2 Rhodora [JANUARY 
In such matters as nomenclature, punctuation, capitalization of 
scientific names, modes of bibliographical citation, etc., contributors 
will have full power to follow personal preferences, provided their usage 
is consistent with itself. ‘The editors reserve, however, the right of 
adding parenthetical synonyms, if such are deemed necessary for ready 
intelligibility. A 
The name RHODORA, although the designation of one of our most 
attractive New England plants, has been chosen, not from sentiment 
but primarily from a desire to have a distinctive and euphonious one- 
word title, experience having amply shown that similar titles (e. g. Lin- 
nea, Grevillea, Helios, Erythea, Auk, Ibis, etc.) soon become familiar, 
and possess great merit in their brevity and ease of citation. 
THE RATTLESNAKE-PLANTAINS OF NEW ENGLAND. 
M. L. FERNALD. 
(Plate 1.) 
For several years a Rattlesnake-Plantain, common in the White 
Mountains and other sections of New England, has passed as Goodyera 
Menziesti, a species previously considered typical of the Rocky Moun- 
tains and the northwestern Pacific slope, also by exception found on 
Lake Superior and in Lower Canada. This White Mountain plant was 
collected at Crawford's by Miss Minns, whose specimens were referred 
by Dr. Watson, in the sixth edition of Gray's Manual, to that north- 
western species. Recently the plant of the White Mountains has been 
collected in various other parts of New England, even as far south as 
Connecticut, where it has passed for Goodyera repens. The Messrs. 
Faxon, and others active in the botanical exploration of the White 
Mountains, have pointed out, however, that this New England plant is 
really very different from the Goodyera Menziesi? received from north- 
western collectors. Much material has been accumulated, and a criti- 
cal study has been made, with the hope of determining, if possible, the 
identity of this doubtful plant. 
True Goodyera Menziesii is a well-understood species, northwestern 
specimens having been kindly examined by Mr. Edmund G. Baker, of 
the British Museum, and pronounced identical with the original plant 
of Menzies. This species is the largest of our American Goodyeras, 
