Watson: THE GENUS HELIOCARPUS III 
does it appear from Linnaeus’ writings just what was the source 
of the plant in the Clifford Garden at Chelsea. The matter is 
made still more obscure by the fact that we have only one or 
two plants in the various herbaria that even remotely resemble 
Linnaeus’ drawing or fit into his description. Baker discusses 
at some length the probable identity of the specimens in the 
Banksian and Sloane Herbaria, labeled H. americana, and con- 
cludes, no doubt correctly, that they are the same as H. tomen- 
tosus, and accordingly reduces the latter to synonymy, ignoring 
the fact that these Banksian and Sloane specimens in no wise 
agree with Linnaeus’ drawing or description. His assumption 
that these specimens represent the same plant that Linnaeus had 
in mind does not follow at all, and is, indeed, in view of the evi- 
dence, most improbable. What the Banksian and Sloane speci- 
mens may be has nothing whatever to do with the question at 
issue—the identity of Linnaeus’ plant. Since Linnaeus pre- 
served no specimen, the only criteria we have are his drawing and 
description; and, as already stated, these do not agree with the 
Banksian and Sloane specimens at all. We are, however, indeed 
fortunate in possessing a specimen which does agree in all 
essential particulars with the drawing and description, and that 
specimen is Fendler 1277 B, from Venezuela, in the Gray 
Herbarium. This plant has lobed leaves, and these, together 
with the stems and petioles, are “‘fere glabra,” as Linnaeus says. 
It is true that Linnaeus does not mention the long appressed 
hairs on the upper surface of the leaves, but except in this single 
particular the whole plant answers very satisfactorily to all the 
specifications. 
Baker emphasizes also the probability that the plant in 
Clifford’s garden came from Vera Cruz, and that it was H. /o- 
mentosus, the most abundant species in that vicinity, but it is 
far from proved. It is simply impossible that Linnaeus could 
have failed to notice the dense tomentum of the lower surface 
of the leaves, almost as dense as in Verbascum Thapsus. Nor 
would he have described such a plant as “fere glabra,’ nor 
ascribed lobed leaves to H. tomentosus. If we are not certain as 
to what H. americanus is, although I think we may be reason- 
ably sure, we are absolutely certain that it is not H. tomentosus. 
I have not seen any plant from the vicinity of Vera Cruz like 
Fendler 1277 B, but that does not prove that it does not grow 
