BRIEFER ARTICLES. 
NOTE ON BASILIMA AND SCHIZONOTUS OF 
RAFINESQUE. 
As Basilima of Rafinesque is still considered by many botanists to 
be the valid generic name for the genus based on Sfiraca sorbifolia 
Linn., it will probably not be uninteresting to point out that it has no 
claim to the priority attributed to it. Until 1891 the genus has been 
best known under the name Sorbaria, proposed first by Séringe (DC. 
Prodr. 2: 545. 1825) as a section of Spiraea, and given generic rank 
by A. Braun (Ascherson’s Flor. Brandenb. 177. 1864). In 1891, 
however, E. L. Greene (Flor. Francisc. 57) and O. Kuntze (Rev. Gen. 
Plant. 1: 215) almost simultaneously took up the Rafinesquean name 
Basilima for Sorbaria, and claimed priority for it on the ground that 
Rafinesque in his Mew Flora of North America (3:75. 1836) quotes 
“Raf. 1815” as authority for his Basilima, but neither of them seems 
to have seen or even known the original place of publication. If they 
had seen it, they would have been aware that Basilima of 1815 is a 
nomen nudum pure and simple, and therefore not entitled to priority. 
Rafinesque unfortunately makes no mention of the place of publication, 
but after some searching I was fortunate enough to find the name 
in his Analyse de la mature ou tableau de Luniverse et des corps 
organisés, a very rare book of 244 duodecimo pages, published in 
Palermo in 1815. It aims to give a short review of the whole range 
of natural history, and contains on page 173, under the order Rhodan- 
thia, the following passage reproduced here verbatim et literatim : 
5. Famille Spireadia. Les Spiréades. Etamines héterines, perigone 
double, l'interne corollé, fruits capsules dehiscentes interieurement. I. 
Spirea L. 2. Rhodalix R.sp.do. 3. Drymopogon R. sp. do. 4. Basilima 
R. sp. do. 5. Filipendula T. 6. Gillenia Mench. 
From this enumeration it is impossible to gain any idea which 
species of Spiraea Rafinesque intended to include under his genera 
Rhodalix, Drymopogon, and Basilima, and he could therefore not 
claim priority for it, as he does, and quote as synonyms of his Basilima 
two names published before 1836. The older of these two names is 
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