OUR AMPHIBIOUS PERSICARIAS II 
aware that no matter how different two stages of one plant could 
be, as long as their absolute identity was shown they can no longer 
be considered as even varieties of one another in the strict sense. 
This fact, self evident as it may appear, in view of the above dis- 
cussion does not for some reason or other or because of want of 
knowledge of the identity of the phases seem to have been apparent 
even to our American manual makers, or if known 1s deliberately 
concealed or superficially passed over. 
A still more interesting passage may be quoted from the 
Hortus Cliffortuanus of Linnaeus, (1737), pp 41, 42. 
ce 
I. PERSICARIA florum staminibus quinis, corollam superant- 
ibus stylo bifido. ‘ 
stylo bifido. 
Persicaria major amphibia radice perenni. Pluk. Alm. 288. 
Persicaria, salicis folia, Potamogiton angustifolium dicta 
Raj. hist. 184. 
Potamogeton salicis folio. Bauh. pin. 193. 
a. Persicaria, salicis folio perennis. Herm. Lugd. 488. 
£2. Persicaria palustris fluitans, foliis brevioribus et latioribus, 
florum spica speciosa purpurea compactiore. Rupp. jen. 78. 
Crescit haec planta vulgaris per Europam in humidis praesertim. 
Variat si qua alia, maxime manifeste utpote quae (a) in argillosis 
agris caule gaudet erecto, foliis lanceolatis acutis scabris & hisprdis 
communiterque sterilis persistit; at (9) in aquis caule flaccido folis 
ovato-obliqis, obtusis, glabris & nitidis, spicamque florum subovatum 
et crassam geri: unam tamen eandemque plantam esse cum Rayo, 
et recentionibus agnoscunt etiam varietatem aestimatores; unde non 
ylepide a Plukenetio amphia* dicta fuit.”’ 
From this reference it is perfectly evident that Linnaeus was 
early acquainted with Ray’s researches on the ecology of the plant 
and also that, as I have already intimated, he picked the name 
amphibia from Plukenet’s short diagnosis or name. Though in 
the Hortus Cliffortianus and the first edition of the Genera Plantarum 
(1737) Linnaeus admitted the natural genus Persicaria he after- 
wards suppressed it in the Genera Plantarum of 1754 and the name 
does not appear with any of the species in 1753. 
Hallerf also insists on emphasizing the fact that the plant 
* Misprint for amphibia without doubt. 
{. Haller, A. Hist. Stirp. Index. Helvet. Vol. Il) (1768) p, 261. 
