Miscellanies. 171 



MliB tbe Genera Plantarum of Jussiexi, with the plants of siaiplest or 

 lowest organization, ( Thallophyta, Endl. ;) a plan which is now the 

 most common and perhaps the most philosophical; but which is at- 

 tended with many practical inconveniences to the tyro. 



The first edition of the Genera Plantarum by Linnaeus, was pub- 

 lished at Leyden in the year 1737; the second and third were pub- 

 lished at the same place, the one in 1742, the other in 1752 ; the 

 fourth and fifth were published at Stockholm ; the latter (termed the 

 sixth in our copy) in the year 1764, which is the last by Linnaeus 

 himself, is the edition generally cited, and was reprinted at Vienna in 

 1767. This last Stockholm edition forms the excellent model of all 

 the succeeding editions, as they are termed, edited by various authors. 

 It comprises one thousand two hundred and thirty nine genera, which 

 in an appendix are reduced as far as possible to th^ir proper natural 

 orders. The first edition after the death of Linnaeus is, we be- 

 Ueve, that of Reichard, published at Frankfort in 1778, about the 

 same time with the edition of the Systema Plantarum by the same 

 author. To this succeeded the edition by Schreber, (published also 

 at Frankfort, 1789 — 1701, in two volumes,) who is chiefly famous 

 for having in this work changed all the unclassical names of Aublet 

 and others for new ones made according to the Linnssan canons. 

 Succeeding authors In plucking these borrowed plumes have despoiled 

 him of some rightful feathers ; as in the case of the genus Brasenia, 

 for which most botanists have retained Michaux's name, Hydro- 

 peltis, which was published a dozen years later. The number of 

 genera is here increased to one thousand seven hundred and sixty 

 nine. About the same time (1791 ) an edition was published by Heenke 

 at Vienna, which is apparently carefully digested. The latest edition 

 of the Genera Plantarum which bears the name of Linnasus, and is 

 arranged according to the artificial system, is that of Sprengel, pub- 

 lished at Gottingen in 1830 and 1831, (2 vols. 8vo.) which is the 

 latest complete work in which the known genera are characterized. 

 He gives the date of the publication of each genus, and references to 

 the principal figures. The whole number of genera described is four 

 thousand one hundred and fifty nine. 



The Genera Plantarum secundum Ordines Naturales disposita of 

 the immortal Jussieu, with which a new era in botany commenced, 

 appeared in the year 1789. This work has never been reprinted in 

 France, and but once out of it, and is now very scarce. Until the com- 

 mencement of Dr. Endlicher's work, a period of about half a century, 

 it has remained the only Genera Plantarum according to the natural 

 system. There is one living botanist upon whom the task of prepar- 

 ing a new Genera of Plants would seem most appropriately to de- 



