specimens of Carolinea minor in Herb. Mus. Brit., leaves no doubt as to the identity of the two; and the earliest name for the plant must therefore be restored, whatever rule as to priority may be adopted.
The resemblance of the flowers to Pachira, to which Prof. Oliver refers,[1] had impressed Sims, and induced him to name it Carolinea minor — the name Carolinea being now abandoned in favour of the earlier Pachira. But Alexander Anderson, who knew the plant alive, called it B. Carolinoides, and this name, first published by Donn, must stand. Sims's description may be cite :—
"We received this elegant shrub from Messrs. Loddiges & Sons, under the name of Bombax Carolinoides, an appellation given to it by Dr. Anderson, of the Botanic Garden at St. Vincent's, who was induced to refer it to that genus because its seeds are enveloped in a fine brown cottony substance. But it is so exact a representation in miniature of Carolinea insignis, the same truncated calyx, linear fleshy petals, and singularly branched filaments, that we cannot consent to separate it from that genus and refer it to Bombax, with the other species of which it has so much less aflinity. . . Carolinea minor, according to Dr. Anderson, is a native of Guiana, growing on the borders of rivers, and forming a very elegant tree; but is not common even there. The fruit, he says, is about the size of that of Bombax Ceiba, is a woody capsule, one-celled, with five valves, and numerous kidney-shaped seeds disposed in five rows, and enveloped in fine brown cotton. Mr. Loddiges received the seed of this tree several years ago from Dr. Anderson, and has now several fine healthy-looking plants " (Bot. Mag. t. 1412). The date of its introduction by Anderson, according to Aiton (Hort. Kew. ed. 2, iv. 195), was 1798. We have in the British Museum two sheets from Anderson, sent by him to Banks and Lambert respect- ively : the Banksian sheet has a full description in Anderson's writing, beginning, "An genus novum? Flores Carolinae et semine Bombacis." These seem to be the only ones existing from Anderson in European herbaria ; the description in DC. Prod. i. 478 is taken from Sims's figure and one of the Mexican drawings of Moçino and Sasse, which does not entirely agree with it, and Dr. K. Schumann (Fl. Bras. xii. 3, 225) says, " Quid sit Pachira minor Sims nescio." He suggests that it may be identical with his B. Poissonianum, but this can hardly be.
Two other names retained under Pachira in Mr. Jackson's Index must also disappear. P. Barrigon Seem, has been referred by Decaisne to Bombax, and is also entered by Mr. Jackson under that genus ; P. longifolia Hook. Bot. Mag. 4549," was a slip for P. macrocarpa, under which name the species is [I. c.) described, and which (as Mr. Jackson notes) first appeared in Walpers Repert. i. 329.
- ↑ The plant is interesting as entirely Pachira, almost the common P. aquatica Aubl., in appearance of the flower, while the capsule is that of a typical Bombax. — Oliv. l.c.
