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SYNOPSIS OF THE GENUS TUNICA. 

 By Frederic N. Williams, F.L.S. 



Plants referable to the genus Tunica are mentioned in very 

 early botanical works. The earliest record I can trace is in the 

 ' Castigationes Plinians ' by Ermalao Barbaro, a Venetian diplo- 

 matist, logician and critic ; a work published in 1492, the year before 

 his death. He there speaks of a plant with a " florem garyo- 

 phyllum," which is so distinct from other plants of the group that 

 it has been classed by some herbalists among the Saxifrages. This 

 doubtless refers to Tunica saxifraga. This is probably the species 

 figured on p. 402 in the Kraiiter-Buch of Adam Lonicer (1528 — 

 1586), and included among the " kerbs tunicas." The earliest 

 authenticated specimen is one labelled "Osteocollon hamioroidalis " 

 by Aldrovandi (1522 — 1005), which is preserved in the herbarium 

 of the University of Bologna. On p. 1191 of the ' Hist. Gen. Plau- 

 tarum ' of Dalechamps (1513 — 1588) is a plant described as Tunica 

 Minima, which is the earliest instance in the history of the genus of 

 a connominate pseudo-Linnean expression ; and this plant can be 

 identified with the species now known as Tunica r'ujida. The next 

 reference to Tunica saxifraga is by Pona (1595), who speaks of it as 

 " sassafragia di Paolo et di Dioscoride." It is figured by Jean 

 Bauhin and also by Barrelier, and referred to by Ambrosini (1G57) 

 as " saxifragia antiquorum." 



The genus Dianthus was founded by Limueus in 1737, and in 

 1742 Haller revived the name of Tunica for plants included in the 

 Linnean genus. In the ' Species Plantarum ' (1753), Linnams 

 ignored Haller's revived name, though the latter as referring to the 

 form of the calyx is preferable as a morphological expression to 

 Linnaeus' fancy name. Adanson, however, retained Haller's name. 

 Scopoli, in the second edition (1772) of his ' Flora Carniolica ' 

 placed the same species under Tunica which in the first edition 

 (1700) he had placed under Dianthus; and further, defined the 

 genus : — " Calyx coriaceus, monophyllus, squamis adpressis ad 

 basin vallatis. Petala 5. Capsula coriacea, unilocularis, quadri- 

 valvis, polysperma." This may apply equally well to both. In 

 subsequent works the species were arbitrarily grouped either in 

 J Ha nthus or Tunica: a few new ones were included in Gypsophila. 

 It was not until 1830 that Koch constituted Tunica a separate genus, 

 distinct from Dianthus (' Syn. Fl. Germanica3 et Helvetica, ' p. 93). 

 He says, "hoc genus differt a Gypsophila squamis et seminibus 

 Dianthi, a Diantho petalis Gypsophibu sensim attenuatis et faucem 

 non claudentibus." Fenzl proposed to include the genus in 

 Dianthus again (1842). Beutham and Hooker (1802) reckon about 

 10 species; Boissier, in the ' Flora Orientalis ' (1867), enumcr;it<;s 

 20, of which 4 species have been restored to Dianthus. In this 

 synopsis 27 species are described ; and references to published 

 iimires are given fur 13 species. 



The name of the genus probably has reference to the form of the 

 Journal ok Botany. — Vol. 28. [July, 1890.] o 



