314 
It has been shown that the name Alsine cannot legitimately 
be applied to Minuartia, Linn. The question now is: should it 
replace Stellaria, Linn., or Spergularia, J. et C. Presl, or be 
relegated to synonymy. A satisfactory answer cannot be given 
without tracing the history of its application to Stellaria and 
Spergularia respectively. 
In 1772 Alsine was restricted to A. media, Linn., by Scopoli ;* 
the two other Linnean species not being represented in his flora. 
He accordingly included the characters “ petala bifida ’’ and 
“eapsula quinquevalyis’’ in his generic diagnosis. Instead, 
however, of uniting Alsine with Stellaria, he retained Alsine 
in Pentandria Trigynia, and placed Stellaria in  Decandria 
Digynia. He included in Stellaria various species now referred 
to Stellaria, Moehringia, Arenaria, Minuartia, Spergula, Sagina 
and Cerastium/! Evidently no great importance is to be attached 
to Scopoli’s conceptions of the genera of Caryophyllaceae. 
Savi, Fl. Pisana, i. p. 323 (1798), and Host, Fl. Austr. i. p. 
405 (1827) also restricted Alsine to A. media, Linn. 
The name Alsine was first usedt as equivalent to Stellaria 
28 years after the transference} of A. media to the latter. Stokes 
employed it in this sense in 1812, but included Holostewm 
cordatum, Linn. (Drymaria cordata) in the genus. § 
_ The substitution af Alsine for Stellaria was so manifestly 
convenient that this application of the name fell into disuse. 
In 1893, however, a further attempt was made to replace the 
name Stellaria by Alsine, as a result of the adoption of the 
principle of ‘‘ priority of place ” by the Botanical Club of the 
American Association for the Advancement of Science. he 
change was proposed by Britton, as follows: 
“Alsine, L. Sp. Pl. 272 (1753). I note that this generic name 
must, on the recognition of priority of place, and the beginning 
of nomenclature in 1753, clearly displace Stellaria, L. Sp. Pl. 
421 (1753). 
S given in the Species Plantarum, the Linnean Alsine is 
composed of A. media (Stellaria media, Smith), and A. segetalis. 
now referred to Tissa.’? |} 
e line of argument might be summarised thus: Alsine media 
precedes A. segetalis on p- 272 of the Species Plantarum, and 
1s therefore’ to be regarded as the type of Alsine, which accord- 
* Fl. Carniol. ed. 2, i. p. 224 (1779). 
: eee 1753. Linnaeus used Alsine in the sense of Stellaria in 1735 and 
t By Cirillo, Char. Comm p. 36 (1784); and i i 
4 : ar. - p. R4) ; ndependently by Villars, 
Hist. Pl. Dauph. iii. (p. 615 (1789), and Withering, Arr. Brit’ Pl ed. 3, ii, 
'§ Bot, Mat. Med. i. p. 536 (1812). 
|| Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, 1893, oon p. 277. 
