NOMENCLATURAL NOTES ON DRYOPTERIS ADANS.

SummaryThe publication in October, 1873, of Polystichum pyrenaicum Miegeville in an obscure journal [Revue catholique du diocese de Tarbes No 41: 764] predates the binomial Dryopteris oreades Fomin proposed for the taxon previously known as Dryopteris abbreviata (DC.) Newm. (Fraser‐Jenkins & Jermy, 1976). However Miegeville states that he uses Polystichum pyrenaicum as a “nom provisoire”, and after examination of his earlier papers which explain what he meant by this term, we conclude that Miegeville, was not prepared to draw any conclusion regarding the rank of his “species” and did not thereby accept his own nomenclature. Thus Miegeville's names, being not accepted at species rank by the author, are not valid according to Article 34, provision 1, of the ***ICBN (Stafleu et al., 1972) and the name Dryopteris oreades still stands.