THE GENUS ALSINE 197 



without an Alsine, and placed their Alsine (Hiern) in a " suborder 

 Pol//ca)'pc(e." Eendle & Britten (List, 1907) also adopted Minic- 

 arlia (Hiern) and Alsine (Hiern). On the other hand, Druce 

 (List, 1908; Hayward's Bot. Pocket Book, 1909), Marshall (Lond. 

 Cat. ed. 10 (1908)) and Carter (Gen. Brit. Plants, 1913) continued 

 the union of Alsine (Gaertn.) with Arenaria, after de Candolle 

 (Prodr. iv. 401, 1824) and Bentham & Hooker (Gen. PI. i. 150, 

 1862). Syme (Eng. Bot. ii. 107, 1864) and WiUiams (in Journ. 

 Bot. xxxiv. 427, 1896) had both adopted Alsine (Gaertn.). 



I do not think there is very much to be said in favour of the 

 union of Alsine (Gaertn.) and Arenaria, unless a great many other 

 genera of the family Dianthacece (or Caryophyllacece) are also 

 united. It is admitted that the modern genera of the family are 

 very closely allied, and that they are indeterminable in the 

 absence of ripe fruit ; but it is at least in keeping with the scale 

 all but universally adopted for the other genera of the family to 

 retain one name {Alsine Gaertn. or Minuartia Hiern) for the 

 plants whose capsules dehisce with the same number of teeth as 

 the ovary has stigmas, and another name {Arenaria) for the plants 

 whose capsules dehisce with twice as many teeth as the ovary has 

 stigmas. The union of both groups of plants in one genus would 

 logically demand the union of many other genera of the family ; 

 and, unless the changes were very comprehensive indeed, there 

 would be no gain from the practical point of view of identifying 

 the genera without fruit, whilst the changes of specific names on 

 the large scale that would be necessary to bring about this 

 practical benefit would probably not meet with general acceptance. 

 Hence, the points that have to be decided are : (1) whether Alsine 

 (Gaertn.) shall be retained in the commonly accepted sense, or 

 (2) whether Alsine (Hiern) shall be applied to Delia (Dum.) and 

 the name Minuartia (Hiern) given to Alsine (Gaertn.). 



I must state at the outset that I am not in sympathy with the 

 changing of any established generic name on grounds of priority 

 alone ; and, in the Cambridge British Flora I do not propose to 

 make a single generic change of this kind. This decision is in 

 the fullest accord with the general aims and spirit of the Inter- 

 national Eules, and indeed is logically demanded from those who 

 accept the principle of a list of nomina conservanda of genera. 



The changes in the names of species which result from the 

 substitution of one generic name for another are too numerous to 

 allow established names of genera to remain long in the arena of 

 nomenclatorial conflicts. Whenever it is proved that the recog- 

 nized name of any genus is incorrect from the point of view of 

 priority, the already established name of that genus should be 

 automatically placed on the list of nomina conservanda. Only 

 those botanists who have given special attention to generic names 

 realize how many changes would be involved if the so-called "law " 

 of priority were rigidly followed in the matter of the names of 

 genera. In fact, I personally regret there is no list of nomina 

 conservanda of species ; but the task of preparing such a list would 

 be colossal ; and there is no wonder therefore that the Vienna 



