Andropogon caricosus Linnaeus, Species Plantarum, ed. 2, 2: 1480. 1763. "Habitat in India." RCN: 7543. Type not designated. Original material: [icon] in Rumphius, Herb. Amboin. 6: 17, t. 7, f. 2 A. 1750. Current name: Dichanthium caricosum (L.) A. Camus (Poaceae). Note: Specific epithet spelled “caricosum” in the protologue. The description in the protologue refers to a taxon quite different from the only extant original material, the cited Rumphius plate. The latter has been identified as Imperata cylindrica (L.) P. Beauv. (by Merrill, Interpret. Rumph. Herb. Amb. 85. 1917), or possibly a species of Pennisetum or Setaria. Munro (in J. Proc. Linn. Soc., Bot. 6: 53. 1862) equated the description with Andropogon serratus Retz. Some authors (e.g. Judziewicz in Fl. Guianas, ser. A, 8: 168. 1990) have treated unseen Burman material as the probable type. However, even if traced, this seems unlikely to be original material for the name and it appears that a conservation proposal may be necessary.

Published as part of Jarvis, Charlie, 2007, Chapter 7: Linnaean Plant Names and their Types (part A), pp. 252-342 in Order out of Chaos. Linnaean Plant Types and their Types, London :Linnaean Society of London in association with the Natural History Museum on page 290, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.291971