May 31, 1928.] Revision of the Flora of the Bombay Presidency 628 



2. Inflorescence a racemiform panicle . 

 Lower involucral glume of bisexual 

 spikelets deeply channelled ... ... 4. T. tremula. 



1. Themeda triaadra, Forsk. Fl. Aegypt. Arab, cxxiii et 178; Schweinf. in 

 Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii, Append, ii, 16, 95; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost.— Afr. 

 A. 51 ; Rendle in Cat. Afr. PI. Welw. ii, 161 ; Pilg. in Engl. Pflanzenw. Afr. ii, 

 151, fig. 114; Pilg. in Mildbr. Wiss. Ergebn. Deutsch. Zentr.— Afr. Exped.ii, 45 ; 

 Eyles in Trans. Roy. Soc. S. Afr. v. 298 ; Stapf in Prain Fl. Trop. Afr. ix, 416, 

 partem tantum nostrce speciei ampiectens.— Themeda Forskalii, Hack, in Monogr. 

 Androp. 659, excl. syn. Anthistiria hispida, Thunb. qiuz est Tristachya 

 leucothrix , Trin. sec. Stapf. ; Duthie Fodd. Grass. N. Ind. 43 ; Durand & 

 Schinz Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 731 ; K. Schum I.e. A. 23, 56, 79 ; Engl. Hochge- 

 birgsfl. Trop. Afr. 115 ; Batt. & Trab. Fl. Anal. Alger, et Tunis 355 ; Stapf 

 in Kew Bull. (1907), 212; Pilg. in Engl. Pflanzenw- Afr. ii, 119.— Anthistiria 

 imberbis, Retz. Obs. iii, 11 : Desf. in Journ. de Phys. xl, 293, t. 1 ; Thunb. FL 

 Cap. i, 402, ed. Schult., 107 ; Kunth Enum. i, 481; Steud. Syn. PI. Glum, i, 401; 

 Stapf in Dyer Fl. Cap. vii, 366; Wood Natal PI. ii, t. 133; Burtt Davy in 

 Transvaal Agric. Journ. iii, 287, t. 52 ; Hook. f. in F.B.I vii, 211; Trin. FL 

 Ceyl. v, 248 ; Prain Beng. PI. 1207.— A. glauca. Desf. Fl. Atlant. ii, 380, t. 254 

 excl. syn.—Stipa paleacea, Vahl ; Coss. & Durieu Expl. Scient. Alger, ii, 52. — 

 A- Desfontainei, Kunth Rev. Gram, i, 161. — A. ciliata, Retz. I.e. (non Linn. f„); 

 Lamk. 111. t. 841, f . 2 ; Cav. Ic. 5, t. 459 ; Nees in Linnaea vii, 284 et in Fl. Afr. 

 Austr. 121 ; Anders, in Peters Reise Mossamb. Bot. 562 ; Oliv. in Trans. Linn. 

 Soc, xxix, 176 ; Roxb. Fl. Ind., i, 247 ; Grah. Cat. Bomb. PI. 239 ; Dalz. & 

 Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 304 ; Thw. Enum. PI. Zeyl. 366 ; Trim. Cat. Ceyl. PL 108 

 Benth. FL Austr. vii, 542.— A. Forskahlii, Kunth Rev. Gram, i, 162, Enum. PL 

 481.— A. vulgaris, Hack, in Engl. & Prantl. Naturl. Pflanzenfam. ii, pars 2, 

 29.— A. punctata, Hochst. ex A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss, ii, 448.-^4. paleacea, 

 Ball, in Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. xvi, 734.— A. australis, R. Br. Prodr. 200.— 

 A. cuspidata, Anders. in Nov. Act. Upsal. 2 (1856), 229. — A. ccsspitosa, Anders. 

 I.e. 241. — A. argentea, Nees Fl. Afr. Austr. Yl^. — A. depauperata, Anders, I.e. 

 243.— ^4. syriaca, Boiss. Diagn. PL Or. ser. i, fasc. 13, 72. — Themeda polygama, 

 Gmel. Syst. 149.— Stipa arguens, Thunb. Prodr. 20 (non Linn.).— Calamina 

 imberbis, Roem. & Schult. Syst. ii, 810. — Themeda imberbis, T. Cooke in 

 Cke. ii, 993.— T. imberbis, Haines in Bot. Bihar & Orissa, 1049. 



Hooker f. who deals with this species under Anthistiria, Linn., says in a 

 preliminary remark (F.B.L.vii, 211) : ' The species of this genus are most 

 difficult of discrimination, of which the best proof is the irreconcilable conclu- 

 sions of two excellent botanists, both experts in the order of Graminece, 

 Anderson (in Nov. Act. Upsal iii, ii (1856) ) and Hackel (Monogr. Androp.).' 



He then criticizes Hackel for having restored Forskahl's name of Themeda 

 ' because of its having four years of priority, and of Linnaeus' description of 

 Anthistiria being very inaccurate.' He admits the claim of priority, but as to 

 the other reason he rightly adds that if inaccurate description has to be consi- 

 dered, a host of the genera of old authors would have to be invalidated. Hooker 

 finally decides in favour of Anthistiria because this genus ' had for upwards of 

 a century been adopted by all botanical writers.' This reason, however, does 

 not hold good in view of the present rules of nomenclature. Hackel restored 

 Themeda in 1889 and since then most system atists have followed his example. 

 It was easy to settle this point, but the real difficulty comes in when we have to 

 define and give a name to all the material gathered by Hackel (1. c. 659-664) 

 under his Themeda Forskalii, and by Hooker f. under Anthistiria imberbis* 

 Retz. (F.B.I, vii, 211). 



A glance at Hackel's synonymy and localities shows that he has included all 

 the forms of this highly variable grass which are found in the tropical, sub- 

 tropical and sometimes in the temperate regions of the Old World. The same 

 applies to Hooker's A. imberbis, except that he separated Hackel's var. dubia 

 laxa and restored it to its former specific rank of A. laxa, Anders. But this is 

 of minor importance in this connection. It does not change the fact that both 

 Hackel and Hooker describe the same material and of the same area though 

 under different names. 



Hackel justifies the adoption of the specific name Themeda Forskalii in this 

 way : ' Themeda triandra, Forsk. FL Aeg.-arab. p. 178, Anthist. Forskalii 

 Kunth Revis. Gram. 1, p. 162, generis typus, a Forskalio prope Bulgose in 



[7] 



