Dr. Tally on Datura. 257 



cies of Trillium, Erythronium, Statice, Actcea and of a vast 

 number of other genera, has long been a fruitful source of 

 discrepancy among botanical authors, and a multitude of 

 instances may be specified, in which plants for a long (ime, 

 not even considered as distinct varieties, have ultimately been 

 found to be dilFereni species, as for instance, Veratrum-album 

 and viride. Berberis-vidgaris and Canadensis^ etc. etc. 



Although I have never seen any other species of the ge- 

 nus Datura, yet judging from the descriptions given by au- 

 thors, I am inclined to think that there is much of this close 

 similarity and affinity, between several of them, and al- 

 though it was not my intention to raise any question at this 

 time, except respecting the two American plants, yet I can- 

 not forbear remarking in this place, that if the best repre- 

 sentations of the European Stramonium are correct, there is 

 some ground for suspecting at least, that the Stramonium of 

 that region, is specifically distinct from either of the sorts 

 found in America. I have formerly compared our plants 

 with Woodville's plate, and I now very well recollect the 

 conclusion, without being able to specify the precise rea- 

 sons. At present I have only a wood cut of Bewick' before 

 me, which appears at least, to be very weil executed, and 

 which to the best of my recollection, corresponds to the 

 engraving of Woodville. in this, the shortness and infla- 

 tion of the perianth, the companulate rather than the infun- 

 dibuliform corol, the round-oval form of the anthers, and 

 the greater width and shortness of the leaf, are prominent 

 peculiarities. I have certainly never met with any Ameri- 

 can specimen that possessed, or even approximated to tlietn, 

 and I think the European and American sorts ought still to 

 be diligently compared in their living state. If they are 

 distinct, it is most probable, that more definite peculiarities 

 may be found, but even if there should not be, still, provid- 

 ed these should prove uniform, invariable, and pernianent, 

 it might ^05.si7)/j/ warrant considering them distinct. 1 am 

 no advocate for the hasty and careless multiplication of spe- 

 cies, and till decisive and distinct marks can be found, those 

 which are closely allied, should by all means be considered 

 as varieties. In the present state of my information, howev- 

 er, I cannot but view the two American sorts of Datura as 

 specifically distinct, and I believe this has long been the de- 

 clared opinion of Professor Ives of Yale-College, and some 



Vol. VI.— No. 2. 33 



