168 LEAFLETS. 



Madronella. 



During two years past the above name, now for the first 

 printed, has existed in my herbarium on genus cover and species 

 sheets that were formerly labelled Monardella. This last name 

 has something of a history. Though in form it is generic, the 

 author of Michaux's Flora who constructed it and first caused 

 it to be printed, used it as specific under the genus Pycnanthe- 

 mum to designate a dubious member of the genus ; one which he 

 seems to have thought of as perhaps meriting the rank of a 

 genus. This is the natural and reasonable explanation of his 

 having given the species a name that is as to form, generic. Only 

 about thirty years later Mr. Bentham in monographing the 

 whole family of the Labiates carried into effect what one must 

 believe to have been purposely at least hinted at by Michaux, 

 for he published, as a genus, the suggested Monardella, making 

 Michaux's P. Monardella the type, renaming it Monardella Caro- 

 liniana, while the greater part of the species making up the 

 genus as Bentham had it, were from Pacific North America, 

 and not truly congeneric with the Carolinian type. And while 

 later authors have remanded the type of Monardella to an 

 older genus, and an older species even, the name has been retained 

 for what is now a large genus of western plants. 



The viciousness of this method in nomenclature I long ago 

 endeavored to point out ; and I here, after long delay, propose 

 a new name for the western genus ; a name made out of the 

 old Monardella, that is Madronella. I shall not attempt to 

 transfer more than a portion of the species ; but here is a con- 

 siderable number of them, placing first in order what should be 

 the type of the genus. 



M. ODOBATisiMA. Benth. Lab. under Monardella. 



M. UNDULATA. Benth. 1. c. " 



M. DouGLASii. Benth. 1. c. " 



M. CANDiCAKS. Benth. PI. Hartw. " 



M. TiLLOSA. Benth. Bot. Sulph. " 



M. Brbwbri. Gray, Am. Acad, vii " 



