Palmerella. g 



Wheeler's Report, 367. I recognize this as quite specifically dis- 

 tinct from the typ;-. of Palmerella, which latter should be dedicated 

 to its real discoverer, George W. Dunn, under the name Lobelia 

 Dunnii. — Palmerella debilis, Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. XI, 81; 

 Bot. Calif. I, 619.' 



I suppose since Prof. Greene fails to mention it, that he did 

 not know that a w ell know botanist, Baillon, had all ready re- 

 duced Palmerella to Lobelia, and had made some observations on 

 their properties and likeness to the cichoriaceae, which sound re- 

 markably like those of 'Analogies and affinities' (Pittonia, I, 

 294-298). However this may be. I think Prof. Greene should in 

 common fairness prove his statement after having said that the 

 honor of discovering this species does not belong to me. 



During my recent illness Mr. Dunn called upon me, and on 

 questioning him about the matter he told me that he had col- 

 lected it before I had done so, and that he had gi . en a specimen 

 to the California Academy of Sciences. I have asked permission 

 to examine the specimens in its herbarium, and find that the old- 

 est was collected by Dr. C. C. Parry, in 1876, at Santa Barbara, 

 and is the variety serrata; and, that the one from Mr. Dunn has 

 for a label a strip of a margin of a newspaper, with the words 

 'Big Canyon, L. C. Sept. 13, 1878.' No name but in Mr. Dunn's 

 hand writing. 



I have only once visited the spot where the plant was found, 

 and on that occasion Mr. Dunn was a member of the party; but 

 if he secured a specimen the fact was entirely unknown to 

 me. I obtained them with considerable trouble and brought 

 them out of the depths of the canyon in my hat which I tied on 

 to keep them safely. Dr. Gray, considering it to belong to a 

 new genus, honored me by naming it Palmerella, under which 

 name it was published in Proc. Amer. Acad. Oct. 12, 1875. 



If it can be proven that any one collected it earlier, in the in- 

 terest of truth I will be glad to have the fact made known. 



Edward Palmer. 



A HANDSOME ASTRAGALUS. 



[In April, 1889, the editor visited the western borders of the 

 Colorado Desert, in San Diego county, where a large variety of 

 plants were found in bloom. Among others a handsome astragalus 

 was found on the eastern slope of the mountains with very showy 

 scarlet flowers. This was submitted to the late Dr. C. C. Parry, 

 who at first was inclined to consider it a new species. Probably 

 this was the last flower which received a name at the hands of 

 Dr. Parry. The last letter which I received from him enclosed 

 the following:] 



The beautiful red (?) flowered astragalus sent by C. R. Orcutt 

 from the western borders of the Colorado Desert, hardly seems 



