1817. 
Barton'' s Prodromus. 
•IS? 
while we are merely told in the preface, 
that all the plants enumerated were found 
within 10 miles round Philadelphia, which 
includes of course part of Pennsylvania 
and part of New- Jersey. 
The transverse columns are eight in 
number. The first gives the generic and 
specific names of the plants, in the usual 
botanical language ; here are often added 
some very useful synonymes. The second 
column includes the English and verna- 
cular names of every plant ; these last are 
particularly useful to the American rea- 
der. The third, which is merely taken 
up by the reference of genera to Jussieu’s 
natural method, is nearly a blank, and 
might have been united with the first. 
The fourth and fifth describe the calyx and 
corolla of each genus, to which the use- 
ful appendage of the colour of the flow- 
er is added. In the sixth column a pe- 
culiar diagnostic definition of each species 
is given in Lalin : although these defini- 
tions are sufliciently comparative to dis- 
tinguish the species of this Prodromus, 
it is to be regretted, that they are of- 
ten too short, and that they w ill probably 
be found defective when the Flora of Phi- 
ladelphia shall be greatly enlarged. The 
seyenth column describes only the fruit 
of each genus, and is very unnaturally 
severed from tlie 4t.h and 5th. The last 
acquaints us with the time of flowering of 
each species, a proper appendage to a 
local Flora. 
About 900 species are enumerated by 
the author ; but many of them are culti- 
vated plants, and they are classed ac- 
cording to the sexual system of Linnteus, 
which appears to be yet in fashion in the 
United States, because it is so in Eng- 
land ! Tiie cryptogamic plants arc, as 
usual, omitted, except the Ferns. This 
defect in all special Floras of North 
America, is likely to last until a classical 
w^ork on those plants he pul)lished, for 
the benefit of the science, or for the use 
of compilers. 
As many rare and valuable plants are 
here eniimerated., not generally known as 
)iatives of the neighbourhood of Philadel- 
phia, it may not be amiss to mention 
some of them ; the follow ing are there- 
Ibre selected. 
*Gratiola aurea Mg. 
Utricularia cornuta Mx. 
Utricularia ceratophyila Mx. 
*Leptanthus gramineus Mx. 
Scirpus planifolius Mg. 
Scirpus acutus Mg. 
Cyperus- phymatodes Mg. 
“Leersia virginica Mg. 
•‘^'Andropogon furcatus Mg. 
VoL. I, KO. V. 
*Phlox subulata L. 
*Itea virginica L. 
*Asclepias obtusifolia Mx. 
Heracleum lanatum Mx. 
Sium tenuifolium Mg. 
Majanthemum canadense Desfentai- 
nes. 
*Trillium cernumn L. 
*CEnothera sinuata L. 
*Polygonum tenue Mx. 
*Euphorbia ipecacuana L, 
Geum hirsutum Mg. 
*Nuphar kalmiana Smith. 
*Thalictrum polygamum Mg. 
*Ranunculusfascicularis Mg. 
*Hydrastis canadensis L. 
*ScuteiIaria ovalifolia Mg. 
^Verbena spuria L. 
■’^^Obolaria virginica L. 
*Corydalis aurea Mg. Fumaria flavula 
Raf. 
*Glycine peduncularis Mg. Raf. 
Glycine parabolica Mg. 
Hedysarum obtusum Mg. 
*Mikania scandens Wild. 
*Eiipatorium verbenefolium Mx, 
*Orchis spectabilis L. 
*Orchis feidentata Wild. 
Orchis blephariglottis Wild, 
Orchis lacera Mx. 
Arethusa pendula Mg, 
*Arethusa verticillata Mg. 
*MaIaxis unifolia Mx. 
*Malaxis lilifolia Persoon. 
Cymbidium hyemale Wild. 
*Cymbidium odentorhizon Wild. 
*Cypripediqm acaule Alton. 
Acnida rusocarpaMx. 
Mg. is used as an abbreviation of Muhr 
lenberg. Mx. of Michaux. L. of Linnse- 
us. , Wild, of Wildenow. 
Such as are noted thus *, have also been 
found by the writer of this article, near 
Philadelphia, and he can therefore at- 
test the author’s accuracy. 
This work having been published be- 
fore the reception of Pursh’s Flora of 
North America, is free fi-om many ble- 
mishes which w'ould have been probably 
copied on that autliority — as, the wrong 
generic name of Smilacina might have 
been preferred to the better one of Majan- 
thtmum ! he.. The , omissions arising 
from not consulting Pursh’s Flora are very 
trifling, and very few other errors have 
crept into it. There are some however; 
for instance, the Dianthus armeria of 
New’-Jersey is a new' species which Mr. 
C. S. Rafines(|ue called D. armeiioides in 
hh' Precis des decouvcries Sp. 116. The 
Alisma planiago h either his Alismasub- 
cordi'.ta (N. G. and Sp. of N. American 
plants in the Medical Repository,) or the 
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