98 NOTES ON ASAltUM. 



SO far agreed to bestow upon it. Mr. Small describes tbis in Mem. 

 Torr. Bofc. Club, iv. 150 (1893), as " Asariiin (/randijiorum (Micbx.) 

 Small," and points out that the plant has been "practically un- 

 noticed by botanists since Eugel's collection of 1841," alfcliough it 

 is no doubt the "J. virginicum. /3 grondijioriwi Michx."''' of Duchartre 

 in DC. Prod. xv. 1, 426 (1804). He cites as a synonym '' Homo- 

 tropa macmnthuiii Shuttl. MSS. in dist. Rugel 1841." How this 

 name may stand in distributed sets we cannot say, but it is certain 

 that Shuttleworth named it in his own herbarium (now in Brit. 

 Mus.) '' Asarum [Homotropa] macnmthum Shuttl. n. sp." 



This name had a very brief existence, for in the same year came 

 the "List of Pteridophyta and Spermatophyta," f and Mr. Small, 

 finding that Klotzsch had once had a r/randijiorum (conclusively 

 identitied by Duchartre with A. anfoHam Michx.), and mindful of 

 the latest American rule, "once a synonym, always a synonym," 

 promptly invented a fresh name — ^' Asaritm inacranthum (Shuttlw.) 

 Small." Herein he is followed by Dr. Britton (lib Flora, i. 593) 

 and Mr. Ashe (Bot. Contrib. i. 2). But none of these gentlemen 

 appear to have noticed that in avoiding Scylla they have plunged 

 headlong into Chnrybdis, for Sir Joseph Hooker, in the Butanical 

 Magazine for 1888 (t. 7022), had already appropriated macranthum 

 for a Japanese species ; as this name has twice since been cited by 

 Mr. Hemsley in two distinct publications, it would seem that 

 English botanical literature is nnperfectly consulted by our trans- 

 atlantic friends. 



What, then, is the species to be called ? We confess that the 

 original name A. grandijiorum Small seems to us satisfactory; but 

 as the plant is an American citizen, and may be expected to con- 

 form to American ways, we suggest A. ShuttlewortJiii as a name 

 likely to suit all parties. The synonymy of the two plants will run 

 thus : — 



AsARUM MACRANTHUM Hook. f. Bot. Mag. t. 7022 (Oct. 1888); Hemsl. 

 in Card. Chron. 3rd S. vii. 421 (1890), and in Journ. Linn. 

 Soc. xxvj. 359 (1891); non Small. 



AsARUM ShUTTLEWORTHII. 



A. virginicum /3 (/randi/lonon "Michx." ex Duchartre in DC. 



Prodr. XV. 1, 426 (1864). 

 A. grandiflomui (Michx.) Small in Mem. Torr. Club, iv. 150 



(1893), non Kl. 

 Ho)iwtropa macrantlnun Shuttl. ex Small, /. c. 

 A. macranthum (Shuttlew.) Small in Mem. Torr. Club, v. 136 



(1893-4); Britton, 111. Flora, i. 5,9,3} (1896) ; Ashe, Bot. 



Contrib. 1, p. 2 (1897). 



We may note in passing that the very considerable range in the 

 size of the flowers of A. virginicum suggests a doubt as to whether 



* Mr, Small observes that the name grandiflorum does not occur in 

 Michaux's Itlora, as Duchartre states, and suggests that Michaux named it 

 in MS. We incline rather to think that Duchartre adapted the name from 

 Michaux's phrase " flore maximo." 



t Mem. Torr. Bot. Club, v. (18U8-4). 



