Adiantum villosum L., 1759

Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part A), Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London: Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum, pp. 252-342 : 263

Adiantum villosum Linnaeus , Systema Naturae, ed. 10, 2: 1328. 1759.

["Habitat in Jamaica."] Sp. Pl., ed. 2, 2: 1559 (1763). RCN: 7933.

Type not designated.

Original material: Herb. Linn. No. 1252.10 ( LINN) ; [icon] in Plukenet, Phytographia: t. 253, f.l. 1694.

Current name: Adiantum villosum L. ( Pteridaceae ).

Note: Tryon (in Contr. Gray Herb. 194: 152. 1964) treated 1252.10 (LINN) as the type but Proctor (in Howard, Fl. Lesser Antilles 2: 185. 1977) argued that both it and the cited Plukenet plate conflicted with Linnaeus’ diagnosis and so designated a neotype from Herb. Sloane (1: 127, BM-SL). The material in LINN is apparently identifiable as A. pulverulentum L. , while the Plukenet plate is said to depict A. kendalii Jenman (Proctor, Ferns Jamaica: 241. 1985). However, despite its apparently unfortunate identity, the Plukenet element forms part of the protologue and therefore cannot be deemed to conflict with it. It is original material for the name, and so Proctor’s designation of a neotype is contrary to Art. 7.11. The name may be a candidate for conservation with a conserved type.