Botanical Names and Schizobasis

Mary Sue Ittner msittner@mcn.org
Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:12:01 PST
We've recently been looking at the names we are using on the wiki 
thanks to David Pilling who continues to find mistakes. It can be 
very challenging trying to figure out which is the correct name when 
you can find so many different choices when looking on the Internet. 
And sometimes when a name is revised, not everyone accepts the new 
name or further study does not reinforce the revision. We try to add 
synonyms to the wiki, but sometimes it gets a bit ridiculous. For 
example there is this entry in the wiki:

Amianthium muscaetoxicum is found in data bases with many alternate 
spellings. It may have been published at one time with this spelling, 
but now Amianthium muscitoxicum seems to be preferred. Other synonyms 
you can find are Amiantanthus muscaetoxicum, Chrosperma muscitoxicum, 
Melanthium muscaetoxicum, Melanthium muscitoxicum, Zigadenus 
muscaetoxicum, Zigadenus muscitoxicum, Zigadenus muscitoxicus, and 
Zygadenus muscaetoxicus.

If there is a question I look in three or four places and hope I can 
find some agreement. Jim gave two of them, the Tropicos data base and 
IPNI. In the beginning people suggested IPNI, but unfortunately it 
often doesn't give you a clue of what the current thinking is, just 
tells you the published names. Kew has a checklist for Monocot names 
that seems to be relatively current, but is not always in agreement 
with others. Sometimes it lists who agrees and who doesn't which is useful.
http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/home.do

Searching for the name that Lisa asked about  I found that Kew still 
accepts Schizobasis intricata
Schizobasis intricata (Baker) Baker, J. Bot. 12: 368 (1874).
This name is accepted.

But they also list the reference for Drimia intricata

Germishuizen, G. & Meyer, N.L. (eds.) (2003). Plants of Southern 
Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14.: i-vi, 1-1231. 
National Botanical Institute, Pretoria. [as Drimia intricata]

This leads me to another data base I use for African plants:
http://ville-ge.ch/musinfo/bd/…
If you look at it you will find that the name they are accepting is 
Drimia intricata (Baker) J.C.Manning & Goldblatt

So in summary you find that originally it was published as 
Schizobasis intricata, named by Baker and that Kew still recognizes 
that name. The two data bases sponsored by institutions where the two 
men who renamed it work are supporting Drimia intricata, renamed by 
Manning and Goldblatt.

Others on this list would say as long as you add the name of the 
author behind which ever name you use you'll be correct. Although 
this is usually true, if the author did not use the accepted spelling 
when naming the plant sometimes that name gets changed as well.

Mary Sue




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