Kew Plants of the World Online [POWO] have recently decided that White Spruce - universally known as Picea glauca for the last century - should actually be called Picea laxa. The reasoning behind this is a change in the view of an early publication, Münchhausen's 1770 Der Hausvater. In this (vol. 5 p. 225), White Spruce is described as P.[inus] Abies laxa. In the past, this has universally been considered as meaning Pinus abies var. laxa, with the name laxa thus published at varietal rank, not species. Kew have now concluded that Münchhausen's intention was to say Pinus [subgenus Abies] laxa, with laxa being at species rank, not variety. This therefore then takes precedence over Moench's Pinus glauca, published in 1785 as the earliest valid name at species rank. Until this, Münchhausen's name was not thought valid at species rank until Erhardt raised it from variety to species in 1788, 3 years later than Moench. [to be continued...]
Members of the team there have been coming up with a quantity of similar determinations for various taxa; in addition to associated details that I wonder about myself experts I know personally have remarked on the problematic nature of what they are doing with particular subjects or subject areas - as in conifers - when I have asked. So, it appears that instead of establishing a resource that is the last word - perhaps a pipe dream when the advancement of scientific knowledge is the arena - POWO is just another place where individual interpretations are being aired. Like when a taxonomic monograph or paper is published.
This was what I was coming on to say (had to stop mid-post before, being side-tracked by home duties!): the obvious solution is to make Picea glauca a nom. cons. While modesty is good, I'd think Daniel's opinion is important here, as a senior botanist in the species' main country of distribution. Would you be able to co-ordinate a nom. cons. proposal with other Canadian botanical and forestry authorities? I'd suspect other interested parties are currently in blissful ignorance of this potential name change for a species of major economic importance in Canada.
