10 
clature of the Cedar Apples'’ in 1901 transferred the known species of Gym- 
nosporangium to Tremella. Had his view been accepted it would have neces- 
sitated giving other names to the species of Tremella as now recognized. But 
only two years previously, in 1889, Prof. Arthur in his paper, ^'Indiana Plant 
Rusts listed in Accordance with the Latest Nomenclature” had reached the 
conclusion that the name Puccinia must be abandoned for the large genus of 
rusts to which it was usually applied and transferred to the species of Gym- 
nosporangium and again in his recent writings he returns to Gymnosporangium 
as a valid genus. Evidently, even when made by those whose ability and 
conscientious aim are beyond question the search for older names in the con- 
fusing literature following 1753 and previous to Fries has not resulted in that 
permanence of nomenclature which it was hoped would be attained. It would 
have been far better to have retained Tremella in the Friesian sense as is done 
by most modern mycologists and to have accepted Gymnosporangium as it 
has long been understood by mycologists and thus have avoided adding to the 
large number of synonyms names which have quickly disappeared except as 
curiosities of botanical literature. By adopting a work like Fries’ Systema 
as the basis of nomenclature the dreary and unnecessary labor of trying 
to account for all the vague names given by older writers and the perpetual 
changing of names long in use and well understood in consequence of what 
are often no more than conjectures as to what the older species were would 
be avoided. 
