192 Rhodora [September 



Galium puncticulosum and find it to be the former; for the latter, the 

 varietal name Uu rieaule may appropriately he used. 



The disposition of Linnaeus's Galium bermudense has always been 

 a matter of dispute to botanists and a full identification of its elements 

 has never previously been made. It was described thus: — 



"GALIUM foliis quaternis lincaribus obtusis, ramis ramosissiinis. 

 Apariiie foliis quaternis obtusis laevibus. Gron. vira. lb. Kubia 

 tctraphylla glabra, latiore folio, bermudensis, seminibus binis atro- 

 purpureis. Pink. aim. 324. t. 24S. Raj. suppl. 261. 



Habitat in Virginia." ' 



The Gronovian name is based on Clayton 313 in the British Museum 

 which is the less pubescent phase of the typical form of Galium jdlo- 

 ,siim, very similar to Aiton's type. Plukenet's plant, still preserved 

 at the British Museum, is Relbunium hypocarpium (L.) Hemsl. 2 with 

 which it has previously been identified by Mr. Britten, who takes 

 up for it the name Relbunium bermudense (L.) Britten. 3 Ray's plant, 

 which seems never to have been examined hitherto, is Galium eir- 

 caezans Michx., collected in Maryland by Krieg or Vernon. As if 

 this confusion were not enough, we find in Linnaeus's own description 

 a character ("foliis .... lincaribus") which could by no possi- 

 bility apply to any of these three species. Nor is there any speci- 

 men named G. bermudense in the Linnaean herbarium. Finally, the 

 specific name "bermudense" taken from Plukenet's polynomial is 

 quite at variance with the habitat, Virginia, attributed to the species 

 by Linnaeus. 



When we come to examine the treatment of Galium bermudense 

 by authors subsequent to Linnaeus, we find an absolute lack of uni- 

 formity. Walter copies the Linnaean description without comment. 

 Michaux has it not, but describes as new 0. puncticulorum,* quoting 

 G. pvrpvreum Walt, (nee L.) as synonymous and Clayton's 313 as 

 doubtfully identical. Willdenow 5 altered the name to G. bcrmudi- 

 a a urn without changing the description and, in the fashion of some 

 modern botanists, added the "popular" name " Bermudisches Lab- 



1 S,.. PI. i. l(>.-> (,1753). 



- The species was named Valantia hypocarpa by Linnaeus in 1759 without reference to 

 Plukenet's plant. Its chief synonyms are: — \alantia hypocarpa L. PL Jam. Pujr. 30 (1759): 

 V. hypocarpia L. Syst. ed. 10. ii. 1307 (1759): iielbunium hypocarpium Hemsl. Hiol. Centr. 

 Amer. Bot. ii. 03 (1881). As the species was lirst published as Valantia hyp<x-arpa, its specific 

 name under Iielbunium should he written " ' hy pocarpum ." 



• Journ. Hot. xlvii. 42 (1909). 



I Y\ Hor.-\m. i. SO (1S03). 



»Sp. 1>I. i. pt. 2. 590 (1798). 



