250 
A. S. HITCHCOCK 
(1) The species may be described, either as new, or as a 
transfer from another genus. 
(2) The species may be mentioned without description 
under a described genus, as is frequently the case 
when a new genus is based upon an old species. 
(3) A new generic name may be applied to a species 
previously described. 
(4) The new genus may be connected with a previously 
published species by an indirect citation. Most 
of Adanson's genera are published in this way. 
Under the name Valota appears the citation of a 
plate in Sloane's History of Jamaica. Linnaeus 
cites the same plate under Andropogon insularis. 
Hence Valota Adans. is based on Andropogon 
insularis L. 
h. More than one species mentioned with the original de- 
scription. In these cases a selection must be made. The principle 
underlying the selection is to choose the species that seems most nearly 
to represent the author's concept of the genus. We may usually 
assume that a figured species represents this concept, as an author 
naturally picks out for illustration a typical species. Therefore, in 
general, a figured species is selected as the type. If more than one 
species is figured, the type is assumed to be one of the figured species. 
Sometimes certain species can be excluded from consideration as the 
type because they are referred somewhat doubtfully to a new genus by 
the author or because they do not agree perfectly with the generic 
description. From those available one may often assume, as most 
typical, a well-known economic species, or the historically oldest, or 
one native in the author's country or familiar to him in cultivation. 
If there are two or more species equally available as the type and one 
must be chosen arbitrarily, then we may well choose the one which 
results in the application of the generic name in the commonly accepted 
sense. Usually the choice of the first of the equally available species 
accomplishes this result. In order to illustrate the manner in which 
type selection works out in practice, several illustrative examples are 
given below. 
Coix L. Sp. PI. 972. 1753. Linnaeus describes 2 species, C. 
lachryma-jobi and C. dactyloides. In typifying the genera of the Species 
Plantarum, it is necessary to consider at the same time the fifth 
