240 Botanical Writings of Rafinesque. 



cated to me," he remarks in the introduction, " I shall perhaps 

 have to imitate Roxburgh, and choose one for myself, as a Ra- 

 finesquia." It is not true that Roxburgh dedicated a genus to 

 himself This honor was reserved for Rafinesque, who accord- 

 ingly appropriated the Lotus pinnatus of the Botanical Magazine, 

 and described it in due form as RAriNEs^uiA seu Flundula, the 

 second name being proposed as a substitute in case this honor had 

 been already conferred by some other person. But as the plant 

 turned out to be an Hosackia, he is obliged to make another trial ; 

 and in the preamble to the third part, he continues : " As to a 

 Rafinesquia, I have provided half a dozen, out of which I hope 

 some one will suit the fancy of botanists and be adopted ; al- 

 though I may be blamed for this conceit, I blame instead for it 

 those makers of new genera, that dedicate them to obscure indi- 

 viduals, that have not added one page to the science ; and have 

 not thought of me for forty years, who have added one thousand 

 pages to it, and three thousand new genera or species."* His 

 next choice falls upon the beautiful Gardoquia Hookeri ! which 

 is published in due form as the second Rafinesquia of Rafin- 

 esque ;t and of which he makes two species in his New Flora of 

 North America. 



The last named work is precisely of the same character with 

 the preceding, except that the new genera are not quite so nume- 

 rous, but the new species amply supply the deficiency. Several 

 of the former are made in this way: "Actimeris, Raf., mis- 

 spelt Actinomeris by Nuttall ; Adisperinum, Raf, misspelt Actino- 

 spermum by Elliott." As to species, the following may suffice 

 for examples. A single Amphicarpaa is divided into ten species 

 in two genera, Bellis integrifolia into four species, Capsella Bur- 

 sa-pasioris into seven species and one new genus besides. Pru- 

 nella vulgaris into ten species, two species of Triostemn into 

 eight, a single (?) Eclipta into ten or twelve species and appa- 

 rently three genera, &c. (fcc. These are by no means unusual 

 instances, but fairly exhibit the character of the work. 



1839. AmericanManualof the Mulberry Trees. Philadelphia. 

 Of this pamphlet we have seen no more than the title-page and 

 the first sheet. 



1840. The Good Book and Amenities of Nature ; or Annals 

 of Historical and Natural Sciences, is the last we have to notice. 



* Flora Telluriana, ■part 3, y. 6. t Op. cit.part 3, p. 82. 



