disposal by Ur. Geo. \'asc\ ; while ihe collections of the California 

 Academy of Sciences, rich in Pacilic Coast forms, were sent to ns 

 by the curator, Miss Mary Curian. Mr. I, C. Martindale, whose 

 collection of Umbellifers is probably the completest to be found 

 among private collections, and Capt. John Donncll Smith and Ivlr. 

 William M. Canby, whose collections are especiall\- rich in the 

 more recently collected North American species, haye put their 

 entire collections in our hands. Prof. W. W. Bailey has sent us 

 the collections of Brow n L iiiyersity, among which the Olney and 

 Bennett collections are very valuable in the older types. Prof. 

 John Macoun has contributed the Canadian species, and his recent 

 explorations in Western British America have brought to light 

 much interesting material. The collections of S. B. Parish, L. F. 

 Henderson and Thomas Howell ha\ e also been of great service. 

 Mr. M. S. Bebb has furnished valuable material and notes in the 

 study of IJiaspitiin and EidopJins. Others who have kindly 

 furnished every assistance in their power are Prof. T. C. Porter, 

 Prof. William Trelease, Mr. Walter Deane, Prof. S. M. Tracy, 

 Prof. Chas. R. Barnes, Dr. ]. C. Arthur, Prof. Thomas McBride, 

 Rev. Thomas Morong, Dr. Lester V . Ward, Mr. Frank 

 T\veed\-, etc., etc. It would be impracticable to give an 

 account of all the material that has passed under our in- 

 spection during some four years of unremitting study, but no pains 

 have been spared in obtaining all the information to be had from 

 the heritaria of this country. 



Historical sketch. The plants of this t)rder were first set 

 apart under the ordinal name Uiiibenifcri.c by A. L. de Jussieu in 

 his G'<v/<7-(i: //(////^/v/;;/, published in 17SU. The subsequent gen- 

 eral pi-esentations of the family that nia\- be mentioned are by G. 



F. Hoffmann, (iciiera flantavKni l^nihcllifcrariini (Ed. 2. 1810); 

 A. P. de Candolle, J/r/;/, Fam. Omh. (1829), as well as in the 

 Prodronins ( 1880) ; S. L. Endlicher, Genera plantarum ( 1886-50) ; 

 J. Lindley, I'eg-ctah/c Ki//odoin {I'^MS^ under the WAme Apiace(e); 



G. W. Bentham and J. D. Hooker, (rci/cra plantarum (1867). 

 Dr. Oscar Drude also lias this order in preparation for Engler and 

 Prantrs Die 7iatiirUchen Pflanzciijamilioi. 



In reference to North American Umhellifcric, their last gen- 

 eral presentation was by Torrey and Gray, Flora Nortli Affierica, 

 Vol. I. ( 1888-40). Previous to that time the following works 



