Aetopteron as a Generic Name 
JOHN HENDLEY BARNHART 
It was indeed startling to read in the last number of 
the American Fern Journal (10: 88) that there was an 
earlier valid name for Polystichum. To me, at least, it was 
still more startling to read the assertion concerning Ehr- 
hart’s name Aetopteron: ‘The type is clearly indicated 
to be Polypodium aculeatum L. No generic description 
is given, but the intent of the author is quite clear’’ (italics 
mine). Evidently the writer of these words failed to 
observe that Ehrhart carefully explains his intent. 
Ehrhart prepared and distributed a set of exsiccatae 
under the title “‘Phytophylacium,” and inserted in his 
Beitrage (4: 145-150. 1789) a list of the species (ten 
decades, or one hundred in all). Each species in the 
list is assigned a single name, followed by its current 
binary one. At the end of the list is the following ex- 
planation; the translation here given is rather free, but 
I believe closely approximates the sense of the original: 
“T must here omit, for lack of space, the locality where 
each plant was collected. I have reprinted, however, 
my ‘nomina usualia’. Not that it seems to me to be 
of very much consequence, since they are nothing but 
an attempt to assign to each.plant a name, that may be 
used for it alone, without an accompanying generic one, 
as suggested by Oeder in his ‘Einleitung zur Krauter- 
kenntniss,’ §141; but that a certain man by the name 
of Dahl, wis is a particular friend of the idea, might 
derive some amusement from it, and that I might 
accomodate him.” 
The suggestion of Oeder,* mentioned above, may be 
freely translated as follows: 
“There may be proposed, for common non-botanical 
conversational use, names which we may call nomina 
*Oeder. Elementa botanicae 134. 1764.—1 have not seen the German 
translation cited by Ehrhart. 
ill 
