﻿444 Nash : The Genera Chloris and 



giving a fairly long description and the following citation : " Brown, 

 jam. 364." We have not access to the work cited by him, but 

 from the description there can be little doubt as to what plant he 

 had in view. In a later work, however, he throws more light upon 



ipogon polydactylon^ 



• . • 



as synonymous his previous publication in the Amoenitates, further 

 elucidating the matter by again referring to " Brown, jam. 364," 

 and adding a positive means of identification in his additional refer- 

 ence to "Sloan, jam. 33, hist. 1, p. m, t. 65, f. 2." This plate 

 and description have been seen by us, and there is no doubt as to 

 the figure representing what has long been called Chloris poly dac- 

 tylon Sw., the long leaves and the elongated flexuous spikes, char- 

 acteristic of this species, being well indicated. 



An examination of the above facts will show that Linnaeus ta- 

 in the publication of his Andropogon polydactylon a refer- 



cluded 



J 



A ) 1 drop 



ing the fact of the identity of the two plants, and as confirmatory 



J 



polydactyla Sw. It would 



years. 



, „_„ n,j/u.atui3 liic i^Hioris poiyaaciyia dw. xl *»v- — 



seem from this that a clear case is established for the adoption of 

 the name barbatum for this species, as it antedates the other by four 



Just why Linnaeus should have proceeded in this apparently 

 careless manner is not clear. A hint as to where he secured the 

 name polydactylon is given in the words he cites in the second edition 

 of his Species Plantarum : " Andropogon polydactylon assurgens, 

 spicis tenuioribus hirsutis. Brown, jam. 364." Why he should 

 thus ignore the earlier publication of Andropogon barbatum and 

 substitute for the specific name that of polydactylon, we must re- 

 peat, is not clear. Possibly he thought that polydactylon was a 

 better descriptive term, as the numerous long spikes of the plant 

 are very striking. 



Subsequent to the publication of his Andropogon polydactylon, 

 Linnaeus again published an Andropogon barbatum* giving ,ts 



t Sp. PL Ed. 2: 1483. 1763. 



*Mant. 302. 1767. 



