THE Genus BioriA 61 
The name Biotia commemorates the French chemist, physi- 
cian and botanist, Jean Baptiste Biot (born and died in Paris, 
1774-1862), whom De Candolle had called in 1836 *' clarissimus 
amicissimus Biot, qui ex Astrorum studio ad botanicam physio- 
logicam feliciter migravit." 
Biotia was first published as the name of a genus by Cassini 
(Dict. des sci. nat. 34: 308) in 1825, with one species, his Bioria 
viscosa, the Madia viscosa of subsequent botanists. In 1836 De 
Candolle observed that Cassini’s description had been founded on 
a teratological form of the Pacific- American genus Madia, remark- 
ing, “ Biotia Cassinii est monstruositas Madiae ” (Prodr. 5: 264). 
Instead of dropping the name Avzotia, however, De Candolle pro- 
ceeded to revive it for that section of the genus Zurybia of Cassini, 
which is of North American habitat; retaining the name Lurydia 
for the Tasmanian species which Cassini had first assigned to it 
— species which are unlike the Biotian section in their shrubby 
habit, with coriaceous leaves usually tomentose beneath. 
The genus Eurybia had been constituted by Cassini in 1818 * 
and distinguished from Aszer by having “ bracts perfectly straight 
from base to apex," as he remarks; t “ instead of being more or 
less spreading as in Aster." This distinction, the recognition of 
which is ascribed to Adanson by Cassini (/. c.), does not hold com- 
pletely when applied to certain Biotian species with recurving 
bract-tips, nor to numerous Heterophyllous species with straight 
erect bract-tips. 
Cassinis Eurybia was originally meant for the Tasmanian 
group of shrubby species which De Candolle retained in it; 
species enumerated by Cassini in 1820 as Eurybia quercifolia, E. 
fulvida, E. viscosa, E. microphylla, all of which had been originally 
described as species of Aster by Labillardiére. In 1825 Cassini 
added [ E. Zrata, E. argophylla, E. Jussiei, E. macrophylla, E. 
corymbosa, and at this point left it. Of these 9 species only the 
latter 3 properly belong in Aster. 
* Bull. de la Soc. Philom., Nov. 1818. 
f When repeating and enlarging his account of Zuryéza in Dict. des sci. natur- 
elles, 16 : 46 (1820). 
1 Dict. des sci. nat. 37: 487. 1825. 
