the present period. Redescription of species and unwarranted 

 changes in names, also, were characteristic of the writers of a 

 century ago. But in these recent days we sometimes receive 

 rude shocks from our German friends who occasionally display 

 unexpected unfamiliarity with standard American literature as 

 well as unwarranted laxity of principles in the matter of shifting 

 plant names, all resulting in unnecessary synonymy. 



A little Bolivian fern collected by Bang was described just a 

 decade ago by Mrs. Britton as Acrosticluun Moorei, following the 

 then current interpretation of Acrosticlmm in the wide sense in 

 which it is still employed at Kew. This appeared in our Mem- 

 oirs which ought to be accessible to German writers on ferns, if 

 not in the original then surely in at least two reviews that have 

 appeared in standard German publications, viz. : Just's Bot. 

 JaJircsbcriclit, 23: 433. 1897, and Hcdwigia, 34: (109). 1895, 

 the latter also " redigiert von Prof Georg Hieronymus ! ", and 

 both of which mention this species by name, author, collector, 

 and type locality ! 



In spite of this, the fern was destined to be redescribed under 

 two new generic and two new specific names, and after American 

 intervention had called attention to the error, and the original 

 specific name had been restored, the latest emanation from Ber- 

 lin overlooks all of this citation, redescription and restoration 

 and boldly places the plant in its fourth (and correct !) genus but 

 with its third (and most recent) specific name ! And all this is 

 German systematic (?) botany of the twentieth century instead 

 of the nineteenth, where it would not so much surprise us ! 



The following corrected synonymy gives the details of the 

 story : 



Microstaphyla Moorei (E. G. Britton) 

 AcrosticJium Moorei E. G. Britton, Mem. Torrey Club, 4: 273. 



1895. (Type from Bolivia, Bang §^8). 

 R/ii/>ido/>Uris Rusdj'i Christ, Farnkr. der Erde, 46. 1897. (Type 



from Bolivia, Bang jjS /). 

 Elaplwglossum Baiigii Christ, Monog. l^laphoglossum, 99. 1899. 



(Type from Bolivia, Bang ^^8 /). 

 Elaphoglossum {Microstaphyla) Bangii Christ, \\\\\\. Herb. Bcmss. 



II. I : 588. 1901. 



