350 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
worth while to place on record the evidence which it supplies in 
support of the recent change. 
The two plants to which the name has been applied stand thus 
in Linn. Sp. Pl. 995-6 (1753) :— 
“nigra. nec foliis cuneiformibus re trilobis. Gron. 
Querens folio non serrato in summitate quasi tri- 
atesb. car. i. p. 20, 
B Cask us vs marilandica folio trifido ad Sassafras acce- 
dendente (sic). Raj. Catesb. car. 19, t. 19.” 
A reference to the appended synonymy will show that the trans- 
ference of name occu on at a V ae es date. Walter (FI. Carol. 
1788) applies the name de to the var. 8 of Sp. Pl. and gives a 
new name—aquatica—to the Linnean species: he does not indeed 
in either cases cite Linneus, but his description makes it Se 
that this was the case. Walter’s herbarium contains a leaf o 
him 
each, but unfortunately neither is ee 
Had Linneus made his Q. nigra consist ve varieties lettered 
respectively a HG B, as A. De Candolle, following Solande 
Aiton) supposes him to Nee done, it mig ave been assumed 
eet gris fae exercised his right of choice as to which of two 
should retain the original name. This, however, was not 
thie ‘cs case, as the ae from Sp. Pl. shows—Linneus has nigra 
as the species, with a variety 8; and even had it been so, Du Roi 
SUG got: Raagobs ausen (1770) whose description I have 
no the matter perfectly clear, as he places under 
sea hel eee diagnosis, adding a citation from Miller and a 
reference to Catesby’s t. eee while under marylandica he quotes 
_ Catesby’s t. 19 and diagno 
It may however be pointed out that the species were first dis- 
tinguished by Gronovius in 1762, and had he added trivial names 
to his descriptions, ny matter would have been clear. In the 
first edition (p. 117) of Fl. Virg. (1743)—that a oy Linnzeus— 
the description, which includes both plants, run 
“ QuErcous foliis hs gy apie ‘rilobis 
Quercus folio no summitate quasi triangulo. 
Water Oak. Catan: Hist. Batol Vol. i. T. 20. 
Quercus nigra folio trifido. t 
q 
Sassafras accedente Raj. & Catesb. Hist. Carol. Vol. i. 
19). Hujus est varietas 
In the second edition (p. 149) the two are separated; the 
descriptions are :— 
“ QUERCUS Pape OO sega trilobis, intermedio 
aqua Fl. vi 9) : 
alien rs eniintien trifid f edente 
Black-Oak. Raj. & Ca Pa PET 
Quercus nigra folio trilobato. Clayt. n. 789.” 
