On Pandanus leram and the other botanical binomials of Sir William Jones

Abstract

Six binomials coined by Sir William Jones are discussed, and confirmed as attributable to his authorship; their current status is given—still recognised are Pandanus leram and Valeriana jatamansi (though application of the latter remains unclear); Andropogon jwarancusa is still recognised in the genus Cymbopogon; Kaempferia bhuchampac and Nerium septaparna are illegitimate renamings for K. rotunda and Echites scholaris respectively; Aquilicia samudraca is an earlier name for Leea macrophylla.

A note on <I>Valeriana jatamansi</I> Jones (<I>Caprifoliaceae</I> s.l.)

“…Jones abstracted from Burt's account its 'natural characters' and made a diagnosis 'in the Linnean style' (Mabberley 1977, Noltie 2013). Jones appears to have had no specimen, so that the only 'original material' available for typification is the illustration he reproduced.…”

“…HARRINGTON [= John Herbert Harington (1764/5-1828), a Bengal civil servant and orientalist]', who had interviewed 'Two mercantile agents from Butàn' on the matter. It is therefore unfortunate that Jones chose jatamansi as a specific name for the Valeriana, according to his method of using local names as Linnaean epithets (Noltie 2013). However, such a choice in no way invalidates the binomial, despite earlier practice where botanists often saw fit to remedy such infelicities.…”