The Scientific Notebooks of German Orchidologist Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Kränzlin

Flora of Australia. 133

part," to Mueller's reticulata, and that Bauer's figure was named, "doubtless on Brown's authority," L. straminea. Vague assumptions of this kind afford no grounds for troublesome changes of long-standing names. Indeed, a work of this characher tends to bring systematic botany into bad odour with workers in other branches, who suffer from such changes, and if there is any difficulty in regard to the specimens at the National Museum, London, surely the proper course is to add explanatory labels to them, as in the above heading. Archæology and botany are separate subjects, and should be kept apart.

Article 50 of the International Rules of Botanical Nomenclature, 1905, says:—"No on is authorised to reject, change or modify a name (or combination of names) because of the existence of an earlier homonym which is universally regarded as nonvalid, or for any other motive either contestable or of little import." Hence the names should remain as before, L. Brownii Britten being a synonym for L. straminea (R.Br.), Bentham and Mueller.

MEDICAGO HISPIDA, Gaertn., var. INERMIS, Urb. (Papilionaceae). (Syn. MEDICAGO RETICULATA, Benth.). Determined at Kew Herbarium, England.

Dimboola Shire, F. M. Reader, October 16th, 1898. Geelong and Penshurst (1906), H.B. Williamson.

This Medick was recorded by Mr. Reader in the Victorian Naturalist, vol. 19 (1903), p. 159, as Medicago turbinata, Willd., but M. turbinata is quite a distinct plant from Reader's specimens. It was also known here under the names of M. striata and M. nummularia (M. cretica), but differs from both of these. As no specimens of the above variety were in the National Herbarium, the plants were sent to the Kew herbarium for verification and determined as above. It is a naturalized alien form Southern Europe.

OLEARIA HOMOLEPIS, F. v. M., var. PILOSA, new var. (Compositae).

Cowcowing, West Australia. Max Koch, No. 1087 (1904). The variety differs from the type in having slightly longer