﻿DEC. 
  4, 
  1922 
  maxon: 
  The 
  genus 
  culcita 
  455 
  

  

  typical 
  member 
  of 
  a 
  group 
  of 
  species 
  now 
  numbering 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  

   score, 
  under 
  the 
  generic 
  name 
  Dicksonia. 
  The 
  second 
  species, 
  D. 
  

   culcita, 
  became 
  later 
  the 
  type 
  of 
  Culcita 
  Presl. 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  Cibotium 
  of 
  Kaulfuss, 
  though 
  sometimes 
  credited 
  to 
  his 
  

   EnumerattG 
  Filicum 
  (1824), 
  was 
  actually 
  published 
  four 
  years 
  earlier 
  

   in 
  a 
  little 
  known 
  pharmaceutical 
  journal.^ 
  The 
  type 
  and 
  only 
  species 
  

   mentioned 
  at 
  the 
  original 
  place 
  of 
  publication 
  is 
  C. 
  chamissoi, 
  of 
  the 
  

   Hawaiian 
  Islands. 
  There 
  are 
  about 
  ten 
  recognized 
  species, 
  most 
  if 
  

   not 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  treelike. 
  The 
  North 
  American 
  members 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  

   have 
  been 
  discussed 
  by 
  the 
  writer.^ 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  Balantium 
  Kaulf., 
  was 
  proposed 
  in 
  1824,^ 
  with 
  two 
  

   species: 
  B. 
  auricomum 
  Kaulf. 
  (p. 
  228) 
  and 
  B. 
  culcita 
  (L'Herit.) 
  

   Kaulf. 
  (p. 
  229). 
  Kaulfuss' 
  redescription 
  of 
  B. 
  culcita 
  is 
  only 
  two 
  lines 
  

   long 
  and 
  omits 
  all 
  mention 
  of 
  the 
  sori; 
  but 
  of 
  B. 
  auricomum 
  there 
  is 
  

   a 
  long 
  and 
  detailed 
  description 
  (agreeing 
  very 
  closely 
  with 
  the 
  generic 
  

   diagnosis) 
  and 
  a 
  figure, 
  which 
  indicate 
  clearly 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  this 
  

   species 
  in 
  the 
  describer's 
  mind 
  and 
  seem 
  to 
  justify 
  the 
  acceptance 
  of 
  

   this, 
  rather 
  than 
  B. 
  culcita, 
  as 
  the 
  generic 
  type. 
  There 
  is 
  every 
  reason 
  

   to 
  suppose 
  that 
  the 
  material 
  of 
  B. 
  auricomum 
  supplied 
  the 
  major 
  data 
  

   for 
  his 
  generic 
  description. 
  Balantium, 
  thus 
  typified 
  by 
  B. 
  aurico- 
  

   mum 
  ( 
  = 
  arbor 
  escens), 
  becomes 
  a 
  synonym 
  of 
  Dicksonia, 
  founded 
  on 
  

   the 
  same 
  species. 
  Since 
  in 
  recent 
  years 
  Balantium 
  has 
  been 
  tacitly 
  

   regarded 
  as 
  typified 
  by 
  B. 
  culcita, 
  the 
  genus 
  Balantium 
  of 
  authors 
  must 
  

   receive 
  another 
  name. 
  Fortunately, 
  Culcita 
  is 
  available. 
  

  

  The 
  genus 
  Culcita 
  Presl 
  dates 
  from 
  1836,'^ 
  and 
  is 
  founded 
  on 
  a 
  single 
  

   species, 
  Culcita 
  macrocarpa 
  Presl, 
  a 
  change 
  of 
  name 
  for 
  Dicksonia 
  

   culcita 
  L'Herit. 
  and 
  Balantium 
  culcita 
  Kaulf. 
  It 
  is 
  thus 
  exactly 
  the 
  

   equivalent 
  of 
  the 
  genus 
  Balantium 
  of 
  recent 
  writers.^ 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  of 
  Culcita 
  are 
  as 
  follows: 
  

  

  1. 
  Culcita 
  macrocarpa 
  Presl, 
  Tent. 
  Pter. 
  135. 
  pi. 
  5,/. 
  5. 
  1836. 
  

  

  Dicksonia 
  culcita 
  L'Herit. 
  Sert. 
  Angl. 
  31. 
  1788. 
  

   Balantium 
  culcita 
  Kaulf. 
  Enum. 
  Fil. 
  229. 
  1824. 
  

  

  *Berl. 
  Jahrb. 
  Pharm. 
  21: 
  53. 
  1820. 
  

  

  5 
  Contr. 
  U. 
  S. 
  Nat. 
  Herb. 
  16: 
  54-58. 
  pi. 
  30-32. 
  1912. 
  

  

  « 
  Enum. 
  Fil. 
  228. 
  1824. 
  

  

  'Tent. 
  Pter. 
  135. 
  pl-Sj-S- 
  1836. 
  

  

  ' 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  that 
  Presl 
  applies 
  the 
  name 
  Balantium 
  in 
  the 
  sense 
  of 
  Dicksonia 
  

   with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  species, 
  and 
  further 
  that 
  he 
  takes 
  up 
  the 
  name 
  Dicksonia 
  for 
  

   the 
  genus 
  of 
  Polypodiaceae 
  that 
  we 
  now 
  call 
  Dennstedlia, 
  omitting 
  therefrom 
  both 
  of 
  the 
  

   species 
  originally 
  described 
  under 
  Dicksonia 
  by 
  L'Heritier! 
  

  

  