INTRODUCTION, j x 



their meeting in September, 1894; while in the 9 th Edition of the London Catalogued Brit- 



ish Plants published in 1X95, these rules as respects the names of genera are large! 

 out of 440 genera in common with ours, all but is bear the same names as hi- 



lt cannot be too often repeated that the object of these rule- 

 names, but to restore the old and the true ones. The rules of th. 



Association, adopted as above, are as follow*. A brief explanat: uincd 



by them is appended: 



Rfi.K i. Priority of publication is to be regarded a* the fundamental principle of botani- 

 cal nomenclature. 



This has been generally acknowledged in theory as the guiding principle for determining 

 which name should be borne by an animal or plant differently named by differ- 

 Various causes have retarded its application in practice. Its adoption . 

 way of securing stability to the original names. It has also been 

 the author who first defines or describes an animal or plant is entitle-: 

 having his own name permanently associated with the name assigned to it; and I 

 necessary for reasons of accuracy, because in numerous ins*. 



called by the same name. In most cases the synonyms given in this work, with -the date of 

 publication, indicate the original name and the reason for its restoration under th. 



RULE 2. The botanical nomenclature of both genera and species is t,, be^m with the 

 lication of the first edition of Linnaeus' " Species Plantarum "in 1753. 



Some past date must of necessity be taken, in order to fix the limits within which prior- 

 ity shall be reckoned. Prior to the publication of " Species Plantarum" in i; 

 sence of any general binomial nomenclature, and the meagre, uncertain and in.i 

 scriptions by most prior authors, make any earlier date beset with difficulties. T 

 much discussion has been to fix that work, with which modern nomenclature su'.st..- 

 begins, as the " point of departure." That date received the endorsement of the Ii 

 Botanical Congress at Genoa in 1892, and has since been accepted by most botanists m 

 ica and Europe. Under this rule, no reference is made to names used prior to t: 



RULE 3. In the transfer of a species to a genus other than the one under which it was 

 first published, the original specific name is to be retained. 



From different views of the limits of genera, or from further knowledge of a pUt 

 often happens that it must be transferred to a different genus from that to which it was firat 

 assigned. Upon such a transfer, Rule 3 requires the original name of the species to be con- 

 tinued, and preserves its stability. Thus, out of the genus Poly-podium of Linnaeus, three 

 other groups have been since carved, viz., Dryopteris i Aspidium i, Cyttopteris ami 



' ' 



(en's. The Long Beech Fern (p. 19), called ' f j olvpo.!iitm Phfxpt t -r^ l>y Linnaeus, h 

 to the generic group named Phegopteris by Fee in 1830. Rule ;, forbids the use of the new 

 specific name, polypodioides, given to this plant by Fee, and requires the former specific name 

 of Linnaeus to be preserved, and the plant thus becomes /%<;;</ > acci- 



dental re-duplication that occurs in but few instances in the whole field of nomenclature. 

 The Twin-leaf was called Podophyllum diph vllitm by Linnaeus in 1 75 ;, an. 1 / mata 



by Barton in 1793; Persoon in 1805 restored the Linnaean specific name, making the plant 

 Jeffersonia diphylla, the correct binomial under the rule, and the die which the plant ha 

 borne for nearly one hundred years. 



RULE 4. The original name is to be maintained, whether published as species, subspecies 

 or variety. 



Plants and animals are continually described as species which sul>sequent authorscon- 

 clude are but varieties, and those first" understood as varieties ji- 

 be entitled to specific rank. Rule 4 maintains the first designation as t 

 avoids much confusion. Examples are numerous: See Figs. 28, 38, 61 ft stij. 



RULE 5. The publication of a generic name or a binomial invalidates the use of the sane 

 name for any subsequently published genus or species, respectively. 



Thus in the case of the Long Beech Fern, above cited, though the >m-. 

 aides is held to have been improperly given to it by Fee, the binomial, /*< 

 aides, cannot be applied to any different plant; for if the earlier 

 be lost or discarded, the name polypodioides must remain available as t 

 tute, and thus the principle of nomenclature once a synonym always; 



This rule operates to maintain one name only for a genus 

 one applied to it, unless this was properly the name of another, in win 



* For a fuller discussion of this subject see articles 1-y Profess, 

 of the Torrev Botanical Club." 22: 308-329- from which the at*. ve summary 

 Professor C. E. Bessey, in "American Naturalist," 29. 666-668; by Professor V 



"Journal of the Columbus Horticultural Society." 10: 7 10, ami i 



SKS4Ss;2^K5*S 



20: ,62-167. 320-322, 428. 429; by Dr. F.'H. Knowlton. in " H-.tamcal Gazette, ai: 



