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SYNOPSIS OF THE GENUS TUNICA.
By Frederic N. Williams, F.L.S.
Plants referable to the genus Tunica are mentioned in very
early botanical works. The earliest record I can trace is in the
* Castigationes Plinianse ' by Ermalao Barbaro, a Venetian diplo-
matist, logician and critic ; a work published in 1492, the year before
his death. He there speaks of a plant with a " florem garyophyllum,"
which is so distinct from other plants of the group that
it has been classed by some herbalists among the Saxifrages. This
doubtless refers to Tunica saxifrcuja. This is probably the species
figured on p, 402 in the Kraiiter-Buch of Adam Lonicer (1528
1586j, and included among the *' lierbje tunicre." The earliest
authenticated specimen is one labelled "OsteocoUon hjemoroidalis "
by Aldrovandi (1522—1G05), which is preserved in the herbarium
of the University of Bologna. On p. 1191 of the ' Hist. Gen. Plan-
' tarum of Dalechamps (1513— 1588) is a plant described as Tunica
unniwa, which is the earliest instance in tlie history of the genus of
a connominate pseudo-Linnean expression ; and this plant can be
identified with the species now known as Tunica riijida. The next
reference to Tunica saxifraga is by Pona (1595), who speaks of it as
" sassafragia di Paolo et di Dioscoride." It is figured by Jean
Bauhin and also by Barrelier, and referred to
as " saxifragia antiquorum."
by Ambrosini (1057)
The genus Dimithus was founded by LinnfBus in 1737, and in
1742 Haller revived the name of Tunica for plants included in the
Linnean genus. In the ' Species Plantarum ' (1753), Linnreus
ignored Haller's revived name, though the latter as referring to the
form of the calyx is preferable as a morphological expression to
Linnaeus' fancy name. Adanson, however, retained Haller's name.
Scopoli, in the second edition (1772) of his 'Flora Carniolica
placed the same species under Tunica which in the first edition
(17G0) he had placed under
genus :— " Calyx coriaceus,
Diantkus ; and further, defined the
monophyllus, squamis adprcssis ad
basin vallatis. Petala 5. Capsula coriacea, unilocularis, quadrivalvis,
polysperma." This may apply equally well to both. In
subsequent works the species were arbitrarily grouped either in
JHanthus or Tunica : a few new ones were included in (Ti/psophila.
It was not until 183G that Koch constituted Tunica a separate genus,
distinct from Diantkus (' Syn. Fl. Germanics et Hclvcticjc,' p. 93).
lie says, "hoc genus dift'ert a Gypsophila squamis et seminibus
Dianthi, a Diantho petalis Gypsophihc sensim attenuatis et faucem
lion claudentibus." Fcnzl proposed to inchidc the genus in
Diantkus again (1842). Ijenthain aiul Hooker (18(t2) reckon about
10 species; Boissier, in the ' Flora Oricntalis ' (18G7), enumerat«s
20, of which 4 species have been restored to Dianiltus. In this
synopsis 27 .species arc described; and references to puhli.shed
figures are given for 13 species.
The name of the genus probably has reference to the form of the
Journal of Botany.—Vol. 28. [.Irr-v, 1890.] u