On 12 Dec 07, at 15:10, Jim McKenney wrote: > Just to cheer me up, I wish someone would re-tell the story (naming names > and so on) of the skullduggery which occurred surrounding the > Hippeastrum/Amaryllis controversy. Wasn't a well-known botanist accused of > tampering with the Linnaeean type, maybe even moving it to another sheet or > something like that? There was long-standing uncertainty just what plant Linnaeus had named "Amaryllis belladonna". Or more precisely, whether the plant we call "Amaryllis belladonna" is the same plant Linnaeus called by that name. Within living memory, the Linnean Society finally allowed the type speciment in the Linnaean herbarium to be dissected in order to settle the question. It turned out that Amaryllis bellandonna L was indeed Amaryllis belladonna of common parlance. This resolved fundamental nomenclatural problems with Hippeastrum, Amaryllis, and I don't know what else. I've never heard of there being any skullduggery in connection with this mess. > Or should I just get back to work in the garden? You should do that too. -- Rodger Whitlock Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate on beautiful Vancouver Island