Alu.  Jour.  Pharm.) 
August,  1898.  J 
Reviews. 
415 
sented  families  of  Gamopetalse,  the  most  difficult  of  our  North  American 
Phanerogams  for  determination,  the  appearance  of  Volume  III  has  been  awaited 
by  the  student  of  systematic  botany,  to  decide  many  of  the  problems  of 
determination  that  are  continually  puzzling  the  plant  collector. 
As  in  the  former  volumes,  Dr.  Britton  has  received  the  assistance  of  special- 
ists in  certain  groups,  as,  for  example,  in  the  Solanacese  the  descriptions  of 
the  genus  Physalis  have  been  contributed  by  Mr.  P.  A.  Ryberg.  The  recent 
determinations  of  special  students  have  likewise  been  accepted,  and,  as  a 
result,  throughout  the  book  there  is  a  marked  tendency  to  recognize  as  dis- 
tinct species  many  recognized  forms  which  the  older  botanists  were  prone  to 
consider  merely  as  varieties. 
The  intent  to  determine  the  exact  limitations  of  families  and  genera  is  appar- 
ent, and  as  a  result  of  this  critical  labor  numerous  changes  are  noted,  as,  for 
example,  the  asters  of  the  Eastern  United  States  are  now  classed  under  three 
genera — ister,  Doellingeria  and  Ionactis. 
The  stupendous  labor  of  the  authors  is  attested  by  the  fact  that,  in  less  than 
two  years,  the  three  volumes  have  been  published,  describing  and  illustrating 
4, 162  distinct  species,  including  all  species  now  recognized  as  occurring  in  the 
territory  covered. 
The  illustrations,  in  most  cases,  are  good  representations  of  the  plants.  The 
"dodders"  serve  as  an  example  of  their  value.  In  some  cases  we  wish  that 
they  had  been  more  extensive.  In  such  small  illustrations  as  the  character  of 
the  work  necessitated,  it  is  probably  impossible  to  show  both  the  characteristic 
basal  and  stem  leaves  of  the  asters,  but  as  the  involucral  scales  are  described 
as  distinguishing  characters,  they  should  be  figured  in  each  species.  The 
omission  of  explanatory  notes  to  the  figures  has  been  carried  through  the 
entire  volumes. 
Many  of  our  old  friends  are  dubbed  with  new  binomials,  and  this  will 
require  an  effort  to  know  them  by  their  new  names.  Some  of  these  changes 
are  interesting  to  pharmacists,  as  affecting  the  source  of  our  Materia  Medica 
and  indicating  the  probable  changes  in  the  next  revision  of  the  Pharmacopoeia. 
Spearmint  is  Mentha  spicata  L.;  Dandelion  is  Taraxacum  Taraxacum  (L-.), 
Karst.;  "  Beech  Drops  "  is  lyeptamnium  Virginianuni  (D.),  Raf. ;  Fleabane  is 
Leptilon  Canadense  (L,.),  Britt.,  and  Culver's  Root  again  becomes  Leptandra  Vir- 
ginica  (L.),  Nutt.  The  Cypress  vine  of  the  garden  becomes  Ouamoclit  Ouamo- 
clit  (D. ),  Britt,  and  the  Kenil worth  Ivy  becomes  Cymbalaria  Cymbalaria  (Iy.), 
Wettst,  and  the  tomato  is  Lycopersicon  Lycopersicon  (X. ),  Karst.  These  are 
but  samples  of  the  changes  in  names.  - 
The  uses  and  economic  value  of  the  plants  have  received  very  little  atten- 
tion. In  a  few  descriptions  commonplace  statements  that  ' '  the  leaves  are  used  as 
salads,"  or  "  the  root  as  a  substitute  for  food  "  occur,  but  there  is  no  attempt 
to  make  this  a  feature  of  the  volume. 
The  almost  entire  absence  of  references  to  the  medicinal  value  of  plants  is 
another  weak  spot  in  the  work.  The  few  statements  made  are  of  questionable 
value.  On  page  101  we  are  told  that  the  mucilage  of  the  seeds  of  Salvia  Sclarea 
Iv.  is  used  to  "  clear  specks  from  the  eye."  On  page  228  we  are  told  that  the 
"flowers  and  fruit  of  Sambucus  Canadensis  have  strong  medicinal  proper- 
ties?" 
There  is  no  mention  whatever  made  of  the  medicinal  value  of  such  plants  as 
