OF PLANTS 5 



ing the epithet singly in the margin. That Miller's method was 

 an acceptable indication of a binomial is stated in Art. 32, Ex- 

 amples, "The same result is attained in Miller's Gardeners Dic- 

 tionary, ed. 8, by the inclusion of the epithet in parentheses 

 immediately after the name of the genus, ..." The epithet 

 Ohlonga, not being the name of a person, or a vernacular name, 

 or a former generic name, should now be written with small let- 

 ters, under Rec. 73F, which states, "All specific and infraspe- 

 cific epithets should be written with a small initial letter, . . .** 



Cydonia Cydonia (L.) Pers. was a combination, made by Per- 

 soon in 1807, of the oldest specific epithet (1753) under the 

 valid generic name Cydonia (1768). When Persoon did this, the 

 practice was legal. Now, all the recent codes of nomenclature 

 have legislated against this kind of action. The most recent 

 code, that of 1954 (published in 1956) asserts, Art. 70, *'epithet 

 is illegitimate ... (4) When it exactly repeats the generic name, 

 . . ." These tautonyms are now invalid, so, though the epithet 

 Cydonia of Linnaeus was the first valid name, it cannot be used, 

 as it is illegitimate if combined under the genus Cydonia as 

 Cydonia Cydonia. 



The Index Kewensis gives Cydonia vulgaris Pers. as having 

 been published by Persoon on page 40 of his Synopsis. That is 

 incorrect. But C. K. Schneider's Illustriertes Handbuch der 

 Lauhholzkunde 1: 654, 1906, gives the reference as the Errata 

 in Persoon's Synopsis. That is correct, and there Persoon says, 

 "ob infer, loco Cydonia leg. vulgaris," so Persoon's corrected 

 name for the quince was Cydonia vulgaris (1807). Under the 

 species he gives a description, and a reference to Pyrus L., 

 which ties his new name back to the original Pyrus Cydonia L. 

 By our present rules Persoon was correct in avoiding a tautonym, 

 but he should have adopted the earliest specific epithet, in this 

 case, ohlonga of Miller (1768). The two epithets are certainly 

 synonyms, both being traceable back to Linnaeus and to Tourne- 

 fort. Art. 11 provides, "Each order or taxon of lower rank with 

 a particular circumscription, position, and rank can bear only 

 one correct name, . . . For any taxon below the rank of genus 

 inclusive, the correct name is the earliest legitimate one validly 

 published with the same rank, except in cases of limitation of 

 priority by conservation ..." Hence, vulgaris of Persoon is 

 illegitimate, ohlonga of Miller being earlier and available. 



