Bennett : Potanwgetoii penytvanicus in Engtand. i r 



(1827), p. 227. But there was another claimant, P. pumitus^ 

 Wolfg-ang-. in Roemer's and Schultes Sys. Mant. 3 (1827) 354. 

 Of this Dr. Lang-e, of Copenhagen, sent nie an original speci- 

 men ; this, too, was Claytonii. 



Then Rafinesque, in Medical Repository 2nd Hex 5 (1808)^ 

 p. 354, named a species P. epihydniin (giving' as a syn) ' P^ 

 nutans var. 6 Michaux.' Now in the \^ienna Herbarium there is 

 a specimen named 'P. natans Michx., In fluv. \'irginia-Beyruth,' 

 and this specimen is also P. Claytonii. But there is still another 

 name accepted by Dr. Morung^ and by Dr. Graebner,t P. Nuttatii 

 Cham et Sc/i., in the same volume of Linucea, but on the page 

 before pensylvanicus. The outcome of all these names is that 

 the Linnsea was published in 1827, before the volume of Roemer 

 and Schultes, so that disposes of piunilus ; that we have speci- 

 mens of pensylvanicus^ but none of epihydrum or Xuttalii. 

 Personally, there seem so many mistakes with the genus that I 

 trust to specimens alone, and would prefer to call it P. 

 pensylvanicus, at least until evidence more conclusive is brought 

 forward on behalf of the other names, although there seems 

 to be fair reason for supposing that Rafinesque's name may 

 have to be accepted. 



In North America the species is found in \^ancouver's Island, 

 British Columbia ! Upper and Lower Canada ! Nova Scotia 

 and in the United States from Maine (Fernald !) to Georgia ! 

 New York to Washington Territory ! and California ! occuring 

 in twenty-seven of the states and territories ; in Jamaica ! and 

 Porto Rico ! It varies as var. portoricensis Graebner (slender 

 form) to a very large form var. Cayugensis Wiegand. 



As to its introduction to our country, I prefer to leave this an 

 open question until I hear from Mr. Fernald of the Gray 

 Herbarium, U.S.A., and hope to contribute a further note on 

 the subject. 



I have written to Mr. Crump respecting it, giving him a few 

 notes, and I hope next summer some botanist will explore the 

 canal and give a full list of all its phanerogamic vegetation. It 

 is the first authenticated example of a Potamogeton being intro- 

 duced that I know of, though Dr. Morung considered P. crispus 

 L. was in America, but that has proved not to be the case. I 

 possess in my collection forty-two specimens of the species from 

 all over its area of distribution. 



* N. American Naidaceae, t. 29 (1894), p. 18, f Das Pflanzenreicli 

 Heft. 31 (1907), p. 133, 141. 



1908 January i. 



