334 



last to be printed except the title-pages and, perhaps, the preface 

 — and they seem to have been brought down to the very 

 moment when they were sent to press. In them we find refer- 

 ences to many of the plates of the Botanical Magazine which had 

 been published during the few preceding months, including two 

 {1601 and /602) which appeared on the first of December, 1813. 

 The preface, too, is dated "December, 18 13," and all of the 

 evidence goes to show that the entire work was ready for issue 

 some time before the end of that month. That being the case, 

 and granting that the title-page date i8i4is correct, it is alto- 

 gether probable that the two volumes of Pursh's Flora Americae 

 Septentrionalis were first offered for sale, together, some time 

 during the month of January, iSi^. If so the date of issue 

 of the Flora falls between that of plate 161 j; (i Ja 18 14) and 

 plate 161^ (i F 18 14) of the Botanical Magazine. 



A few remarks may not be out of place here concerning some 

 of the North American plants which were published in the Bot- 

 anical Magazine while the Flora was passing through the press. 



" Andromeda florihinda Pursh " dates from the Magazine (//. 

 1366. I Jl 1 81 3) instead of from the P^'lora (page 293. 1814). 



" Iponioca Jalapa (L.) Pursh" first appeared as a synonym in 

 the Magazine (/>/. 1572. i Au 1813). This, however, accord- 

 ing to the most recently formulated American code of nomen- 

 clature, does not constitute " publication " of the name in a tech- 

 nical sense. 



'' Scilla esculcnta Ker " (Bot. Mag. pi. 1574. i Au 18 13) 

 antedates " Phalangium Quamasli Pursh" (Fl. Am. Sept. 226. 

 1 8 14). Although Ker himself cxprcs.sed some doubt as to the 

 identity of these two species, they were long regarded as the 

 same, and it is only in comparatively recent years (Coville, Proc. 

 Biol. Soc. Wash. 11 : 61-65. 1897) that they have been clearly 

 distinguished. Rafinesque, in proposing the genus Quaniasia 

 (Am. Mo. Mag. 2: 265. !'" 1818), based his Q. cscuUnta upon 

 " Phalangiuin Quaniash or Sci/la cscn/iiita," citing hotli Pursii's 

 and Ker's names for what was supposed to be the same species. 

 The source of Kafinesquc's specific name is thus perfectly evi- 

 dent, and it seems to me that the eastern plant should be called 



