MEMOIRS 
OF THE 
TORREY BOTANICAL CLUB. 
The North American Species of Physalis and related Genera. 
By PER AXEL RYDBERG. 
A revision of the genus Pysalis is without doubt much needed. 
Any one who has tried, by means of our manuals, to identify the 
Species growing in any part of the country, has failed more or less 
completely. Especially is this the case in the South and in the 
prairie states west of the Mississippi. The reason is not that the 
descriptions are so badly drawn, but that only about one-half of 
the actual number of species has, as a rule, been recognized. So, 
for instance, the State of Missouri has not less than 11 species, 
and Florida 13, while Gray's Synoptical Flora contains only 5 and 
7 which are recorded as growing in those States respectively. And 
yet that work contains the best treatment of our native species. 
Even Nebraska was supposed to contain only two species and 
one variety. In 1891, when determining a collection made in the 
western part of that State for the United States Department of 
Agriculture, I came to the conclusion that the State had at least 
six good species. The plants were also determined afterwards by 
Mr. J. M. Holzinger. I was, however, satisfied neither with his 
determination nor with my own, and began from that time to 
study the genus, whenever I had any opportunity. 
In 1894 I was called to Washington to prepare for publication 
the reports of two summers' field work done for the Department 
of Agriculture, and then had occasion to study the National 
Herbarium. I found, however, that the arrangement and deter- 
Mination of the specimens was not satisfactory. I also visited 
