Re: _Drosera_longifolia_ ?

Jan Schlauer (zxmsl01@studserv.zdv.uni-tuebingen.de)
Mon, 30 May 1994 18:51:11 +0100

Wim, Michael,

>> I didn't tell that last year I purchased a D.longlifolia (I guess. There

>D.longifolia, isn't it D.anglica, Jan ?

Although it has priority over the other two names,
D.longifolia L. = _D.anglica_ HUDS./ _D.intermedia_ HAYNE
is a nomen ambiguum/confusum:

The type of which (or the rest of it) in the Linnean herbarium is
_D.anglica_, but the name has (mainly in GB) been "widely and persistently
used for a taxon not including its type" (=_D.intermedia_), and was
therefore rejected as early as 1824 by DeCandolle (in his "Prodromus").
Rejection was explicitly repeated by Planchon and Schaeftlein (in Hegi,
"Illustrierte Flora von Mitteleuropa").

All important subsequent authorities (including Diels and most European and
American regional Floras) have followed DeCandolle.

But recently W.Greuter (in "Med Checklist") has tried to reinstall the
ambiguous name D.longifolia because of priority.

Most botanists (and I myself) do not subscribe to such practice because it
involves a "disadvantageous nomenclatural change", which is definitely
*not* encouraged by the latest issue of the ICBN, where stability and
reliability do supersede nomenclatural de jure decisions (taxonomy drives
nomenclature, and not vice versa). IMHO, with the broad acceptance as
sketched above, Drosera longifolia is a nomen rejicendum on behalf of
DeCandolle's decision.

Kind regards
Jan