Vascular Plant Family Nomenclature:
Impact of the Failure to Introduce Art. 16, Prop. F
to the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature

James L. Reveal

Norton-Brown Herbarium, University of Maryland.
College Park, MD 20742-5815, U.S.A.


The following proposal is being considered presently during the mail vote and will likely come up on the floor at the next Botanical Congress in St. Louis.

16.1sexies. Names above the rank of genus are not to be formed by adding the prefix Eu- to denote a lesser rank. If validly published, such names are to be corrected without change of the author’s name or date of publication.

"Ex 9. The subfamily name "Euschizaeaceae" proposed by Presl (Suppl. Tent. Pterid.: 72. 1845) is to be corrected to Schizaeoideae C. Presl. The tribal name "Euloganieae" proposed by Endlicher (Gen. Pl.: 576. 1838) is to be corrected to Loganieae Endl. The subtribal name "Eudryadeae" proposed by Torrey and Gray (Fl. N. Amer. 1: 419. 1840) is to be corrected to Dryadinae Torr. & A. Gray."

It is important to note that the current provision in the Code (Art. 21.3) states only that names below the rank of genus with the prefix Eu- are not validly published. Thus, authors up to the present have traditionally altered the spellings by dropping Eu-.

The Rapporteurs' opinion is confused:

Prop. F would again require separate parallel rulings for suprafamilial names (under Art. 16, as proposed) and for names of sub-divisions of families (under Art. 19, to be added editorially). The Example suggested belongs to the latter category. The new provisions would declare valid some names which, at present, are not validly published. The usefulness of the proposed rule is questionable, as most names that it would redeem must be used at any rate, irrespective of priority, under Art. 16.1 and 19.4; only their (rarely used) author citation would be affected.

First, this proposal is part of a series of proposals that would combine several separately made points in Arts. 16, 17, 18 and 19 (and especially 17-19) into a single, unifying article. It is true, if the unification were not to occur, a separate statement would be necessary for Art. 19. Second, the names are not invalid as suggested by the Rapporteurs as there is nothing in the Code that invalidates the names. There is nothing in Art. 16.1 that relates to the matter of names beginning with an Eu- prefix. While 19.4 does require the use of names of a subdivision of a family if the name is based on the same generic name of a family name, this does not address the question of whether a particular name is validly published.

Finally, contrary to the suggestion that the proposal is not "usefulness" there will be a significant impact on the stability of suprageneric nomenclature if the above proposal is not adopted. To demonstrate this, I present below a list of names that will be impacted. When known to me, I have given the first place of publication of the name without the prefix Eu-.

  1. Acalyphinae Griseb., Fl. Brit. W. I.: 45. Dec 1859 (Euacalypheae). - T.: Acalypha L. (1753) - Euphorbiaceae
  2. Alsininae Fenzl in Endl., Gen. Pl.: 964. 1-14 Feb 1840 (Eualsineae). - T.: Alsine L. (1753) - Caryophyllaceae
  3. Amperinae Müll.-Arg., Linnaea 34: 63. Mar 1865 (Euampereae). - T.: Amperea A. Juss. (1824) - Euphorbiaceae
  4. Apocyninae (Burnett) Kitt., Taschenb. Fl. Deutschl. 448. Nov 1843 (Euapocyneae). - T.: Apocynum L. (1753) - Apocynaceae
  5. Arecinae Wendl., J. Bot. 3: 383. 1 Dec 1865 (Euarecineae). - T.: Areca L. (1753) - Arecaceae
  6. Arethusinae (Lindl.) Meisn., Pl. Vasc. Gen.: Tab. Diagn. 382, Comm. 286. 17-20 Aug 1842 (Euarethuseae). - T.: Arethusa L. (1753) - Orchidaceae = Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 3: 463, 484. 14 Apr 1883 (Arethuseae).
  7. Artocarpinae (Lam. & DC.) Miq. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 4: 83, 121. 1 Dec 1853 (Euartocarpeae). - T.: Artocarpus J.R. Forst. & G. Forst. (1775) - Moraceae
  8. Arinae Schott in Schott & Endl., Melet. Bot.: 17. 1832 (Euaroideae). - T.: Arum L. (1753) - Araceae = Schott, Prodr. Syst. Aroid.: 73. 1 Mai-15 Aug 1860.
  9. Asclepiadinae Endl. ex Meisn., Pl. Vasc. Gen.: Tab. Diagn. 257, 269, Comm. 176. 5-11 Apr 1840 (Euasclepieae). - T.: Asclepias L. (1753) - Asclepiadaceae = Miq., Fl. Ned. Ind. 2: 484. 20 Aug 1857 (Asclepiadae).
  10. Asparaginae Benth., Fl. Austral. 7: 4. 23-30 Mar 1878 (Euasparageae). - T.: Asparagus L. (1753) - Asparagaceae
  11. Asystasiinae T. Anders., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 7: 18. 13 Mai 1863 (Euasystasieae). - T.: Asystasia Blume (1826) - Acanthaceae
  12. Balanophoreae Eichler in Fourn., Act. Congr. Intern. Bot.: 152. Nov 1867 (Eubalanophoreae). - T.: Balanophora J.R. Forst. & G. Forst. (1775) - Balanophoraceae
  13. Bignoniinae A.DC., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 2, 11: 282, 284. 1839 (Eubignonieae). - T.: Bignonia L. (1753) - Bignoniaceae
  14. Boehmeriinae Wedd., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 1: 175. Jan-Mar 1854 (Euboehmerieae). - T.: Boehmeria Jacq. (1760) - Urticaceae
  15. Borassinae Wendl., J. Bot. 3: 383. 1 Dec 1865 (Euborassinae). - T.: Borassus L. (1753) - Arecaceae
  16. Buchnerinae Endl., Gen. Pl.: 685. Jan 1839 (Eubuchnereae). - T.: Buchnera L. (1753) - Orobanchaceae = Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 2: 923. 1-16 Mai 1876 (Buchnereae).
  17. Buxinae Müll.-Arg. in DC., Prodr. 16(1): 9, 11. mid Nov 1869 (Eubuxeae). - T.: Buxus L. (1753) - Buxaceae
  18. Caesalpiniinae (R. Br.) Walp., Repert. Bot. Syst. 1: 809. 26-29 Jan 1843 (Eucaesalpineae). - T.: Caesalpinia L. (1753) - Caesalpiniaceae
  19. Caletiinae Müll.-Arg., Linnaea 34: 55. Mar 1865 (Eucaletieae). - T.: Caletia Baill. (1858) - Euphorbiaceae
  20. Carissinae A. DC., Prodr. 8: 324. mid Mar 1844 (Eucarisseae). - T.: Carissa L. (1767) - Apocynaceae = Miq., Fl. Ned. Ind. 2: 394. 20 Aug 1857.
  21. Cheilanthinae Fée ex Pfeiff., Nomencl. Bot. 1(1): 704. ante 15 Nov 1872 (Eucheilantheae). - T.: Cheilanthes Sw. (1806) - Adiantaceae
  22. Clusiinae Planch. & Triana, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 13: 314. Jan-Jun 1860 (Euclusieae). - T.: Clusia L. (1753) - Clusiaceae
  23. Cocosinae Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 3: 873, 882. 14 Apr 1883 (Eucocoineae). - T.: Cocos L. (1753) - Arecaceae
  24. Condamineinae Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 2: 12. 7-9 Apr 1873 (Eucondaminieae). - T.: Condaminea DC. (1830) - Rubiaceae = Schum. in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. IV, 4: 16, 17. Jul 1891 (Condamineeae).
  25. Crotoninae Meisn., Pl. Vasc. Gen.: Tab. Diagn. 340, Comm. 253. 18-24 Jul 1841 (Eucrotoneae). - T.: Croton L. (1753) - Euphorbiaceae
  26. Cytineae (Brongn.) Spach, Hist. Nat. Vég. 10: 551. 20 Mar 1841 (Eucytineae). - T.: Cytinus L. (1764) - Cytinaceae = R. Br., Trans. Linn. Soc. London 19: 229, 245. 8 Nov 1844.
  27. Diapensiinae A. Gray, Ann. Sci. Nat. Bot., sér. 6, 7: 177. 1879 (Eudiapensiae). - T.: Diapensia L. (1753) - Diapensiaceae
  28. Dicksoninae Hook., Sp. Fil. 1: 56, 64. Mar 1844 (Eudicksonieae). - T.: Dicksonia L'Hér. (1789) - Dicksoniaceae
  29. Diosminae Engl. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 12(2): 81. 1 Sep 1874 (Eudiosmeae). - T.: Diosma L. (1753) - Rutaceae
  30. Dryadinae Torr. & A. Gray, Fl. N. Amer. 1: 419. Jun 1840 (Eudryadeae). - T.: Dryas L. (1753) - Rosaceae = Griseb., Spic. Fl. Rumel. 1: 95. Mar 1843.
  31. Elaeocarpinae Benth., J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 5(Suppl. 2): 56. 1861 (Euelaeocarpeae). - T.: Elaeocarpus L. (1753) - Elaeocarpaceae
  32. Forsskaoleinae Wedd., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 4, 7: 394. 1857 (Euforskahleae). - T.: Forsskaolea L. (1764) - Urticaceae = Benth. & Hook.f, Gen. Pl. 3: 351. 7 Apr 1880 (Forskohleae).
  33. Fumariinae Endl., Gen. Pl. Suppl. 5: 32. 1850 (Eufumarieae). - T.: Fumaria L. (1753) - Papaveraceae
  34. Gesneriinae J. Hanst., Linnaea 26: 198, 199. Apr 1854 (Eugesnereae). - T.: Gesneria L. (1753) - Gesneriaceae = Örst., Centralamer. Gesner.: 10. 1858 Gesnereae).
  35. Gomphreninae D. Parodi, Contr. Fl. Paraguay, Amarant.: 16. 1892 (Eucomphrenae). - T.: Gomphrena L. (1753) - Amaranthaceae = Volkens in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam., III, 1a: 97. Aug 1893.
  36. Gratiolinae Benth., Prodr. 10: 341, 367. 8 Apr 1846 (Eugratioleae (p. 341), Gratioleae verae (p. 367)). - T.: Gratiola L. (1753) - Scrophulariaceae
    (Euhamameleae). - T.: Hamamelis L. (1753) - Hamamelidaceae
  37. Hedysarinae DC., Prodr. 2: 313. mid Nov 1825 (Euhedisareae). - T.: Hedysarum L. (1753) - Fabaceae = Horan., Char. Ess. Fam.: 160. 1847 Hedysareae).
  38. Helicterinae Endl., Ench. Bot.: 515. 15-21 Aug 1841 (Euhelictereae). - T.: Helicteres L. (1753) - Sterculiaceae
  39. Lecythidinae Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 1: 695. 19 Oct 1865 (Eulecythideae). - T.: Lecythis Loefl. (1758) - Lecythidaceae
  40. Leptosperminae DC., Prodr. 3: 216. mid Mar 1828 (Euleptospermeae). - T.: Leptospermum J.R. Forst. & G. Forst. (1775) - Myrtaceae
  41. Loganieae Endl., Gen. Pl.: 576. Aug 1838 (Euloganieae). - T.: Logania R. Br. (1810) - Loganiaceae = Kitt. in A. Rich., Nouv. Elém. Bot., ed. 3, Germ. transl.: 817. 1840.
  42. Malvinae A. Gray, Gen. Amer. Bot. 2: 46. Jun-Oct 1849 (Eumalveae). - T.: Malva L. (1753) - Malvaceae
  43. Mimosinae Benth., J. Bot. (Hooker) 2: 128. Apr 1840 (Eumimoseae). - T.: Mimosa L. (1753) - Mimosaceae
  44. Mitrephorinae Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 1: 21. 7 Aug 1862 (Eumitrephoreae). - T.: Mitrephora (Blume) Hook.f. & Thomson (1855) - Annonaceae
  45. Morinae Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 3: 345. 7 Apr 1880 (Eumoreae). - T.: Morus L. (1753) - Moraceae = Benth. & Hook.f, Bot. Jahresbr. 8(2): 129. 1883.
  46. Myrsineae (Burnett) Miq., Fl. Ned. Ind. 2: 1010. 30 Sep 1858 (Eumyrsineae). - T.: Myrsine L. (1753) - Myrsinaceae = Pax in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. IV, 1: 87, 90. Dec 1889.
  47. Nymphaeinae Planch., Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., sér. 3, 19: 20. Jan-Aug 1853 (Eunymphaeeae). - T.: Nymphaea L. (1753) - Nymphaeaceae
  48. Ociminae Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 2: 1162, 1163. 1-16 Mai 1876 (Euocimeae). - T.: Ocimum L. (1753) - Lamiaceae
  49. Ophrydinae Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 3: 464. 14 Apr 1883 (Euophrydeae). - T.: Ophrys L. (1753) - Orchidaceae = Pfitzer in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. II, 6: 77, 84. Nov 1888.
  50. Paronychiinae Fenzl in Endl., Gen. Pl.: 957. Nov 1839 (Euparonychieae). - T.: Paronychia Mill. (1754) - Caryophyllaceae
  51. Paullininae Radlk., Sitzungsber. Math.-Phys. Cl. Königl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. München 20: 250. Jun 1890 (Eupaullinieae). - T.: Paullinia L. (1753) - Sapindaceae
  52. Phyllanthinae Griseb., Fl. Brit. W. I.: 32. Dec 1859 (Euphyllantheae). - T.: Phyllanthus L. (1753) - Euphorbiaceae
  53. Picramniinae Engl. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 12(2): 201, 229. 1 Sep 1874 (Eupicramnieae). - T.: Picramnia Sw. (1788) - Picramniaceae
  54. Plumeriinae Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 2: 685. 1-16 Mai 1876 (Euplumerieae). - T.: Plumeria L. (1753) - Apocynaceae
  55. Podalyriinae Benth., Comm. Legum Gen.: 65. Jun 1837 (Eupodalyrieae). - T.: Podalyria Willd. (1799) - Fabaceae = Bentham, Ann. Wiener Mus. 2: 65. 1839.
  56. Polygoninae Horan., Char. Ess. Fam.: 66. 1847 (Eupolygoneae). - T.: Polygonum L. (1753) - Polygonaceae
  57. Ricinocarpinae Müll.-Arg., Linnaea 34: 56. Mar 1865 (Euricinocarpeae). - T.: Ricinocarpos Desf. (1817) - Euphorbiaceae
  58. Rutinae Engl. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 12(2): 81, 83. 1 Sep 1874 (Euruteae). - T.: Ruta L. (1753) - Rutaceae
  59. Schizaeoideae C. Presl, Suppl. Tent. Pterid.: 72. late 1845 (Euschizaeaceae). - T.: Schizaea Sm. (1793) - Schizaeaceae = (Kaulf.) Lindl., Veg. Kingd.: 80. Jan-Mai 1846 (Schizaeeae).
  60. Scleranthinae Fenzl, Bot. Zeitung (Berlin) 1: 326. 12 Mai 1843 (Eusclerantheae). - T.: Scleranthus L. (1753) - Caryophyllaceae
  61. Scolopiinae Warb. in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. III, 6a: 13, 28. 28 Dec 1893 (Euscolopieae). - T.: Scolopia Schreb. (1789) - Flacourtiaceae
  62. Sisyrinchiinae Benth. & Hook.f., Gen. Pl. 3: 683. 14 Apr 1883 (Eusisyrinchieae). - T.: Sisyrinchium L. (1753) - Iridaceae = Pax in Engl. & Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. II, 5: 144. Sep 1887.
  63. Spermacocinae DC., Prodr. 4: 343, 540. late Sep 1830 (Euspermacoceae). - T.: Spermacoce L. (1753) - Rubiaceae
  64. Stevieae Horan., Char. Ess. Fam.: 93. 1847 (Steviariae s Eupatoriaceae). - T.: Stevia Cav. (1797) - Asteraceae
  65. Strychneae Endl., Gen. Pl.: 575. Aug 1838 (Eustrychneae). - T.: Strychnos L. (1753) - Strychnaceae
  66. Tanacetinae Schultz-Bip. ex Willk. in Willk. & Lange, Prodr. Fl. Hispan. 2: 94. 1870 (Eutanaceteae). - T.: Tanacetum L. (1753) - Asteraceae
  67. Toddaliinae Engl. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 12(2): 83. 1 Sep 1874 (Eutoddalieae). - T.: Toddalia Juss. (1789) - Rutaceae
  68. Zanthoxylinae Engl. in Mart., Fl. Bras. 12(2): 81, 151. 1 Sep 1874 (Euzanthoxyleae). - T.: Zanthoxylum L. (1753) - Rutaceae


Posted: 9 May 1999

Maintained by James L. Reveal
Norton-Brown Herbarium (MARY)
E-mail: jr19@umail.umd.edu