isr 



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The Genus Disporum, Salisb. 



An anonymous writer in the Botanical Gazette for June, 

 selecting the genus Dispomin, Salisb., 1S15, apparently as an 

 example for the basis of argument, discusses the method to be 

 adopted in transferring to it the species of Prosarfes, Don, 1839, 

 these two genera having long been sliown to be practically iden- 

 tical, which circumstance he deplores for the curious reason '*that 

 it IS an advantage to keep the groups apart on account of their 

 difference of habitat." He gives a Hst of the presumed American 

 ecies under Dispoi'iun, and concludes that inasmuch as this is 

 e first time that these binomials have appeared in print, they 

 must be attributed to the editors of the Gazette, Professors Arthur, 

 Barnes and Coulter, or ** in the necessary process of condensation 

 this becomes inevitably A. B.C." He entirely overlooks In his 

 effort to find the just course to pursue, the very simple and ad- 

 vantageous method of citing the author of the original name in a 

 parenthesis, thus giving due credit to all concerned. 



Now, leaving out of consideration the injustice done the editors 

 of the Gazette in the assumption of the anonymous writer in sup- 

 posing that they would have treated the genus in this manner and 

 thus ''making them say what they do not say " it is also to be 

 remembered that the printing of a mere list of names does not 

 constitute publication and fortunately the unjust attribution of 

 eight species of Disporum to Arthur, Barnes and Coulter can 

 never come to be recognized. It is not as simple as A. B.C. 



In the light of present knowledge the species should stand as 

 foil 



o^vs : 



(A) Asiatic 



D. calcarattim (Wall.), Don. 



var. HtDiultonianHm (Wall.), Baker. 



D, sessile (Thunb.), Don. 

 var. minus, Miquel. 

 var. stenophylltnn, Franch. & Sav. 



D. Chinense (Kcr). {Uvularia Chinensis, Ker, Bot. Mag., t 



916; D. pullum, Salisb.) 

 var. PARVIFLORUM (Wall.) \UviiIaria pannflora, Wall., Asiat 



