THE A^IERICAN BOTANIST 73 



flowers or not, may possess aerial stems, or grow from a half 

 subterranean stem known as a rhizome. These differences give 

 the systematist a chance to divide the genus Jlola into sections, 

 and it is these sections that the reviser now wants to elevate to 

 g"eneric rank. There never has been any hard and fast rule for 

 making genera — it all depends upon who is doing it, whether 

 he calls a group of species a genus or makes this category for 

 a species with several forms. By the newly proposed division, 

 the bird-foot violet { Jlola pcdata) becomes the type of the 

 new genus Oionycliioii, the pansies are typical of the genus 

 Mneinion, Viola piihcsccns and its allies become Crocioii, Viola 

 Canadensis finds itself in Lophiou while the remainder of the 

 species though still placed in Jlola are distributed in the sub- 

 genera Euioii, Hcspcrioji, Eucciifrion, Eulopluon, and R!iabdo- 

 tion. At this juncture the supply of ions appears to have given 

 out for we find one subgenus actually named J\Thasculiiin. 

 The word ion, it may be remarked, is the Greek for violet, 

 which explains its use in this connection. Certainly the genus 

 is properly ionized at last and we may hope that it will remain 

 in a stable condition. Wdiat funny fellows these nomenclatur- 

 ists are, to be sure ! 



