osbeck's dagbok ofwer en ostindsk resa 
573 
from the writings of Linnaeus and Osbeck. Copies of German and 
English editions are in the Library of Congress, Washington. Bret- 
schneider^ under the heading "Swedish collectors of plants in South- 
China," 1751 and 1766, pp. 88-119, discusses the work of Osbeck, 
Toren, Eckeberg, Sparrman, and Lagerstroem in connection with 
the early botanical exploration of southern China, and enumerates 
319 species of plants that were known from this region by Linnaeus. 
His data regarding Osbeck were taken from Forster's English transla- 
tion of Osbeck's work. 
The species described by Osbeck from Java were collected at or 
near sea level, at Anjer and New Bay, at the west end of the Island. 
Those described from China were chiefly from the vicinity of Whampoa 
with a few from Canton. In many cases the descriptions are quite 
sufficient to enable one accurately to determine the species Osbeck 
intended, even when the descriptions are relatively short. Occasion- 
ally, however, I have been unable to determine the status of a species. 
Many are represented by actual specimens in the Linnaean herbarium 
in London. Wherever it has been possible to determine the status of 
Osbeck's species, his specific names, when valid, have been adopted 
even when they displace names of later authors now in common use. 
In a few cases Osbeck's name must displace that of Linnaeus as the 
authority for various species, where there is no change in the specific 
name. A slight amount of field work, or perhaps a more intensive 
knowledge of the flora of Kwangtung than I possess may enable 
future investigators more exactly to determine the status of the few 
remaining doubtful species. 
1 am in grave doubt as to the propriety of adopting certain specific 
names from Osbeck, as Swingle has recently proposed.^ In these 
cases the Latin name appears, but there is, usually, no description in 
Latin, while the statements in Swedish regarding the fruits or the 
plants, can hardly be considered as descriptions. The special cases 
are Rhamnus thea Osbeck, Citrus grandis Osbeck, C. sinensis Osbeck, 
and perhaps C. limonia Osbeck. At any rate it is doubtful if we are 
warranted in displacing a specific name of a later author on the basis 
of the meager data given by Osbeck in the case of the above species. 
In addition to the valid corrections and additions to Index Kewen- 
2 Early European Researches into the Flora of China. Journ. North-China 
Branch Roy. As. Soc. II, 15: 1-194. 1880. 
2 Sargent, Plantae Wilsonianae 2: 141-151. 1914. 
