242 Scientific Intelligence. 



less showy purple-flowered species next, and ends with the yellow- 

 flowered forms. So again in the genus Carex, contributed by 

 Professor Bailey, the large and showy Physocarpm are placed 

 first, and the less highly developed species of the section Vignea 

 at the end. In Uepaticce, also, Frullania leads off, as being most 

 specialized, and the simpler forms follow in due downward pro- 

 gression, the Ricciaeew, simplest of all Acrogenous plants, closing 

 the series. In each genus only the native species have numbers, 

 and their names are printed in full-faced Roman type ; while the 

 names of introduced plants are printed in small capitals, and not 

 numbered. As would of course be expected the whole number of 

 plants described is much greater than in the last edition. Taking 

 only the indigenous phgenogams and pteridophytes for comparison, 

 the number recognized in 1867 was 2357 ; it is now 2753, an in- 

 crease of nearly 400. The westward extension of the flora 

 described will account for most of this increase. It may be noticed 

 especially in such genera as Psoralea, Dalea, JPetalostemon and 

 Astragalus, in which there is a considerable increase of species, and 

 in the introduction of Aplopappus, Grindelia, Townsendia, Ortho- 

 carpus, Eriogonum, etc., all genera characteristic of the Rocky 

 Mountain or the Pacific coast floras. 



A few more southern plants have now been found north of the 

 Carolinas and Tennessee, and a still smaller number of high 

 northern plants have been lately gathered within our district for 

 the first time. Really new discoveries within the old geo- 

 graphical limits are of course very few : — Epipactis takes its- 

 place among the Orchids, and in Clematis, in Arabis, in Phacelia r 

 in Pedicularis, in Carex, and perhaps in a few other genera, an 

 occasional novelty is described. A slight increase is due to the 

 recognition of specific rank in forms not counted as species m 

 former editions, as, for instance, in Ranunculus and in Tilia. 



Some rectification of the names of species and genera, and even 

 of orders, is unavoidable ; and the number of such changes is con- 

 siderable, though far less than one school of botanists would have 

 desired to see. That pretty spring-flower, the Rue-anemone, be- 

 comes Anemonella thalictroides ; what has been called Thalictrum 

 (Jornuti is now T. polygamum ; Ranunculus ambigens is given in 

 place of R. alisrncefolius of the old Manual, because the true 

 R. alismaifolius is something different ; Buda is accepted as the 

 first generic name for what was heretofore called Spergularia y 

 and similar changes may be found here and there throughout the 

 volume. The preface says : — " In case of question respecting the 

 proper name to be adopted for any species, Dr. Gray's known and 

 expressed views have been followed, it is believed, throughout 

 the work. While reasonable regard has been paid to the claims 

 of priority, the purpose has been to avoid unnecessary changes, in 

 the belief that such changes are in most cases an unmitigated 

 evil." Dr. Gray's views are certainly well understood, and are 

 known to have been in accord with the teachings and the ex- 

 amples of Robert Brown, Bentham, the Hookers and other great 



