132 



Late in the season the leaves of l". iiotabilis become more 

 deeply cleft and much enlarged and dilated, attaining a length of 

 6-Q cm. and sometimes becoming lo-ii cm. broad. 



THE DATE OF PURSH'S FLORA 



By John Hendley Barnhart 



A short time ago Mr. Roland M. Harper called my attention 

 to an inconsistency which has crept into several recent publica- 

 tions, inasmuch as they recognize the priority of plate isgg of 

 Curtis's Botanical Magazine {Hclonias gramijira Ker) over Pursh's 

 Flora (^Veratniin angnstifolium Pursh),* while they take it for 

 granted that Pursh's work (^Conostyiis Americana Pursh) is older 

 than plate IS96 of the Botanical Magazine [Lophiola aurea Ker). 



At that time the Botanical Magazine was issued regularly on 

 the first of each month, each number consisting of seven or eight 

 plates with their accompanying text, and each plate bearing the 

 date of issue ; so it is a simple matter to determine that plates 

 I Sg6 and /jpp were issued together on the first of November, 

 18 1 3. Both volumes of the original edition of the Flora 

 Americae Septentrionalis of Pursh bear the date 1814 on their 

 title-pages ; and at first sight it would appear quite evident that 

 Ker's two names have priority over any proposed in Pursh's work. 



The situation is complicated, however, by the fact that Ker, 

 under LopJiiola aurea [pi. ijgd), mentions CoJiosty/is America iia 

 as a synonym, and cites the Flora of Pursh by volume and page, 

 without anything to suggest that that work might not be in the 

 hands of the botanical public. P^rom this it is evident, either 

 that Pursh's work was published prior to the date given on its 

 title-pages ; or that it appeared in jxirts, the title-page dates mark- 

 ing the completion of its jjuljlication ; or that Ker had access to 

 the printed but unpublished sheets. 



The first of these alternatives is wholl)' improbable. Post- 

 dated publications are rare, and the reason is obvious ; the fraud 



* Slinunfhiuin graininciim (Ker) Moifnifr ; Slciiiitilhimn (im^tialifoliiiiii (Piirsli) 

 Kuntli. 



