554 Robinson: Polycodium 



addition of a second species, Picrocoaus floridanus, certainly- 

 congeneric with the former, of which more hereafter. 



Professor Greene is unduly critical of Nuttall for overlooking 

 or disregarding such a publication as Rafinesque's of Polycodium 

 for the genus containing Vaccinium stamineum, and Nuttall was 

 not the first offender. In 1836 Rafinesque himself has the fol- 

 lowing:* "ADNARIA Raf. fl. lud. probably a subgenus of the 

 Codorolla or Vacciniums with bell flowers, which see." But 

 Codorolla does not appear again, and Rafinesque did not consider 

 this reference worth indexing. 



It is apparent that the adoption of Polycodium as a generic 

 name, to be typified by Vaccinium stamineum L., is barely justified. 



Before leaving the subject of generic subdivision in the Vac- 

 cinium alliance it is desired to amplify a statement above made 

 with regard to the importance of characters derived from the 

 stamens. The anthers may be 2-awned or awnless. In a solitary 

 specimen, Wright 2202, referred to Vaccinium Ramonii Griseb., 

 some anthers were found with a single central awn. Further 

 examination showed that this was not a constant character, even 

 within a single flower; but none of the anthers were awnless. 

 The value of anther awns as a diagnostic character obviously 

 depends upon the degree of their constancy, and final judgment 

 will be influenced, consciously or unconsciously, by the nature of 

 the grouping thus achieved. 



Examination of the flowers of every species but one, found 

 within the limits of North America, as well as of some extra- 

 limital material, gives this result. There are 3, or more likely 

 only 2, species, V. meridionale Sw., of Jamaica, V. consanguineum 

 Klotzsch, of Panama and Costa Rica, and V. multiflorum Benth., 

 of Colombia, in which this character has to be handled with 

 extreme caution. All of these are very closely allied; indeed, it is 

 doubtful if the first two can be held distinct. In all of these the 

 awns are very delicate and often closely appressed, to such an 

 extent that they might escape detection, unless considerable care 

 be taken in their search. Further, in V. meridionale they are 

 often so reduced that they are practically wanting, yet other 

 stamens in the same flower may possess them, slender and short 



*NewFl. 1: 65. 1836. 



