MERRILL: THE GENERIC NAME NAUCLEA OF LINNAEUS 531 



scription of the genus, by the original author or by others, which 

 later botanists have interpreted as representing the genus, 

 even when these are generically distinct from the original type. 

 The case presented by Nauclea is of especial interest as illus- 

 trating this latter type of interpretation, for the genus was origi- 

 nally based on a single species, a plant thoroughly well known, 

 and one generically distinct from Nauclea as this genus has been 

 interpreted by all modern botanists. Use of the generic name 

 Nauclea for the genus so called by all botanists during the past 

 century is logically incorrect and is not permissible under any 

 rules of botanical nomenclature; but Nauclea in the original 

 Linnaean sense is entirely valid. It is, however, decidedly un- 

 fortunate that, in revising the nomenclature of the group, Nauclea 

 must be used for those species now placed by all botanists in 

 Sarcocephalus, while those species now placed under Nauclea 

 must receive a new generic name. 



Haviland^ has given us a very careful and critical revision of 

 this group and in connection with his work has examined most 

 of the types of the species considered and determined the types 

 of most of the genera. His position as to nomenclature can best 

 be indicated by the following quotation from the introduction 

 to his paper: 



I have also assumed that rules of priority were made to help and not 

 to hinder; if they were exactly followed, Uncaria would be Ourouparia, 

 Sarcocephalus would be Nauclea, Nauclea would have to be renamed, 

 and probably Mitragyna would be Mamhoga. 



From my knowledge of the Philippine flora and of the genera 

 and species described by Blanco, I can definitely state that 

 Mamhoga of Blanco is identical with Mitragyna of Korthals and 

 antedates Korthals' name by two years. The status of Uncaria 

 and Mitragyna, however, is determined by the list of nomina con- 

 servanda adopted by the Vienna Botanical Congress, these two 

 generic names being retained in preference to Ourouparia and 

 Mamhoga. The case presented by Nauclea and Sarcocephalus 

 is entirely different, and it is really unfortunate that Haviland 



' A revision of the Tribe Naucleeae (Nat. Ord. Rubiaceae). Journ. Linn. 

 See. Bot. 33: 1-94, pi. 1-4 . 1897. 



