38 FLORA INDICA. 



We have akeady remarked that the effect of confounding 

 variations with specific differences has been to swell the sup- 

 posed number of known plants by one-third ; and we think 

 that, if mistaken ideas of distribution be added, we shall find 

 that, of the number of species enumerated in catalogues, the 

 proportion that are spurious amounts to at least one-half. 

 Thus, there are not a few botanists who have contributed a 

 very considerable number of such, founded solely on the fact 

 of their supposed isolation, and which were not even compared 

 with their described congeners previous to being thrust as new 

 into the annals of botany. The Indian Flora swarms with 

 these. In the natural order Ranunculacece alone, comprising 

 115 species, we have been obliged to reduce 28 supposed spe- 

 cies*, founded exclusively on Indian specimens, to well-known 

 European plants, besides a multitude of others, natives of 

 Siberia, Persia, Western Asia, and some eastern Asiatic ones. 

 Of the 27 European Ranunculacem enumerated, only 4 had 

 previously been identified, and of 17 others all had one or 

 more new names, there being 28 new names in all. When 

 we add, that such plants as the common English Marsh-Ma- 

 rigold, Monks-hood, Columbine, Pseony, Actaea, Crowfoot, 

 Berberry, White Waterlily, and Red Poppy, have aU had 

 names lavished on them in virtue of their Indian birthplace, 

 our readers may judge for themselves of the progress that 

 the geographical distribution of Indian or European plants is 

 likely to make for some years to comef- Of the undue im- 



* THa is a Teiy moderate estimate, for we fully belieTe that future authors 

 will reduce many other species which we keep distinct, to EngUsh forms, espe- 

 cially among the Jlanunctdi and Delphinia ; we have, however, considered it 

 necessary to prove absolute identity between the European aud Indian indivi- 

 duals, before uniting them, which of course obhges us to keep separate many 

 plants which we fuUy beheve to be only Indian forms of weE-known western 

 ones. 



t The converse of this is equaUy instructive and illustrative of the point we 

 wish to impress. The Silver Cedar of our parks, so long as its habitat was un- 

 known, was imiversally considered to be a variety of the Lebanon Cedar : now 

 that it is known to come from Algeria, and not Lebanon, it is considered a dif- 

 ferent species in standard works. 



