198 
XXII.—NOTES ON RAIMANNIA AND 
ALLIED GENERA. 
T. A. Sprague anp L. A. M. Rimey. 
The genus Oenothera, as founded by Linnaeus in 1753, included 
three species, biennis, mollissima and fruticosa.* Many others, 
-some of very different type, were added during the next 80 years, 
and Oenothera became so comprehensive that in 1835 Spach 
divided it into fifteen genera.j Eight of these were reduced by 
Endlicher{ in 1840, and the remaining ones by Bentham and 
Hooker in 1862. Raimann, however accepted Spach’s genera in 
his revision of the Onagraceae, published in 1893)|; and Small 
adopted the same classification in 1896. 
Spach restricted Oenothera to Oe. mollissima and its allies, 
and placed biennis and fruticosa in Onagra and Kneiffia respec- 
tively. Rose pointed out, in 1905** that biennis should be 
regarded as the nomenclatural type of Oenothera. That this view 
is correct is evident from the following considerations. 
1. Linnaeus based O6cnothera on Onagra, T : 
Inst. i. p. 302, t. 156. Tournefort included in his descrip- 
tion the phrase “‘ seminibus ut plurimum angulatis,”’ which 
is applicable to biennis, but not to mollissima or fruticosa. 
innaeus also described the seeds as angled. - 
2. Oe. biennis was better known to Linnaeus than either 
mollissima or fruticosa, being common in Europe, both as 
a naturalized plant and in gardens. 
3. It was included by Linnaeus in his Hortus Upsalensis 
and Hortus Cliffortianus. 
Such considerations are in accordance with Art. 19 and 45 of 
the International Rules, and are recognised as valid in the 
American Code, which is more explicit. 
Onagra, Adans., being a synonym of Oenothera, Linn. (emend.), 
Rose proposed the new generic name Raimannia for Oenothera, 
pach. He cited Oe. laciniata as the type species. But if ‘“ the 
publication of a new generic name as an avowed substitute’ for 
an earlier invalid one does not change the type of a genus,”’}t 
Oe. mollissima should be regarded as the type of Raimannia. 
e three genera Oenothera, Raimannia and Anogra (Onagreae- 
Oenotherinae) are closely allied, and to a certain extent con- 
* Sp. Pl. ed. 1, p. 346; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, p. 163. 
Hist. iv. p. 353; Ann. Sc, Nat. sér. 2, iv. p. 164: Nouv. Ann. Mus. 
Hist. Nat. iv. p. 341. 
Gen. Pl. p. 1190 
§ Gen. Pl. i. p. 789. 
|| Engl. et. Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. iii. 7, pp. 199-223. 
Bull. Torr. Bot. Cl. xxiii. p. 167. 
** Contrib. U.S. Nat. Herb. viii. p. 330. 
tf Bull. Torr. Bot. Club, xxxiv. p. 173; Science. n.s.xlix. p. 334 (1919). 
