Excerpt from Memoirs of the Torrey Botanical Club, Vol. 1 The writer upholds the use of the oldest published name or combination, in every instance. This principle is applied to the names of varieties with the same care as to those of species. He also adopts a particular variety as the type of each variable species, rather than use the specific name as a loose and collee tive appellation for all the forms of the species. This type, in every case, so far as originals exist, is the form which the author first described, independently of any apparent indications as to its relative importance. Thus some of our common species are emended; e. G.: Carer: stramz'nea, C. Laxz om, C. Strz'ata, C. De bz'lz's, C. Salz'na, and others. The writer has given varietal names only to those forms which assume a considerable degree of permanence under various conditions, and the combining of which would lead to confusion in the knowledge of the species. He has no sympathy with that ultra-refinement of classification which gives names to specimens rather than to species and their larger variations. Such refinements serve no useful purpose, and do not merit the name of science. Few plants possess more clearly marked characteristics than do the Carices, when once the species are well understood and allowance is made for incidental varia tions; but when these incidental variations are confined by written descriptions and dignified by names, confusion unavoidably arises. The collections to which the writer has had access are as fol lows, the abbreviation in the parenthesis being the character by which each is designated in the text below: I. The collection of Linnaeus (hb. Deposited with the Linnaean Society, Picca dilly, London. The carices are comprised in three small fascicles, and are well preserved. Many Of them possess little value, how ever, owing to the fact that they are not the specimens which Linnaeus described. Some of the specimens are not named. 2. The large and valuable herbarium of Dr Francis Boott (hb. Now forming a part Of the collections of Kew. 3. The herbarium Ol John Carey (lib. Carey), also at Kew. 4. That Of Samuel Goodenough (hb. And, 5,0fj. Gay (uh. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works."