Cheeseman. — Botanical Nomenclature. 451 



argument in favour of adopting the earliest combination in the 

 accepted genus as the rightful name of any plant is its simplicity 

 and ease of application. It is comparatively easy to determine 

 the first name applied to a plant in its correct genus ; but it 

 is often exceedingly difficult to ascertain the oldest name under 

 any genus whatever. To settle such a point frequently demands 

 a vast amount of bibliographic work, sometimes involving 

 references to obscure publications often quite forgotten in their 

 own country, and not always to be found in the largest public 

 libraries. Such labour cannot be well described by any other 

 terms than tedious, wearisome, and even repulsive. 



Although published many years ago, it may not be without 

 interest to quote the opinions of the renowned American 

 botanist Asa Gray on this subject : " To keep up the name 

 under which any plant is first placed in its true genus is simple, 

 thoroughly practicable, and, in my opinion, most conformable 

 to accepted rules, as well as most conducive to fixity of names. 

 It is reasonable enough, under the stringent rule of priority, 

 to resuscitate neglected older specific names pertaining to their 

 proper genus ; but surely it is unreasonable and inconsiderate 

 to conclude any such right to specific names out of the genus 

 to which they are subordinate " (" Journal of Botany," 1887, 

 p. 355). 



The following example will illustrate the working of the two 

 interpretations of the Candollean law of priority. The genus 

 Haloragis was founded by Forster in the year 1776, the type 

 being a New Caledonian plant, to which he applied the name 

 of Haloragis prostrata. In 1780 Murray proposed a genus called 

 Cercodia, his type being Cercodia erecta, from New Zealand ; 

 but this genus has long ago been abandoned, all botanists con- 

 sidering it to be identical with Haloragis. In 1781 the Austrian 

 botanist Jacquin described the species Haloragis alata, from 

 New Zealand. It was soon ascertained that this was identical 

 with Murray's Cercodia erecta, and the question at once arose 

 as to which of the two names should be retained. Now, those 

 botanists who believe that the earliest appellation under any 

 genus is the only valid name will, of course, take the specific 

 name of erecta, combining it with the generic term Haloragis. 

 This course has recently been followed by Anton Schindler in 

 his monograph of the family (" Das Pflanzenreich," Heft 23, 

 p. 49). But those who hold the view that the earliest name in 

 the correct genus is the one to be adopted will use the term 

 Haloragis alata ; and under this appellation the plant will be 

 found described in Bentham's " Flora Australiensis," Hooker's 

 ' Handbook of the New Zealand Flora," and my own " Manual." 

 Of course, the above is a simple case, and, were all questions of 



