154 Scientific Intelligence. 



has ^ven supplements, with descriptions and figures of new species, in his 

 Pugilli Plantarum^ besides elaborating the North American species in 

 Hooker's Flora Boreali-Anuricana^ so that the few large genera have 

 been moYG attended to or have been longer under the constant revision of 

 one critical eye. In 1851, a full conspectus of the species, newly arranged, 

 and with a full synonymy, was published in the ninth Pugillus. And 

 now, in a bulky supplement to the 23d volume of the Nova Acta Acad- 

 emice Naturm Curiosorum^ the indefatigable author, has brought out a 

 new monograph of the genus, with 204 species (including the postscript), 

 illustrated by 64 plates, containing figures of 78 species. So that, with 

 these and the plates of the earlier monograph and its supplements, the 

 iconography of the genus is almost complete. Five large tables display 

 the whole geographical distribution of each species, as far as known, in a 

 very complete manner, the area in which species of the genus occur be- 

 ing divided into about 90 sub-regions. Like all Dr. Lehmann's works, 

 this monograph is most faithfully elaborated ; and botanists are greatly 

 indebted to him for the long and conscientious labor he has bestowed 

 upon this difficult genus.- A- g. 



4. Conspectus SyUematkus Hijdnllearum ; auctore R- Caspary. Ber- 

 lin: 185Y. pp. 15, 8vo. (From the Proceedings of the Roy, Acad. 

 Sciences of Berlin, Jan. 1857.) — Dr. Caspary has been studying this 

 little group (represented in this country by Anackaris Canadensis) vf'^i^ 

 distinguished ability and success; but his little pamphlet shows that 

 much yet remains to be done before the genera and the species can be 

 regarded as well settled. He admits three genera, viz, Hydrilla and Elo- 

 dea of Richard, and Lagarosiphon of Harvey ; the former of a single 

 Asiatic and European ! species, the second having only American species, 

 be the same more or less, and the third of one South African and one 

 North African species. Planchon and Babington's mistake of the sub- 

 hermaphrodite and dioecious states of our North American species as 

 generically distinct, which we pointed out at the time, is rightly compre- 

 hended by Dr. Caspary, who, however, has hesitated to reduce the several 

 false species that were published. His four North American species are 

 undoubtedly forms oi one. Whether the whole tribe is not reducible to 

 one genus is still an open question. But if Hydrilla has anatropous 

 ovules, it should probably be kept distinct. The orthotropous ovules of 

 Anacharis were long ago indicated by Dr. Torrey, and figured in the 

 Botany of the State of New York, of which work Dr. Caspary evidently 

 was ignorant. Generic distinctions between Lagarosiphon and Elodea or 

 Anacharis are not patent. Under the circumstances we do not think it 

 right in Dr. Caspary to attempt the restoration of the name Elodea ; for, 

 although Nuttall was WTong in supposing it the same as Elodes of Adan- 

 Bon, it is too near it in sound and structure, and the Hypericaceous genus 

 has been generally adopted in that form, while the name Anacharis^ 

 adopted by Planchon and Babington, had also come into general use. 

 Htre is surely a case of summum jus^ summa ivjuria ; and it would be 

 wiser to " let pretty well alone." 



The different forms of the flowers of our Anacharis Canadensis still 

 need investigation ; and the writer of this notice asks for flowers and 

 flowering branches of the plant, especially for male flowfers, preserved in 

 spirits. A» G. 



