274 



periantli lias a distinct tube, formed hy the imiou of its 

 segments. These latter may be removed from Dracaena and placed 

 together in a separate genus, for which we may employ the name 

 Pleomele of SalishMiy, ^ Frod'romus, p. 245, published in 1796, as 

 being the most applicable. Tor although Medikus in 1786 

 {Theodora; p. 83) had already recognised their distinctness from 

 Dracaena, jei the name Terminalis which he gave to them cannot 

 be accepted; it is too similar to Terminalia, long before estab- 

 lished by Linnaeus, and is, besides, an adjective. With regard 

 to the name Pleomele, there is the slight objection that of the 

 two species placed under it by Salisbury, one is a true Sansevieria, 

 and the other is (according to the synonymy and locality given) 

 composed of two distinct species. For the Aletris fragrans, Linn. 

 {Dracaena fragrans, Gawl.) quoted, is a native of West Tropical 

 Africa, whilst Paterson's plant from Yan Stadens Eiver in South 

 Africa, also quoted by Salisbury, is undoubtedly Dracaena 

 HookeTiana,' K. Koch. Both D. fragrans and D. Hooheriana, 

 however, belong to one genus. If PleoTnele aloifoUa, Salisb., 

 founded upon Aletris guineensis, Jacq. {Hort. Vindohon., vol. i. 

 p. 36, t. 84) be removed to the previously established genus Sanse- 

 vieria. where it richtlv belon 



Jacquinii, N.E.Br., its removal permits the legitimate use of the 

 name Pleomele for P. fragrans,. Salisb., and the numerous species 

 allied to it.. It appears, therefore, better to adopt the name 

 Pleomele than to invent a new generic name. 



With regard to the generic names Sansevieria and Cordyline 

 there is much confusion. These names have been in use for more 



change. 



plants now placf 

 ath such cases b 



b 



»Tiame Sansevieria should give way in favour of Cordyline^ which 

 antedates it by 31 years. 



The statement of the case is as follows: — The nsimB Cordyline 

 has been used by three different authors for three distinct genera - 

 The first to give the name appears to have been Eoyen in 1740 

 (Florae Leydensis, p. 22), but as the plants he placed under 

 Cordyline are two species of Yucca and one Dracaenay and his 

 name is, moreover, pre-Linnean, it need not be taken into con- 

 sideration. 



The nest to propose the generic use of the name Cordyline was 



Adanson in 1763 {Fam. des Plantes, vol. ii. p. 54). This is the 



first use of the name after the establishment of the Linnean code, 



and according to the characters given on p. 54, and from the 



synonymy on p. 543, Adanson's genus is unquestionably identical 



with Sansevieria^ Thunb., and is founded upon S. zeylanica^ 



Willd. and S, lanuginosa, Willd. In the synonymy Adanson 



quotes Cordyline, Royen,^ as a synonym, but, as above stated, 



Royen's Cordyline was principally founded upon species of Yucca 



and therefore quite at variance with the characters assigned by 

 Adanson. 



In 1789, or 26 years later, the name Cordyline was proposed by 

 Jussieu [Gen. Plant, p. 49) for the plants which are at the 

 present time placed under that generic title. 



