54 TAXONOMY OF VASCULAR PLANTS [Bot. Absts., Vol. VI, 



the evidence which he claimed supported his contention. This paper is in answer to the 

 latter and attempts to show wherein Mr. Tidestrom's arguments are not convincing. — James 

 P. Poulc. 



394. Farwell, Oliver Atkins. Necessary changes in botanical nomenclature. Rhodora 

 21 : 101-103. 1919. — The Index Kewensis refers Populus balsamifera Miller to P. deltoides and 

 P. heterophylla, but the writer finds that a careful comparison of Miller's description with 

 Linnaetjs's description of P. balsamifera shows the two to be identical and therefore P. 

 balsamifera Miller should be referred to P balsamifera L., and that this binomial belongs to 

 the Carolina Poplar, as usually understood, since in the last analysis the Linnaean species 

 is founded on that of Catesby who described this Carolina species. The writer also main- 

 tains that the common Balm of Gilead should be P. tacamahacca Miller instead of Aiton 

 since it was first published by the former author. A form of the latter with scanty pubescence 

 he published as var. Michauxii (Henry) n. comb., and another form generally without cordate 

 leaves and pubescence, as var. lanceolata (Marsh) n. comb. This last is the northern Balsam 

 Poplar that has so generally been known as P. balsamifera. The new combination is in 

 accordance with priority. Veronica persica Poir. is taken up instead of V. Tournefortii for 

 the species long known as V. Buxbaumii. The reasons for the change are given with the bib- 

 liography involved. Viburnum Opulus Linn., var. americanum (Mill.) Ait. In Rhodora 20: 

 14-15. 1918, S. F. Blake gives his reasons for dropping the "(Mill.)" from the authority 

 for this variety and retaining only "Ait." The writer maintains that Blake's argument was 

 erroneously drawn and gives his reason for retaining Miller as an authority. — James P. 

 Poole. 



395. Fawcett, William, and A. B. Rendle. Notes on Jamaica plants. (Continued.) 

 Jour. Botany 57: 312-314. 1919. — Euphorbiaceae. II. Notes are presented on the genera 

 Mettenia, Dendrocousinsia and Acalypha. The following species and varieties are described 

 as new: Chaetocarpus cubensis, Dendrocousinsia alpina and Acalypha virgata L. var. pubes- 

 cens. Chaetocarpus globosus (Mettenia globosus Griseb.) is a new combination proposed. — 

 K. M. Wiegand. 



396. Fernald, M. L. Panicum § Capillaria in New England. Rhodora 21: 110-114. 

 1919. — Not being able to reconcile the New England plants of the section Capillaria with the 

 treatment published by Hitchcock and Chase in their "North American Species of Pani- 

 cum," the writer found it desirable to study these plants from a new standpoint. The authors 

 mentioned thrust all the eastern P. barbipulvinatum Nash into P. capillar e and forced much 

 of the northwestern P. capillare into P. barbipulvinatum. The writer points out that the 

 characters relied upon by Hitchcock and Chase for the separation of these two species do 

 not hold up under the critical examination of the series of specimens in the Gray Herbarium 

 and the herbarium of the New England Botanical Club. He points out other characters of 

 the panicle and of the general habit which serve as a better basis of distinction, but even these 

 are not constant, and the writer, in common with Rydberg, considers that P. barbipulvinatum 

 is much better treated as a variety of P. capillare than as a distinct species. As a variety it 

 should be called P. capillare var. occidentale Rydberg. In this study it was also found that 

 the common indigenous species of the river- and lake-shores of most of New England had been 

 merged with the strikingly dissimilar P. philadelphicum Bernh., whereas this plant is dis- 

 tinguished at once from P. capillare (including P. barbipulvinatum) and P. philadelphicum 

 by having strictly glabrous pulvini while the latter species have the pulvini obviously hispid. 

 The type sheet of this indigenous New England species was collected by Ttjckerman and indi- 

 cated by him on his herbarium label as a new species, P. soboliferum. This name has twice 

 been published in synonymy but was never published by Tuckerman himself. The writer 

 considers it better to allow Tuckerman's name to lapse and to use a name which will be 

 open to no question, and therefore proposes for this species P. Tuckermani n. sp. A key is 

 given for the species under consideration. The bibliography and distribution of the estab- 

 lished species are given, and for the new species the description, list of characteristic 

 specimens, and the distribution. — James P. Poole. 



