360 Aster History; GESNER 
tainable ; his Zpist/es to various botanists, as to Wm. Turner in 
1562, the father of English botany ; those to Caspar and to Jean 
Bauhin, to Collinus “de Tulipa Turcarum,’’ and to Joannes Kent- 
mann ; his unaddressed epistles published jointly with Guilandini; ig 
his De hortis Germaniae,+ and his great unfinished General fis- 
tory of Plants. In this and in the preceding De Hortis Gesner’s 
chief Aster contributions were contained. 
Gesner’s great contribution to the knowledge of Asters resulted 
however from his clear perception of plurality of species in the 
genus Aster. This belief was indicated in Gesner’s publication of 
three different plants by the name of Aster in his edition in 15601 
of Valerius Cordus ; and it showed its influence within two years 
on Matthioli, primate of conservative botany, in the appearance in 
1563 of the Aster Atticus verus, of Anguillara and of Gesner, as 
Matthioli’s second Aster, Aster Atticus alter. 
That Gesner should recognize other Asters than Aster Atticus 
was characteristic of his outlook upon botany. He did not 
believe in monotypic genera. He stands still to-day as perhaps 
the most notable of examples of that disbelief. In a letter he said 
‘There is probably no genus of herbs which is not to be divided 
into two or more species. The ancients described one gentian ; 
Gesner himself was sold in London, 1846, for 10s. 6d. In this work, various new 
plants of Gesner’s discovery were first published, both in descriptions and figures ; with 
additions regarding the Alps, including descriptions of Mount Pilatus near Lucerne by 
eg DuChoul, and of the Stockhorn near Berne by a native, Rhellicanus 
a8 re tirpium .., nominibus vetustis,’’ or ** Two jk gs one by Melchior 
Guilandini <a Piesih, the other by Conrad Gesner; on certain ancient names = 
herbs, of which through ages physicians have been ignorant or have been in doubt ; 
as, Moly, Oloconitis, Pritt fos Bulbocastaneum, Granum alzelin and mse 
| i Bs 1557, p. 45, with figures; in Latin; a rare aes in the Dresden 
Meas. With alditvons from te nb of three epistle opening pages- 
This was a eRe 1558 at Padua, a rare folio of 48 pp. ; alse in ie Dresden library, 
its title beginning “‘ De stirpibus aliquot epistolae V.”” : 
+ Printed by Rihel at Strasburg, 1561 in folio, in one psccangt volume with 
Gesner’s edition of Valerius Cordus’ works (Annotations on 5 books of Dioscorides 5 
the posthumous ‘‘ Hi:toria stirpium’’ in 4 books; the ‘‘Sylva’’ pose ss notice of 
ce’tain German fossils, metals, stones and plants; a book ‘‘ De art ificionis extraction 
bus ;’’ another on some ‘* Compositiones medicinales’’). Gesner’s part was s entitled “* De 
hortis Germaniae liber recens, una cum descriptione — Turcarum, Chamaeceras 
montani, Chamaemespili, Pauper et Conizoidis.’’ It was written in the winter 
of 1560, containing a catalog of all known gardens, especially in Germany, together 
with notes of notable plants poh dt by them, and very often with their nativity: 
See ee er 
