THE NOMENCLATURE OF PLANTS. 



BY KATHARINE BRANDEGEE. 



This subject is at present attracting" a large amount of the atten- 

 tion of systematic botanists. An international botanical congress is 

 to be held in Genoa next month, at which the questions will prob- 

 ably be freely discussed, although, from the known wide diversity 

 of opinion, agreement is hardly to be hoped for. Of one thing we 

 may be assured beforehand — the so-called " Kew rule," or rule of 

 convenience, so tenaciously held in certain quarters, and reaffirmed 

 in a posthumous letter by Dr. Watson, wall have a numerically scant 

 following. It is quite sufficient to imagine the ghastly state of affairs 

 if Kuntze, in addition to his other liberties, had taken this and re- 

 named the species according to fancy. 



The following circulars, the first to botanists in general, the sec- 

 ond to the botanists of America, have been sent out for the signa- 

 tures of those who agree with them: 



"propositions to an amendment of the ' LOIS DE NOMEN- 

 CLATURE BOTANIQUE.' 



Since the time of Linnaeus botanists have continually endeavored 

 to gain a uniform nomenclature, and these endeavors were com- 

 pletely justified on account of an easier mutual understanding. We 

 know very well that certain differences will always remain, because 

 the decision on some questions only depends on the author's sub- 

 jective opinion. But we hope that a gradual and continual reforma- 

 tion will bring an essential improvement. O. Kuntze's Revisio 

 generum has raised an evident perturbation, and will cause a com- 

 plete confusion; therefore, we thought it necessary to propose the 

 following four resolutions, which refer only to the genera: 



L The starting point of the priority of the genera, as well as the 

 species, is the year 1752, resp. 1753. 



IL Nomina nuda and seminuda are to be rejected. Pictures 

 alone, without diagnoses, do not claim any priority of a genus. 



III. Similar names are to be conserved if they differ by ever so 

 little in the last syllable; if they only differ in the mode of spelling, 

 the newer one must fall. 



IV. The names of the following larger or universally known 

 genera are to be conserved, though after the strictest rules of pri- 



