THE FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA. f 
Geschichte der Botanik. Unfortunately, this history brings us 
only up to 1850. Winckler divides the history into the following 
periods: 
The ancient writers. 
Medicus—Bauhin, 1478—1601. 
Bauhin—Tournefort, 1601—1694. 
Tournefort—Linneus, 1694—1735. 
Linnzeus—Jussieu, 1735—1789. 
Jussieu—R. Brown, 1789—1817. 
OWD—.....sss000e , 1817—1850. 
Pritzel divides it into the following periods: 
Ancient writers. 
Tournefort—Linneus, 1694—1736. 
Linnzeus—R. Brown, 1736—1810. 
R. Brown—DeCandolle, 1810—1824. 
De Candolle—...........- , 1824—...... 
These two writers agree in regarding Tournefort, Linnzus, 
and Robert Brown epoch-making botanists. There is no question 
that the two first were. As to Robert Brown, there is no doubt 
1A 
that he was one of the greatest syst he world has 
produced, and scarcely anyone has known as many plants as he; 
but as far as the botany of North America is concerned, the writer 
cannot see that a new epoch began either 1810 or 1817. There 
are many more reasons for assigning the beginning of new epochs 
With Jussieu and De Candolle, or rather with the appearance of 
oe works in which they proposed their new systems of classifica- 
ion. 
As far as the North American botany is concerned, new epochs 
apparently began about 1840 and 1890. The beginning of the 
rst of these was too near the time when Winckler and Pritzel 
Wrote, and was naturally overlooked by them. 
The writer has adopted in general the periods by Winckler. 
but with some modification in the later ones. 
1. MEDICAN PERIOD, 1478—1601. 
This period extends from the time of Medicus to the appearance of Kaspar 
Bauhin’s Pinax. During this time nothing of any value was written on American 
botany except the work of Hernandez, who traveled in Mexico in 1570—6. Only 
& portion thereof was published 1615, 1648, 1651, and 1791. So even the publi- 
cationof Hernandez’s work does not belong to this period. 
Nothing was contributed to the knowledge of the American flora by Scandi- 
Vians. 
