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28 NAMES AND SYNONYMS OF BRITISH PLANTS.
Names and Synonyms of British Plants. CoUatiny the Nomenclature
of the ' London Catalogue,' ' Enylish Botany,' Bahington's
' Afamial,' Bentham's ^ Flora,' and Hooker's Student's Flora.'
"With an Appendix giving other Names and their Synonyms,
and a List of Aiitlaorities for Plant-names. By Geoffrey
Egerton-Waebueton, B.A. London ; Bell & Sous. 1889.
Svo, pp. xxxvi. 160. Price 2s. 6d.
Index of British Plants according to the ' London Catalogue ' (eighth
edition), including the Synonyms iised by the iirincijjal authors
an alphabetical list of English Names ; also references to the
illustrations of Syine's ' English Botany,' and, Bentham's ' British
Flora.' By Robert Turnbull. London : Bell & Sons.
1889. Svo, pp. [ii.] 98. Price 2s. 6d.
These somewhat lengthy titles fully explain the object of these
little works, which are laudably intended (to quote the latter of
them) " to make the difficulties of botanical nomenclature somewhat
less, whilst it may at the same time point out what perplexing
confusion does exist, not only in the names given to various plants,
but also in the rank they should take as species, subspecies, or
varieties,—a confusion which extends sometimes to the authorities
given for the names,—an extreme instance of this being the name
' Potentilla Tormentilla,' which has a different authority assigned to
it by each of the works quoted in this list."
This introductory statement, coupled with one which tells us
that "the place of honour [is] given to that name for a plant
which is used by a majority of the five works named on the titlepage,"
shows at once that Mr. Egerton-Warburton is not thoroughly
qualified for the work which he has undertaken. So long as the
world lasts, there will be differences of opinion as to the limits of
species ; while, on the other hand, the right authority for a name
and the proper one to be adopted are
determined,—not indeed by a plebiscite of
quite capable of
authors, but by a
being
strict
observance of the rule of priority. This the author might have
achieved, though not without the expenditure
trouble : but he makes no attempt to do this.
of much time and
He calls attention
to the varying authorities given for Potentilla Tormentilla; but
instead of settling once for all which should be adopted, he prints
" P-'otentilla Tormentilla Schenk or Neck, or Nestl. or Sibth. or
Scop." ; and leaves us free to take our choice. Had Mr. Egerton-
Warburton gone into the matter, he would have been able to
correct the name itself, which must stand as Potentilla silrestris
Neck.* (Delicise, i. 222 (1768) ). The synonymy of the plant is
indeed somewhat curious, for if P. Tormentilla be accepted as the
name, not one of the authorities to which it is attributed above is
responsible for it. Scopoli, indeed (Fl. Carn. ed. 2, i. 360), called
it P. 'Tormentilla erecta ; but the abbreviated form in common use
was first employed by Stokes in his edition of Withering. The
names stand thus :—
* Not " Nestl." as given by Nyman (Consp. i. 227).