34 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
Thymus Serpyllum L.—Linneus (Sp. Pl. p. 590 [1753] ) 
described his Thymus Serpyllum as follows: “Thymus floribus 
capitatis caulibus repentibus, foliis planis obtusis basi ciliatis. 
Fl. Suec. 477. Mat. Med. 282.” Now it is evident that this 
description cannot be made to embrace all our British plants, as 
there is woes one species with flowers in heads and creeping stems 
= 
He safiglnehidrt the above’ _ description by the following 
eysonyihas and adds diagnoses of four varieties :— 
“ Thymus repens, foliis par floribus verticillato-spicatis. Hort. 
Cliff. 306. ugab. 
ypt. 277. 
B Serpyllum vulgare m ajus. Bauh. Pin. 220 
y Serpyllum bh minus capitulis lanuginosis. seve Inst. 
197. It. Gotl. 219. 
8 Serpyllum angustifolium hirtum. Bauh. Pin. 220. 
F Serpyllum foliis citri odore. Bauh. Pin. 220. 
Habitat in “aint aridis apricis. 
wever, have nothing to do with the plant just 
described, sn this conclusion is ee out by an examination of 
the Linnes ean types of T' oh us at Herb. Mus. Brit. GroneNe” in 
mare i is so clear a Mcipeen as to leave no doubt that he had 
before him a specimen of T. Serpyllwm Gens strictu). Doubtless 
many will think it aeaicabla to retain the name Serpyllum in a 
collective sense, taking the view that Faria has united under 
Ton name 7’. Chamedrys Fr. (T. glaber eet T. ovatus Miller, 
ecox Opiz, and some other species which do not occur in 
Bigland but this is Lael a correct view, poses as it is not 
possible to retain a collective species for several spenies belonewe 
to Gis well-marked ache of the genus, and also 
consider it inadvisable to retain the name in a collective ote” 
when the ‘deaeritbian of ta plant to which it refers is a segregate 
ae : 
In many other genera the Linnean species are collective, and 
embrace several very distinct forms, but in these cases his 
diagnoses usually refer to = the forms, and not to one only. 
Fries (Nov. Fl. Suec. ed. ii. p. 196 (1828)) makes the position 
perfectly clear. He gives a ia complete and correct description 
of T. Serpyllum L. (excluding syn. and var.), showing that the 
nean name can oes be used for the plant from South Sweden, 
I : 
7. angus of the Linnean  eieeies Fries says (I.c. 
“ Brevitatis studio Begin de Serpyllis controversis i immen- 
samque synonymiam hoc loco non teram. A nos se pal 
