixed and immovable, unless, indeed, in the case of those gen- 

 tlemen whom science every now and then leaves so far behind her, 

 that, in the end, they are well nigh lost sight of altogether. As 

 new objects are discovered, the necessity of new systematic combi- 

 nations becomes evident, and the ideas of botanists change accord- 

 ingly, the visible result of which is occasional changes in nomen- 

 clature. Genera are thus materially affected from time to time, 

 and new species, as they are discovered, render the creation of new 

 genera necessary, into which some of the species of the old genera 

 are very often transferred. But, on the other hand, it is most true, 

 that there are too many botanical writers who, without due consid- 

 eration, or a sufficient power of forming good general views, or 

 from an incomplete and superficial acquaintance with their sub- 

 ject, are, like this Mr. Spach, in the habit of introducing inno- 

 vations which science, indeed, repudiates, but which produce the 

 greater public inconvenience, because it has usually happened that 

 the writings of such persons are intended for popular purposes, and 

 are directed to subjects of common occurrence. In the case I have 

 now brought forward, the genus (Enothera, one of the most natu- 

 ral and indivisible in the whole science, is cut up into twelve 

 pieces, to which, what with synonyms and blunders, at least sixteen 

 -generic names belong, and the adoption of these renders necessary 

 something more than one hundred new specific names, which, for 

 one genus, is pretty well. Surely, I shall not be thought too harsh 

 and severe, when I pronounce the writings in which such enormi- 

 ties are perpetrated, to be scientific nuisances." 



