66 NOTES ON’ OUR LOCAL PLANTS 
this out. Following is the translation of his text made by Ruellius 
as early as 1547.3 
‘Nymphaea nascitur in paludibus and stagnantibus aquis 
folits fabae Aegyptiae, minoribus albiis in summa aqua alts demersts 
pluribus ex radice eodem prodeuntibus FLORE LILIO ALBO, and in 
medio crocos habente, cum defloruent, ut rotundum malum aut 
papaverts caput extuberat. ... est et altera nymphaea cujus flos 
blephara dicitur folits ante dictae radice albo scabro, FLORE LUTEO- 
nitente 10sae simile etc. 
There are other inconsistencies not a few which we can not 
comprehend. We have tried our best to try to imagine how 
one can logically explain these matters, but so far are unable to 
do so. No reasons being given for methods of procedure which 
may be applied in one case and rejected in a perfectly similar one, 
one would suspect that the code tinkers reserve for themselves the 
privilege of keeping or breaking the rules as suits their fancy. 
“Rex super legem,’’ seems to be the rule when most of the 
botanical public must take their rules of nomenclature and 
botany second-hand, diluted, expurgated and altered to the whims 
and fancies of the manualists. 
POTENTILLA Brunfels ex C. Bauhin Pinax, 321 (1623). 
Argentina Ray meth. 102 (1682) Dodonaeus Hist, 65 (1557) 
Lobelius Hist. 395 (1576), Dodonaeus Pempt, 589 (1583) Argentina 
Hill, Br. Herb. 6, (1756) Trew, Herb. Blackw., 119 (1755). Anserina 
Tabernaemontanus Kreutterb. 327 (1625), also Chenoboscon and 
Hercularis and Potentilla and Portentilla, Anserina Yragus, Poten- 
tilla Matthioli, Fuchs Hist. and Stirp, 2 lib, and 212a (1546). 
Stirp Hist. 355 (1549), Caesalpinus De Plantis 557 (1558), also 
Lonicer, Castor Durante, ‘Thalius, Stephanomelidides Pliny? 
Dactylophyllum Spen., Fl. Frib., 3, 1084. 
Potentilla Anserina Linn., Sp. Pl., 495 (1753). 
Argentina vulgaris Lam., Fl. Fr., 3, 1778), Anserina Anserina 
Rydb. Mem. Dept. Bot. Col. Un., 2, 159 (1898), and Four. Ann., 
Soc., Linn., Lyon., (11) 16, 302, 404 (1863), Dactylophyllum 
Anserina Spen. 1. ¢., Fragaria Anserina Crantz, Stirp. Austriac., 
PAO Ue, 277m): 
St. Joseph Co., (C. D. Mell), Clarke, Ind. (Umbach), Lake 
3 Diosc. Anazarb. III. cap. CKXXVI. ed. Ruellius, T. p. 289 (1547). 
See also Sibthorp J. Prod. Fl. Graec. 360, 362 (1806). 
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