Lachnagrostis willdenowii Nees (Poaceae) - the name that never was

Examination of the presumed type material for Lachnagrostis willdenowii Nees.nom.illeg.raised taxonomic and nomenclatural questions concerning the difference between this taxon, treated as a synonym of Agrostis venusta Trin.by Hooker (1860) and Vickery (1941), and L willdenowii Trin., nom.illeg., nom.superfl., treated as a synonym of A. avenacea J.F.Gmel.by Vickery (1941).Methods Scans of the relevant taxonomic publications and herbarium collections from CGE, K and MEL were examined.Hooker (1860) recorded Lachnagrostis willdenowii Nees nom.illeg.non Trin.as a synonym of Agrostis venusta Trin., but L willdenowii Nees is not considered to have been published as it is shown that Nees von Esenbeck (1843) was not raising a new name but referring to L. willdenowiilm.nom.illeg., nom.supfl.