Benedict: Revision of the genus Vittaria 395 



V. scolopendrina (Bory) Thwaites. Superficially this is very 

 different from species like V. lineata and V. sikkimensis Kuhn, but 

 in its essential characters it does not appear to have even subge- 

 neric differences from Euvittaria. Taeniopteris Hooker is a straight 

 synonym of Haplopteris, as its original species seems to be iden- 

 tical with V. scolopendrina. 



The only other possible nomenclatorial difficulty in connection 

 with Vittaria concerns the name Oetosis Necker,* published in 

 1790. Of course if this name were to be found valid, its seniority 

 of three years would give it precedence of Vittaria. It is, however, 

 like most of Necker's names, quite without definite typification, 

 and if recognized as originally described, would comprise in its 

 six Linnaean species five widely separated genera. I make this 

 statement with entire assurance notwithstanding the fact that 

 Dr. E. L. Greene has concluded from the same evidence that 

 Necker intended Oetosis to include only one Linnaean species, 

 Pteris lineata, the type of Vittaria. Since Christensen also is 

 not certain that Oetosis might not properly replace Vittaria, it 

 may be worth while to give in some detail the evidence which 

 needs to be considered, particularly as it bears on questions 

 relating to other Neckerian names. 



To begin with, it may be stated that Dr. Greene's error springs 

 from two incorrect premises. These are: first, that Necker in- 

 tended his description of Oetosis to be applied only to one Linnaean 

 species of Pteris, instead of to several; and second, that when 

 Necker referred to Linnaean plants, he had reference to the first 

 edition of Species Plantarum and to no other work of Linnaeus. 

 I am indebted to Dr. J. H. Barnhart for the discovery of both 

 these inadvertencies. 



In correcting the second of these mistakes, it is almost sufficient 

 to suggest that it is scarcely probable that Necker would have 

 used such an out-of-date work as the first edition of the Species 

 Plantarum when there were two later editions of the same book, 

 as well as several later editions of Linnaeus's Systema Naturae, 

 the latest of these having appeared in 1784, six years before 

 Necker's Elementa Botanica appeared. The case is about the 

 same as at present with the various editions of the floras of the 



* Elementa Botanica 3: 318. 1790. 



