128 AMERICAN MIDLAND NATURALIST 



An Older Name for Listera. 



BY J. A. NIEUWLAND. 



Apart from the fact that the name Lister a R. Brown,' was 

 preceded by an older name Listeria Necker,^ it is not even the 

 oldest for the orchidaceous genus, w^hether we hold to absolute 

 historical priority as a principle of or chose 1753 as a starting point. 

 Of course Necker's name and Brown's name seem practically the 

 same and named in honor of the same scientist. This is evident 

 from the fact that Listera R. Br. was changed by Sprengel to 

 Listeria.^ 



In 1764 an edition of Petiver's works was made by John 

 Millan.* The old name Bifolium which these plants had since 

 the time of Lobelius,^ Ray,^ Morison,^ Dodonaeus,* Parkinson,^ 

 Chabraeus.'^etc, is given to them, thus antedating any even since 

 1753. I shall only transfer the most well known of the genus: 



Bifolium (Lobelius) Petiver-Millan, Opera, tab. 70, Nos. 

 10, II, 12. 



Listera R. Brown (1813) 1. c. not Listeria Necker, (1790) 1. c. 



Diphryllum Raf. Med. Rep. N. Y. 5, 357, (1808) (?). 



Distomaea Spenn., Fl. Frib. i, 245, (1825); Pollinirhiza 

 Dulac. Fl. Pyr. p. 120, (1867). 



' Brown R., in Ait. Hort. Kevv. ed. 2, 5, p. 201, (181 3). 



^ Necker, J. de, Elem. i, p. 206, (1790). 



^ Sprengel, C. Anleitung, II., i, p. 293, (181 7). 



^ Petiver, J. Opera ad Hist. Nat. Spectantia. (N. B.) "About 100 of 

 these plates were never published before." London. Printed for John Millan 

 near Whitehall MDCCLXIV. 



'' Lobelius, M. Observationes p. 161, (1576); Adv. p. 127. 



" Ray. J. Methodus Plantaruni Nova, p. 157, (16S2). 

 " Synopsis p. 375. 



" Historia Plantarum p. 1232, (1686). 



' Morison R. Oxon. II., p. 489, (1715). Tab. II. Sect. 12. 



* Dodonaeus, R. Pcmpt. p. 242, (1583). 



" Parkinson. J., Theatrum p. 504, (1644). 



"* Chabraeus, D., Sciagraphia, p. 506, {1677). 



" "Opkris," Tournefort, Els. Bot. p. 346, (1694); I. R. H. p. 436, 

 (1700), in stricto sensu. 



'^ If this name be invalidated iiecause of the existence of liijolium 

 cordatum Gaertner, 1790, I suggest the restoration yf Ray's B. minimum. 



