- 200 — 



For India and Malaya, with regard to pre-Linnean writers, two famous 

 works are especially pointed out to us; these are the „Hortus ïndicus Ma" 

 labaricus" by H. A. VAN RHEEDE TOT DRAAKESTEIN (* Jan. or Feb. 1637- f 

 15 Dec. 1691), who pictured and described under the name „Oepata' (IV. 

 (1 683) p. 5 tab. 45), Avicennia officinalis L; and the „Herbarium Amboi 

 nensis" by RUMPHIUS (* May 1628 — f 15 June 1702), who under „Mangium 

 album" (III (1750) p. 116 tab. 76) gave a picture and a description of one 

 of the forms of Avicennia marina (FORSK.) VlERH. 



The great confusion which has constantly prevailed in the determina- 

 tion of the right name for the species of the genus Avicennia L , began 

 with LINNAEUS himself. The latter, judging from the description and the 

 drawing of the „Oepata" (RHEEDE Hort. Mal. IV (1683) t. 45), called it 

 Avicennia officinalis L. (Spec. Plant. I (1753) p. 110), referring to the 

 description of the genus in the Flora Zeylanica (1748) p. 23. This name 

 was later withdrawn and replaced by Bontia germinans L. (Spec. Plant. 

 II (1763) p. 891); probably according to jACQUIN'S indications (Enum. Plant. 

 Amer. (1760) p. 66], who considered the genus Bontia (LINN. Syst. A. P. 

 1 122 ex JACQ.) as a synonym of his Avicennia tomentosa (JACQ. Stirp. Amer. 

 Hist. (!763)p. 178;. However, in the 3d edition of the Spec. Plant. (1764) 

 p. 891, LINNAEUS withdrew this statement, saying himself that he followed 

 anew JACQUIN'S indications. He gave again the generic name Avicennia^ 

 uniting Avicennia Flor. Zeyi. from Asia (called in 1753 A. officinalis 

 L.) and Avicennia tomentosa J ACQ. from America, under the new name 

 Avicennia germinans L. Since LINNAEUS followed then JACQUIN'S data obvi- 

 ously (and actually had in his mind the American plant), the name A. germinans 

 L. remains, notwithstanding the added quotations about the names of the 

 Indian plants, as synonym to be attributed to A. tomentosa JACQ. from 

 America. This fact was understood by LiNNAEuS himself, who in the 6th 

 edition of his Gen. Plant. (1764) p. 579 gave back to the American species 

 its original name Avicennia tomentosa J ACQ. 



All these confusing changes in names have led astray the botanists who 

 lived after LINNAEUS, so that for a long time A tomentosa L was con- 

 sidered as the specific name for the Asiatic plant known as „Oepata". Here 

 VAHL, (Symb. Bot. Plant. I (1790) p 47), who thereby had in mind Sceura 

 marina FORSK. of the Red Sea with small leaves and yellow flowers, seems 

 to have been made the initiation. G MELI. M (Syst. Nat. II 2 (1796) p. 963), 

 and MURRAY / PERS. (Syst. Veg. XII (1797) p. 616), followed the example of 

 LINNAEUS, by describing under the name of 4. tomentosa J ACQ. the American 

 plant; WlLLDENOW (Spec. Plant. Ill part ! (1800) p. 395) on the contrary, unites 

 the Avicennias of both Indias to .4. tomentosa JACQ., on account of the 

 similarity of the leaves of the plants figured by RHEEDE and J ACQUIN; SCHAUER 

 in De Cand. Prod. Syst. Nat. (1847) p. 700 restores, it is true, the name 

 Avicennia officinalis L., but describes under that name A. alba Bl., for 

 he says „ovario incluso ima basi glabro apice villoso, stigmatibus subses- 

 silibus". He describes under the name of A. tomentosa a doubtful species 



