Correcting misspelled botanical names

[Curtis Clark]

On 2005-06-30 23:26, Pacific Rim wrote:
> What if a botanical name as first published is misspelled? What if
> the misspelling is a typo? Are we allowed to correct the error, or are we
> stuck with it forever?

http://www.bgbm.fu-berlin.de/iapt/nomenclature/code/SaintLouis/0065Ch7OaGoNSec1a60.htm

It's a complex subject, and the examples are well worth reading. My take
is that an intentional "misspelling" cannot be corrected, a typographic
error should be, and that distinguishing between the two, especially for
otherwise poorly documented names, is not always a trivial exercise.
--
Curtis Clark                  http://www.csupomona.edu/~jcclark/
Web Coordinator, Cal Poly Pomona                 +1 909 979 6371
Professor, Biological Sciences                   +1 909 869 4062