40 REVISION OF SECTION TOMENTOSA OF THE GENUS ROSA. 
as types of his species, and deposited in the Linnean Society's herbarium 
at London. The type of his species is represented in this collection 
by the Nos. 38 and 39; No. 38 is R. cuspidata, Bieb. (!), according to 
Mr. Baker. Whenever a description includes several doubtful forms 
of which the limits are unknown, the result must be that the most 
general characters are substituted in part for true specific characters, 
which would not be the case were the description based upon a single 
well-determined form. The synonyms cited by Woods are certainly 
full of confusion ; indeed, under the circumstances, it could not be other- 
wise. The synonyms of Smith, Fl. Brit., Eug. Bot., De Cand. FL Fr., 
do not at all correspond with his description. It seems to us that 
when an author cites a synonym he ought to have a specimen of the 
plant before him, or at any rate to take the trouble to consult the ori- 
ginal text. By this means we should avoid gross errors in synonymy. 
Woods ranks under his type fourteen varieties, which are represented 
by nineteen numbers in his herbarium. Nos. 44, 48, 51, and 58 are 
R. tomentosa, Baker (non Smith) ; No. 40, R. scabriuscula, Sm. ; No. 
41, R. subcristata, Baker (Sect. Canina) ; No. 42, R. Sherardi, 
Davies; Nos. 49 and 50, R. J and zilliana , Baker, non Besser, (Sect. 
Rubicjinosa) ; No. 59, R. ca?iescens, Baker (Sect. Canina*). 
Trattinick, Monogr. Bos. (1823) i. p. 117, says, "Foliolis elliptico- 
ovatis, utrinque mollissime tomentosis, subcinerasoentibus." 
Smith, Engl. Fl. (1824) ii. p. 383, adds, "Leaves glandular below." 
The synonyms quoted contradict the description. Thus Fl. Brit, 
characterizes the species, " Foliis utrinque mollissime tomentosis ;" 
and Lindley, " Leaves hoary with down, sometimes slightly glandular 
beneath, when bruised having a turpentine smell." As he makes 
R. scabriuscula, Sm., a variety of R. tomentosa, he was able to say that 
the leaves were sometimes glandular beneath ; but his type a. vera 
is not less free from glands beneath than that plant is. 
Villars, Fl. du Dauph. iii. p. 551, says, M The leaves from 5 to 7 are 
large, more or less pointed, hairy on both sides. Bauhin, Hist. PI. ii. 
p. 44, f. Good" The figure is far from good, as has been already 
shown. Bauhin describes it, " Cui foliola quina, vel septena, subro- 
tunda, rugosa, albicantia, hirsute, non nihil odorata." 
Duby, Bot. Gallicum (1828) i. p. 178, says, "Foliolis ovatis 
plus minus tomentosis;" of his variety a, the type of his R. tomentosa, 
he says, " Foliolis .... niolliter tomentosis." 
