198 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 



Congress shrank from a Herculean undertaking and contented 

 itself with laying down a rule of priority for the names of species. 



Keturning to the question of Alsmc (Gaertn.) versus Minu- 

 artia (Hiern), the matter is not a very complicated one if the 

 history of Alsine is chronologically considered. 



Linnaeus, in the first edition of his Species Plaiitarum (p. 272, 

 1753), had only two species of Alsine. The first was Alsine 

 media L. and the second /I. segetalis L. It is clear that if priority 

 alone be allowed to determine the issue, the name Alsine should 

 be used for one of these two species. Each species has its claim. 



Scopoli (Fl. Carn. ed. 2, i. 224, 1772) took the first of the two 

 species, and defined his Alsine to include it and it alone. This 

 species is now universally regarded as a Stellaria — it is the 

 common chickweed, S. media Villars ; and hence the Alsine of 

 Scopoli (1772) sinks in Stellaria L. (1753). Hiern {loc. cit.) 

 therefore fixed his attention on the second species, A. segetalis L. 

 This species is sometimes placed in Spergularia and sometimes 

 placed in a separate but closely allied genus, Delia. Mr. Hiern 

 retained Alsine (Hiern) for Spergularia (including Delia), and 

 gave the requisite new combinations for the British species 

 involved. Spergularia, however, is now a nomen conservandum ; 

 and to those of us who accept the nomina conservanda, Hiern's 

 changes under this heading are now obsolete. If, however, 

 A. segetalis L. is placed in Delia (Dumortier Fl. Belg. 110, 1827) 

 as is done by some authorities (e. g., Ascherson & Graebner Fl. 

 Nordostd. Flachl. 316, 1898), Hiern's view would still hold good 

 — if, as I have said, priority alone be allowed to determine the 

 matter. It is doubtless from this point of view that Schinz & 

 Keller (Fl. Schweiz ed. 3, 204, 1909), whilst retaining Spergularia, 

 adopt Alsine (Hiern emend.) for Delia. 



This change having being accomplished, it remained to find a 

 name for the plants which have been usually referred to Alsine 

 (Gaertn.). Hiern utilized Minuartia (Hiern) for the purpose, and 

 made the necessary new combinations for the British plants ; 

 and, as I have already stated, Hiern has been followed in this 

 matter by H. & J. Groves and by Eendle & Britten, and also by 

 Schinz & Keller {op. cit. p. 200). The position of these botanists 

 is perfectly logical, if judged from the standpoint of priority. 



There is, however, another point of view to be considered, as 

 will be seen by continuing the study of the historical development 

 of the Linnean concept of Alsine. 



In the second edition of the Species Plantarum (p. 389, 1762) 

 Linnseus added a third species to his genus. The added species 

 was Alsine mucronata L., which has been an Alsine ever since in 

 the great majority of books on botany. Linnaeus placed this 

 species between the other two, his species now being respectively : 

 (1) A. media L. { — Stellaria media Villars), (2) A. mucroyiata L., 

 and (3) A. segetalis L. 



Gaertner (Fruct. ii. 223, t. 129, 1791), in founding his genus 

 Alsine, took the second edition of the Species Plantarum as his 

 starting-point. He rightly passed over the first species {A.mcdialj.), 



