380 
REVIEWS. 
made, it is impossible to avoid remarking on the extreme laxity of 
ideas regarding the value and distinctness of genera and species, 
which has led to the establishment of so many bad genera and species. 
In justice to Herr Garcke, we must not omit to mention that he is 
quite conscious of this defect, and that he has rectified it as far as he 
felt able to do so. The number of new genera indicated is seven, of 
which G-arcke has reduced four, namely, Bterocyclus , referred to 
Symenolaenct (TJmbelliferse), Carpophora and Timaeosia , which are 
shown to be founded on published species of Silene and Qypsophila , 
and Hersilea , which belongs to Aster. Of the three remaining genera, 
Lepidopelma is evidently the Euphorbiaceous genus Sarcococca, and 
Leptanthe (Boragineae), is Macrotomici Benthami , DC. The Endo¬ 
genous genus, Stachyopogon, though unfortunately not really new, is 
by far the most interesting plant illustrated in the work, as it con¬ 
stitutes a type which, though collected by Wallich, Griffith, and Hoyle, 
before Hofimeister, and by Hooker and Strachey after him, has 
not yet been published as Himalayan. It is identical with the North 
American and Japanese genus Aletris, formerly referred doubtfully 
to Irideae, but now by A. Gray and others appended to the imper¬ 
fectly defined group, Hsemodoraceae, but which seems to differ from 
Melanthaceae only by an almost evanescent adhesion of the perianth 
to the ovary. It resembles much in general appearance the genus 
Totieldia , to which, indeed, one of the Himalayan species was referred 
by Wallich. 
With regard to species, as already stated, the total number is 
estimated by Dr. Klotzsch at 456. Of these he considers 108 to be 
new, and gives figures of almost all of these. Confining our attention 
to the Exogens, because Dr. Garcke seems to have printed, without 
alteration, IQotzsch’s MSS. of the Endogens, which was left in a 
state of readiness for press, we find that out of 93 species figured as 
new, 39 are identified by Dr. Garcke, without hesitation, with already 
existing species, and that the very close relationship of 16 others 
to well known plants is indicated. Dr. Garcke has, therefore, made 
good use of the Indian collections which he had at hand. Had his 
materials been more complete, he would, we believe, have been able 
to identify every one of the species figured with those of other col¬ 
lectors, and, with only one or two exceptions, with already published 
species. 
Dr. Klotzsch had prepared for this work a conspectus of the 
classification of plants, which, in his opinion, makes it easy for any 
one who possesses an elementary knowledge of Botany, to determine 
the class and family to which a plant belongs. We may, perhaps, 
have an opportunity at some future time of returning to this con¬ 
spectus, and comparing it with other recent attempts of a similar 
kind. Eor the present it may suffice to say, that like all other modes 
of grouping plants, it presents many exceptions, which make its 
practical application difficult, and that it does not appear to us to 
possess any advantages over the classification in common , use. 
