Retrospective Criticism. 247 



the African ones ; they form my genus Mesadenia ; five florets round a 

 central gland : but Cacalia suaveolens and reniformis constitute another 

 genus, Synosma Raf. 



28. Rudbeck/a purpurea. The description and figure different. The fact 

 is, ten species are blended under that name, and form a peculiar genus, 

 which I call Helicroa ; others call it Rafinesqiua. [Mcench has denomi- 

 nated this genus Echinacea, from the hedgehog-like appearance of the 

 paleae ; but whether his genus be earlier or later than those cited by Pro- 

 fessor Rafinesque, I must leave to others to determine. — J. D.] 



29. E x ria. Bad name : root of Erianthus, and ten other genera. Would 

 not Erioxantha, meaning yellow wool, be better ? 



30. Microstylis Pursk, 1815. I called it Achroanthes, 1808. The Liparis 

 of Lindley is my Anistylis, 1825. 



31. Jristoldchia. This genus is a large tribe of plants : I have established 

 in it the genera or subgenera Glossula, Pistolochia, Endodeca, Siphidia or 

 Nlphus, Einomeia, Dictyanthes (A. labiosa), and others. Three or four 

 species are blended under A. serpentaria. Your description and figure are 

 two different plants. The figure has large broad cordate leaves ; and very 

 different from our common kind, with oblong leaves. See my Medical 

 Flora, 



32. -Suxus. We import boxwood into, and do not export it from, 

 America. You mean Armenia in Asia : misprinted America. 



33. Madura Nuttal, 1818. My Toxylon (bow-wood), 1817 : a previous 

 and better name. We have two other genera of Madura in zoology and 

 mineralogy. The fruit is not esculent. Kunth and Torrey have commit- 

 ted the absurdity to deem this tree the ilforus tinctdria, which has oblong 

 edible fruits, Ayac, in Louisiana. 



34. Cocos. Etymon wrong : comes from Coco, palm trees, in the Haytian 

 language. Introduced by Columbus in 1491: see Acosta. Having re- 

 stored the Haytian language, by collecting 300 words from early travellers, 

 for my History of American Nations, I have found many etymons ; I shall 

 mention a few : — Yam, from Niames ; Potatoes, Batatas ; Manioc, Juco ; 

 Mangrove, Mangle ; Ceiba or cotton tree, Ceiba ; Guava, Guayava ; Pi- 

 mento, Pimento; Guiacum, Guayac ; Mancenilla, Manzinila; Cassava, 

 Cazabi ; Mahogany, Mahy, Cacao, Copal, Mani ; and many more. 



35. Two genera, -Sellis L., and Belis Salisbury. This last my Jacularia. 



36. ^bies and iarix. Why Salisbury quoted instead of Tournefort, 

 1700; or Adanson, 1750; or Jussieu, 1789? 



37. Gymnocladus. Our [Kentucky] coffee tree, 80ft. high in the west; 

 quite straight ; seeds used for coffee. This fine tree called a tree, a shrub, 

 and a vine at once. 



38. Juniperus virginiana. The figure has large round berries ; ours has 

 small ovoid warty berries. The figure of J. bermudiana more like ours. 



39. Feratrum virginicum is Melanthium virginicum, by description and 

 figure. 



40. The asters of North America are a chaos as yet. We have 100 spe- 

 cies : you have increased the confusion. Your .Erigeron carolinianum is 

 certainly an A'stev by figure, with few rays. A. Tradescant? is different 

 from ours, ^'ster argophyllus, three rays in description; five rays in figure. 

 I have prepared a work on this genus for Decandolle, divided into many 

 subgenera by simple or double rays, entire or toothed, seeds smooth or 

 villose, &c. [Mr. D. Don has already grouped ^'ster argophyllus and the 

 closely related species into a genus named Haxtom'a; See p.- 19. for ety- 

 mon and species. — J. D.] 



41. Solidago. The species of North America are in the same confusion as 

 those of J'ster. The figures of your S. bicolor, odora, mexicana, flexicaulis, 

 do not correspond with the description, nor with our species. S. flexicau- 



r 4 



