Priority of plant names 157 



his Viticella equivalent to Galax Linnaeus; this probably becuase 

 lyinnaeus' himself mistakenly mentions this name in synonymy 

 with his Galax. Spach^ too, accepts the same opinion, all having 

 overlooked the fact that the description of Mi'chell is not at all 

 applicable. His description can in no way be applied to the Lin- 

 naean Galax, the latter having only two to four segments on the 

 calyx, while Mitchell's plant had five small lanceolate reflexed, 

 alternating, shorter segments." More than likely it was because 

 of these and other misrepresentations, and injustices that Mitchell's 

 work was deemed necessary for republication in 1769, this edition 

 being considered a protest against the disregard of Linnaeus of 

 his first publication. Little heed was paid, however, to this latter 

 edition, or still is, for that matter, as regards, for example, credit 

 for publication of Aphyllon, Pentstemon and Viticella. 



As may be readily seen by those who compare the description 

 of Mitchell's Viticella here given, ^ with Galax, or Hydrophyllum 

 app .ndiciilatum, the discrepancies are too great to favor the views 

 of those authors already referred to. It seems, however, on study- 

 ing and comparing this description that it applies very accurately 

 to a plant then unrecorded apparently, but which in fact Mitchell 

 may have had both at hand and in mind, when he published 

 Viticella in the list of genera omitted by Linnaeus in the edition 

 of the Genera Plantarum of 1737 to which it was proposed as 

 supplement by its author. I refer to the plant called by Nuttall 

 later, Ellisia microcalyx,'* now called Nemophila microcalyx (Nutt.) 



1 Linnaeus, C, Sp. PI. p. 200 (1753), p. 289 (1763). 



2 Spach, E. Hist. Nat. Veg. 9, p. 444 (1840). 



3 Following is the text of Mitchell's description, p. 42, 1. c. 

 XXIV. Viticella, Cat. perianthium decaphyllum, foliolis alternis, 



externis brevioribus, lanceolatis, reflexis; internis longioribus lanceolatis 

 acutis erectis. 



Cor. monopetala hypocrateriformis, tubus cylindricus calyce ferme 

 brevior; limbus planus, quinquefidus laciniis obtusiis. 



Stam. filamenta quinque parva, brevia, corolla adnata, Antherae sub- 

 rotundae in coUo coroUae conniventes. 



Pist. germen ovatum villosum. Stylus filiformis, semibifidus, longitu- 

 dine staminum. Stigma subrotunda. 



Eer. capsula ovata, unilocularis, (bivalvis metnbranacea, colorata) vi 

 elastica praedita. 



Sem. duo, magna, plano-concava, ovata, dura, callosa; quasi unicum 

 bilobum. 



4 Nuttall, T. Trans. Am. Phil. Soc. N. Ser. V, p. 191 (1833 or 1837). 



