124 Rhodora [JUNE 
typic genus (though the Japanese plant is sometimes separated) 
clearly distinguished from Fatsia, and by the International Rules of 
Botanical Nomenclature its name should be Oplopanax horridum 
(Sm.) Miquel. Echinopanax Decaisne & Planchon, Rev. Hort. Sér. 
4, iil. 105 (1854) was started as a genus merely by the statement, 
“Un autre type trés remarquable (Echinopanax Nob.) est fourni par 
le Panax horridum." Absolutely no differential character was given 
by which any one else could tell on what points Echinopanax rested 
as a genus; that highly important detail being left for others to 
struggle with, they, if successful, giving the credit for the solution to 
the authors who had not taken sufficient pains themselves to point 
out the differential characters. The International Rules wisely exclude 
these names, the authors of which, to use the slang of the day, “pass 
the buck,” stating (Art. 38) that “The mere indication of species as 
belonging to a new genus or of genera as belonging to a higher group, 
does not allow us to accept the genus or group in question as charac- 
terized and effectively published.” The American Rules, however, 
accept such irresponsible publication and by that code Echinopanax 
is a properly published genus. So far as a prolonged search has re- 
vealed, the first satisfactorily published generic name for the Devil’s 
Club is Oplopanax Miquel, Ann. Mus. Bot. Lugd.-Batav. i. 16 (1863), 
which was based upon Torrey & Gray’s Panax Š Oplopanax, a section 
set off by them with a real characterization. 
Nelson & Macbride, Bot. Gaz. lxi. 45 (1916), have revived the name 
Ricinophyllum and have made the combination R. horridum (Sm.) 
Nelson & Macbr.; but a moment's examination of the original publi- 
cation would have shown that Ricinophyllum was merely indicated 
in synonymy as an herbarium-name found on an old sheet of Panax 
horridum Sm. The name Ricinophyllum, therefore, has no nomen- 
clatorial status. 
HACKELIA DEFLEXA (Willd.) Opiz, var. americana (Gray) Fernald 
& Johnston, n. comb. Echinospermum deflexum, var. americanum 
Gray, Proc. Am. Acad. xvii. 224 (1882). Lappula deflexa, var. ameri- 
cana (Gray) Greene, Pittonia, ii. 183 (1891). L. americana Rydb. 
Bull. Torr. Bot. Cl. xxiv. 294 (1897). 
When the genus Hackelia was recently taken up! the American 
plant was merged with the European since the character relied upon 
by Gray in separating it, namely, the presence of a few prickles on 
! Johnston, Contrib. Gray Herb. n. s. No. lxviii. 43-48 (1923). 
