TBADITIONAL INTEBPEETATION OF LINNEAN NOMENCLATUBE. 197 



leaves, slender and glabrous floral axis, and smooth and 

 nerveless glumes. For this plant alone, modern agrosto- 

 graphers, following Smith, reserve the appellation Agrostis 

 capillaris. It is believed to be the plant named Agr. 

 delicatula in the Chloris Hispanica of Pourret. To this day 

 it has been found only in certain localities in Portugal and 

 Spain. But it is well to know that under the name of 

 Agrostis capillaris some authors have confounded two 

 neighboring species, one having glumes glabrous as those of 

 the plant in the Linnean collection, the other having hispid 

 glumes {Agr. hispida, Brot., A. trujicaiula, Parlat., .4. capil- 

 larisy Boissier.) 



It is certain that from the year 1753, the date of public- 

 ation of the Species Plantarum, until the end of the 18th 

 century, all botanists (except Haller, who, from jealousy, 

 refused to adopt the binary nomenclature) have rightly 

 designated as Agrostis capillaris, that grass which is com- 

 mon in all countries of Europe and which we call Agr. 

 vulgaris, With., and not the aforesaid Spanish plant, of which 

 none of them suspected the existence. It is, in fact, under 

 the denomination Agrostis capillaris, L., that this poly- 

 morphous species is mentioned without distinction of forms, 

 in the works of the following authors : 



Jacquin, Enumer. Stirp. Vindob., 13 (1762): Gouan, 

 Flora Monspeliaca, 118 (1765): Crantz, Insiit. Rei Herhar 

 i 365 (1766): OEder, Flora Danica, tab. 163 (1766): 

 reber, Spicilegium Florce Lipsicce, 48 (1771): Keichard, 

 Flora Moeno Franco/., 14(1772): Scopoli, Flora Carniol. 



Sch- 



Flora Herboi 



Hist 



Lam- 



arck, Flore Franc, iii. 573 (1778); Encycl. Meth. i. 59 



Florce 



Allioni, 



Flora Pedemont., ii. 237 (1785): Villars, H 



11. 



73 (1786-89): Both. Tent. Florce Germ., i. 85 (1788): 



, Flora 



42 '(1797); 

 Icon.Gra7nin. Austr.,' 59 {1801): Gilibert, EisL Fkint. 



Host 



