1808. ] Monthly Botanical Report. 381 
but too near the variety of ¢ricofor, (No, 1020.) It is recognized by Mr. Gawler as the var. 
a. of tricolor of Hort. Kew. and he suspects it to be a hybrid offspring of the original tricolor 
of the Bot.Mag. and guadricolor, No. 588 5 but if.so, why is the latter of the supposed parents 
only introduced among the synonyms? 4. A very characteristic figuré of Gladiolus rriszis B, 
also figured by Sali-bury under the name of concolor. ‘The specific character contains a very 
accurate and complete description. 5. Podalyria tinctoria. Though this species, which was 
by Linneus and other botanists described as a Sophora, has been in the Chelsea garden before 
1759, it is by no means a common plant; nor has it been often figured, There is, however, 
besides the miserable one of Lamarck quoted by Dr. Sims, a very good one in Ehret’s: plants 
published by Trew, which hag escaped the wonted vigilance of the Doctor ; another is in 
Meerburg’s icones, but this appears dubious. An eror of the press, (racemosis instead of 
racemis ) renders the specific character here given very ambiguous. 6. Linum trigynum. Ap 
exquisite figure of that beautiful plant, likewise given in Exotic Botany and the Botanist*s 
Repository. Queries: is it exactly the same with Hardwicke’s plant figured by Smith? is it 
a good Linum ? does it belong to the same natural order with it? 7, Gentiana Pneumonanthe; 
a new variety of this polymorphous species with spotted flowers. Dr, Sims calls it guttata, 
a name added for the convenience of cultivators, and which may be used as a specific 
denomination by those who like species better than varieties. 
Of the Paradisus Londinensis, which did not come to us last month,we have two numbers before 
vs, both of them far from being inelegant: the first begins with a new genus from the south-west 
coast of North America, named by Mr. Salisbury Hockera, after Mr. Hooker the painter of the 
Paradisus. Mr. S, accuses Dr. Smith of having alluded to this plant in his Introduction to Botany, 
where the stamina are said to be considered as petals, and these as countenancing Jussicu’s ides 
that the perianthinm of all monocotyledonous plants should be called acalyx. Being possessed 
perhaps of still less data than Mr. S. to prove that the author of the above worl: had the same 
plant in view, we can form no opinion of the justness of the observation, nor whether Dr. 
Smith’s plant should be referred to the Asphodeli or the Narcissi. Mr. S. avails himself of 
this opportunity to express his regret to dissent sv often from his antagonist respecting the - 
affinity of plants; of which discrepancy, the plant in question, Agapanthus, and Sowerbaa 
are givenas examples. All we haveto remark upon this is, that the monocotyledonous 
plants are as yet so unsettled, and the fundamental principles of their classification so 
arbitrary, that partial and desultory observations on single genera and their affinities to each, 
other,are of no avail, and disputes about them,in the present state of things, must be considered 
as de lana caprina, We are persuaded that Mr. S's. acumen and genius for observation, if 
guided by love of truth and science alone, will do much in forwarding the cause in which he 
is engaged as champion of the natural orders; but we also know, that a much safer way for 
him to obtain his end, and likewise a more honourable and lasting niche in the temple of 
Flora, would be, to proceed more cooly and less dogmatically in matters of vegetable affinity 5 
nor would it be amiss if Mr, S. inorder to enable botanists to judge of the merit of his ideas, 
would present them with a systemacic view of his discoveries in this field of our science, 
before he pronounce his oracular dogmas, especially in a publication which we suppose is not 
on that score ‘* honored with the sanction” of the ladies and gentlemen whose names figure on 
the wrapper, nor by that of any other subscriber. After having assigned their respective 
places to the above mentioned three genera, Mr. S. at the risk of being laughed at, as he 
himself apprehends, baldly ventures into the slippery field of geological enquiry, and sweeps 
away whole orders of plants along with the strata whereon they grew; to accomplish which 
he avails himself of the ‘* convulsion called the deluge.” ‘Too grave to laugh a‘ this strange 
conjecture, (which its author flatters himself will be strengthened by the discoveries of 
future generations!) we shook our wigs in humble doubt that such a pheaomenon could ever 
have taken place, till it occurred to us that it might perhaps have happened at the time when 
another learned botanist, at Berlin, undertook to sever New Holland from the Cape of Good 
Hope, and North America from Kamtschatka and the Kurile Islands. But to return to 
Hookera: it is a very handsome hexandrous genus, and Mr. Hooker might have reason to be 
proud of it (as in fact of any other genus,) if it were still considered honorable to be thus 
distinguished. We are informed that a paper of Dr. Smith’s has lately been read before the 
Linnean Society descriptive of a new moss named Hookera, after an excellent British 
cryptogamist. We have not heard which of them will probably be the successful candidate ; 
nor can we, in case any difficulty should arise, recommend to one of the partics the new 
French fashion of translating the name into Greek; there being already an Ancistrum, 
' 2, Cephaélis peduncularis; both figure and description are very pertect. ‘This new species 
of Cephaélis, characterized principally by its large carinated stipules and long peduncle of 
the capitulum of small white flowers, is a native of Sierra Leone, and cultivated in the gardem 
of the Comtesse de Vandes. The observations of Mr. S. on the unwarranted liberties which 
Schreber and Willdenow have taken with the Jussieu-Aubletian genera, are extremely just. 3. 
Correa cotinifolia, the C. a/ba of all other writers. Mr. $. informs us that he has given the plane 
anothername, because the petals are never entirely white; and his two varieties arc; 
a, petalis fere albis, B. petalis intus carneis; to which we add the variety y. petalis plane albis. 
ath The 
