Rydberg : Notes on Rosaceae 541 



merge them into Eriogynia , or Linikca, as was done by S. Wat- 

 son, O. Kuntze, and 1'-. L. Greene, is rather indefensible ; and it is 

 strange that A. A. Heller, who recognized Pctrophytuin cacspitosum 

 and P. clatior as representing a distinct genus, should transfer the 

 closely related Spiraea ciiierascctis to Luetkca. In the Flora are 

 recognized five species of PctropJiytuvi. Of these one, viz., P. 

 aanninaliim, is proposed as new. It is known only from the type 

 locality. Kebeya is monotypic. 



Luetkea 



It is doubtful which of the two names, Lnetka or Eriogynia, 

 is the older. Otto Kuntze, when adopting Luetkea instead of 

 Eriogynia, claimed that the former was published in 1831 and the 

 latter in 1833. It is most probable that they were both pub- 

 lished in 1832. The part of the Memoirs of the Academy of St. 

 Petersburg in which Bongard's paper on the vegetation of Sitka 

 was published, appeared in August, 1832. Whether any sepa- 

 rates were distributed before that time we can not ascertain. 

 Eriogynia was published in 1832, apparently in the later part of 

 the year, but the exact date is unknown. For that reason I did 

 not change the now accepted name of the genus. 



The generic name was originally spelled Li'itkea. As the 

 German i'l is not found in Latin, it is usually replaced by ne. 

 Luetkea is therefore preferable to Lutkea. 



Aruncus 



The plants of this genus native to the eastern United States 

 have invariably much smaller fruit than the European plants. 

 The plant common in the Alleghanics has thinner, more glossy 

 leaves and rather thick fruit. It is Aruncus sylvestris americanus 

 of Maximovicz, but unfortunately the synonym. Spiraea Aruncus 

 auiericana Pers., from which Maximovicz adopted the name, is 

 very doubtful. It may belong, as well as all the synonyms under 

 A. al/eghanoisis, except the last, to Astilbe instead of Aruncus. 

 Hence a new name was proposed. 



The Aruncus of the Mississippi valley has rather thick, densely 

 pubescent leaves and more slender fruit. It was described under 

 the name of A. pubescens. 



