BRIEFER ARTICLES. 
CYNODON OR CAPRIOLA? 
A BIBLIOGRAPHICAL STUDY. 
WuiLe engaged in a study of the Glumiflore, as treated by the 
earliest botanical writers, we met not infrequently with the name “ Capri- 
ola,” which seemed to have been intended for some grass with digitate 
inflorescence. This name having been restored by Adanson as the 
earliest one for the genus now generally known as Cynodon, we felt 
induced to investigate the matter. Furthermore, Capriola has been 
revived by Dr. Otto Kuntze, and upon his authority it has been intro- 
duced into American systematic works of recent date, wherein the 
species appears as Capriola Dactylon Kuntze. It seems, however, as if 
the restoration of this name furnishes a good illustration of the diff- 
culty sometimes confronting the naturalist who strives to determine 
what generic name ought to be adopted as the correct one fora certain 
plant, and since we have not been able to ascertain the true identity of 
the grass which formerly bore the name Capriola, we have thought that 
the present bibliographical sketch might be of some interest to Ameri- 
can botanists. It is true that Adanson‘ restored the name, thinking it 
“ was identical with Gramen dactylon of the ancient writers, and his diag- 
nosis, although very incomplete, does point toward Cynodon, which he 
thought was the plant which the ancient writers had in mind when 
they spoke of Capriola. Nevertheless, it is a very difficult matter to 
define Capriola as a definite genus, and at the bottom of the difficulty 
lies the fact that there are several other grasses with digitate inflores- 
cence which were well known even to the earliest writers. It is quite 
natural that such grasses, unlike as they are to the majority of grasses, 
should attract attention at an early date, but it is also evident that the 
old botanists could not draw any clear distinction between the genera 
of such grasses, but simply referred to them as “ finger-grasses.” 
Some of these have later been recognized as Panicum sanguinale, 
Cynodon, Chloris, Dactyloctenium, Eleusine, Paspalum, etc. 
‘For references consult the bibliography appended to the article. 
1898] 47 
