Agrostis capillaris L., 1753

Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part A), Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London: Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum, pp. 252-342 : 271

Agrostis pumila Linnaeus , Systema Naturae, ed. 12, 2: 91; Mantissa Plantarum: 31. 1767.

"Habitat in Suecia, Islandia, Helvetia." RCN: 543.

Lectotype (Philipson in J. Bot. 73: 71. 1935): Herb. Linn. No. 84.28 ( LINN) .

Current name: Agrostis capillaris L. ( Poaceae ).

Note: Philipson (in J. Bot. 73: 70. 1935) identified 84.28 (LINN) as a specimen of A. tenuis Sibth. infected with the fungus Tilletia decipiens (Pers.) Körn. and concluded (l.c.: 72) that the name could not be retained since it was based on a diseased type. Widén (in Fl. Fennica 5: 71. 1971) followed Philipson in rejecting the name as invalid (under Art. 71, dealing with monstrosities) but attributed the infection to T. sphaerococca A.A. Fisch. Waldh. Art. 71 was deleted by the Leningrad Congress in 1975, resulting in A. pumila becoming valid. However, its type (and A. tenuis ) is now recognised by many authors (e.g. Romero García & al. in Ruizia 7: 105. 1988; Edgar & Forde in New Zealand J. Bot. 29: 154. 1991) as a specimen of the variable A. capillaris L. (1753) , into the synonymy of which A. pumila therefore falls.