Quercus muehlenbergii

Name often spelled 'muhlenbergii' in older works; correct spelling is now considered to be 'muehlenbergii' under rules for transliterating umlauts in International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (Berlin). According to Little (Checklist, 1979), original publication of name by Engelmann used a 'u' with an umlaut, which is now transliterated to 'ue' under ICBN. However, Dan Nicolson in e-mail correspondence with Alan Weakley (Oct 2000), citing TL-2, notes that Gotthilf Henry Ernest Muhlenberg (1753-1815) was born in America (although educated in Germany), and used an anglicized spelling, Muhlenberg, adopted by his father, and signed letters without an umlaut. Nevertheless, the form used in the original publication of the name may be uncorrectable in this regard, since the author's intention of a Germanic spelling was clear. (Furthermore, the International Code of Botanical Nomenclature, St. Louis ed. (2000), uses the spelling 'muehlenbergii' in mention of this species in an example (Art. H.10.3, example 5)). Larry Morse, 23Oct00, rev. 14Nov00 & 17Oct01.