CHAPTER VII

REJECTION OF NAMES

Article 55

55.1. A name of a species or subdivision of a genus may be legitimate even if its epithet was originally placed under an illegitimate generic name (see also Art. 22.5).

Ex. 1. Agathophyllum neesianum Blume (in Mus. Bot. 1: 340. 1851) is legitimate even though Agathophyllum Juss. (Gen. Pl.: 431. 1789) is illegitimate (it is a superfluous replacement name for Ravensara Sonn., Voy. Indes Orient. 3: 248. 1782). Because Meisner (in Candolle, Prodr. 15(1): 104. 1864) cited A. neesianum as a synonym of his new Mespilodaphne mauritiana, M. mauritiana Meisn. is illegitimate under Art. 52.

Ex. 2. Calycothrix sect. Brachychaetae Nied. (in Engler & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. 3(7): 100. 1893) is legitimate even though it was published under Calycothrix Meisn. (Pl. Vasc. Gen.: 107. 1838), a superfluous replacement name for Calytrix Labill. (Nov. Holl. Pl. 2: 8. 1806).

55.2. An infraspecific name may be legitimate even if its final epithet was originally placed under an illegitimate species name (see also Art. 27.2).

Ex. 3. Agropyron japonicum var. hackelianum Honda (1927) is legitimate even though it was published under the illegitimate A. japonicum Honda (1927), a later homonym of A. japonicum (Miq.) P. Candargy (1901) (see also Art. 27 Ex. 1).

Note 1. A name falling under the provisions of Art. 55.1 or 55.2 is unavailable for use, but may serve as a replaced synonym or, if not itself illegitimate, basionym of another name or combination.

55.3. The names of species and of subdivisions of genera assigned to genera the names of which are conserved, protected, or sanctioned later homonyms, and that had earlier been assigned to the genera under the rejected homonyms, are legitimate under the conserved, protected, or sanctioned names without change of authorship or date if there is no other obstacle under the rules.

Ex. 4. When published, Alpinia languas J. F. Gmel. (Syst. Nat. 2: 7. 1791) and A. galanga (L.) Willd. (Sp. Pl. 1: 12. 1797) were assigned to Alpinia L. (Sp. Pl.: 1753. 1753). When the name Alpinia was conserved from a later publication (Art. 14.9), as Alpinia Roxb. (in Asiat. Res. 11: 350. 1810), these two species were included in the newly named genus and their names are to be accepted without any change in status under this Code.

55.4.. The epithet of the name of a species or subdivision of a genus that was originally placed under a generic name that is a later homonym, or the final epithet of the name of an infraspecific taxon that was originally placed under a species name that is a later homonym, may be placed under the respective legitimate earlier homonym without change of authorship and date.

Ex. 5. The epithet of Haplanthus hygrophiloides T. Anderson (in J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 9: 503. 1867) was originally placed under the illegitimate generic name Haplanthus T. Anderson (l.c. 1867), a later homonym of Haplanthus Nees (in Wallich, Pl. Asiat. Rar. 3: 77, 115. 1832). When H. hygrophiloides is considered to belong instead to Haplanthus Nees, it is so accepted without change of authorship and date.

Ex. 6. When the homonyms Acidosasa B. M. Yang (in J. Hunan Teachers’ Coll., Nat. Sci. Ed., 1981(2): 54. 1981) and Acidosasa C. D. Chu & C. S. Chao (in J. Bamboo Res. 1: 165. 1982) are considered to apply to the same genus, A. chinensis C. D. Chu & C. S. Chao (in J. Bamboo Res. 1: 165. 1982) is so accepted even though its epithet was originally placed under the illegitimate Acidosasa C. D. Chu & C. S. Chao (1982).