f i i ’
and asiaticns may justify our naming the third species of that genus, lately brought
irom America, amcrieàiius. The use of a plant is often commodioiisly expressed in its
speciiic name, as Frássica olerácea, Papàver somiiíferam, Inocárpus edùlis ; so is likewise
Its time of flowering, as Primula vèris, Xeucòjum vónmm, æstivum, and autumiiàle
ami Eranthis hyemahs. Sometimes the specific names arc generic names used
. adjcctircly, to signify the change that has taken place in removing the species from the
genus, of which the adjective was the name ; as, for example, Verónica Chamoe'diTS
mdicatcs that Chamoe'drys was fonnerly the generic name of that species of Veronica
Coimncmorative names are also used as specific names, sometimes in the genitive case
as KerbenaDniminondi, indicating that the plant was discovered or originated by Mr’
Drummond ; or with the addition of ana, as Fcrbèna Twccdieana, indicating that
plant was named in honour of Mr. Twccdic.
992. When a plant has been erroneously made a distinct genus, the name so applied to it
may be retained fo r a specific appellation, as Zathræ'a Phelypæ'a, and Bárts/a Gymnáu-
dra and this may also be done when a plant has been celebrated, cither in botanical
medical, or any other histoiy, by a particular name, as Origanum Pictámnus, 4itcmis/a
Fracuiiculus, Zaurus Cinnamomura, »Selinum Oanifolia, Càrica Papaya. In cither
ease the specific name stands as a substantive, retaining its own gender and tciiniuation
and must begin with a capital letter. ’
993. A specific name is occasionally adapted to some historical fa c t belmqinq to the
ptmu, or to tlie person whose name it bears, as Linnæ'a borealis, from the great botanist
ot the north ; Mun-aya exotica, after one of his favourite pupils, a foreigner : Browáll/a
dcmissa and clàta, fi-om a botanist of humble origin and character, who aftenvards
became a lofty bishop. These, however, may be considered as the conceits of the
botanists of the last century, and are certainly not only in veiy bad taste, but positively
injurious, as giving false ideas of the plants distinguished by them.
994 Names sanctioned hy general use are fo r the most p a rt held sacred among botanists.
ih e study of natural history is, from the multitude of objects with which it is conversant,
necessarily so encumbered with names, that students require every possible
assistance to facilitate the attainment of those names, and have a just ri^-ht to complain
of every needless impediment. The names established throughout the works of
Enmoeiis are become cuiTcnt coin ; and cannot be altered without great inconvenience
Tliose who alter names, often for the worse, according to arbitrary' rales of their own’
or in order to aim at consequence, which they cannot othemise attain, are best treated
witb silent neglect, m e n , however, solid discoveries and improvements arc made
m the science— when species or genera have been confounded by Linnæus himself
and new ones require to be separated from them, the latter must necessarily receive
appropriate appellations; as also when a totally wrong and absurd name has by mistake
been given, as Begònia capensis. In such cases names must give place to things
i/o« ch proceeding from such causes must be submitted to. (Smith's Introduc-
SuBSECT. 4 . Names o f Varieties and Subvarieties.
995. The names which botanists give to varieties are o f the simplest description-, they
always convey an idea of the variation which has taken place, and are used in addition
to the specific name. Thus we have Cáltha palùstris, the species, and CaJtha iialùstris
noie pleno, the double-flowered caltha, &c. As a scries of species arc commonly num-
liercd 1, 2 3, &c., so the varieties of a species are generally, for distinction sake, designated
by the letters of the Greek alphabet, th u s : Prùssica olerácea, the species- a
^apitati^ the first variety ; rùbra, the second variety ; 7 . sabaúda ; 5. sabéllica, ’&c.
Generally, however, the species, or first state of the plant, is considered to be represented
by a, and the first variety by )3. ^
996. Subvarieties of plants are accidental modifications of varieties of a veiy tcm-
poraiy and fluctuating nature. They are generally produced by culture, and arc more
especially known 111 gai-den-fraits, culinaiy vegetables, and what are called florists’
flowers. The differences among subvarieties are generally so slight, or so difficult to
define, as not to admit of tlie application of scientific names. Botanists therefore pay
no attention to them ; but gardeners, to whom they are of considerable importance,’have
found It necessary in some way or other to disting-uish them ; and the names they give
them are occasionally useful as being indicative of their properties ; but they are
frequently fanciful, and sometimes absurd. Iu general the names of culinary veo-ctablcs
and fruits bear the name of the person who raised them, with the place where tliey wci-c
raised with or without the addition of some adjective expressing thcir properties, as
Forest s Large Upsal Cabbage, Reid’s New Golden Pippin, &c. Tlie names applied to
varieties of gooseben-ies, florists’ flowers, and roses, arc for the most part given in honour
of individuáis; sometimes they indicate a quality, as Brown’s Scai-let Verbena ; and
sometimes they imply a superiority, or a challenge, as the Top-Sawyer goosebcny, or
Coxs Defiance Dahlia. The Dutch give their florists’ flowers many high-sounding
titles, which appear at first sight ridiculous ; but in ghdng them they intend at once to
compliment their patrons, and to describe something of the nature o fth e flower thus —
the letters W., Y,, 0 ., E., C., P., V., B., &c., when capitals, are understood ’to mean
wliito, yoUow orange, red, crimson, pitiple, violet, and blue ; and hence, when a flower
IS named Wii iam the Conqueror, or Wonder of Constantinople, its colours are underb
i d and L d s L ft'™“ " * crimson aud piiiqile ; British Rover,
997 Names o f hybrids w e composed of the specific names of both parents - thus
Passiflora cairulco-racemosa, is apphcd to a hybrid passion-flower raised from the seed of
1 . laccmosa, fertihscd by the poUcn of P. cairiilca. As, however, it has been fomid that
some hybrids are not only capable of reproducing themselves by seeds, but of cross
impregnating with other hybrids through a second, and perhaps through several series
this mode of designating the genealogy of a hybrid becomes in such cases hnprac-!
ticaWo ; and, to prevent mconvenieiice, practical botanists have latterly usiially named
h yhrits after their onginators or the places at wiflch they were originated; thus
1 otentilla Eusselhm«, I otcntifla Mackayimu, Potentina Hopwoochona, Calceolària
youngii, Aiipiiius Marshalhaaas, were named from the persons who raised them • and
Jihododcmd'on alta-clerense was so called, because it was raised at Lord Caei-nai-vou’s,
fl L t e 1 ft? I “ f f f t ? ? f t ? that the plant IS of hybrid origi n«, "afst ™C&?i iofttphpc“raf t'*b ifrons : the terms hi-brida, ambti™gu®a
intermedia, &c,, are of this last kind.
ClIAP. II.
Phytography, or the Description o f Plants.
998. P h n ts are described by the nse o f language alone, or, by the use o f lanquaqe and
figures, or models, or dried p h n ts conjoined. The object of description is to enabio any
person to recognise a known species after its station has been discovered in a classiflca-
tio ii; and also to put thoso who have never seen the plant to be described, in possession
ot the facts necessary to acquire a just notion of its striictiire and affinities. (Lindt Introd
3d cd p. 432.) We constantly find travellers, and others, attempting to describe a plant
m vulgiu-language ; “ but their accounts are often so vague, that no distinct idea can be
tom cd ot tho subject of their descriptions, wliich remains an enigma, until some botanist
tollowing thoir steps, shall happen to be able to put its characters into sciontiiic laii-
guage.” (Ibid.)
999. The diagnoses, or generic and specific characters o f plants are the means used by
botanists for distinguishing them from each other. These chai-acters ai-e of two
sorts : the one IS called essential, and is most commonly employed for orders and genera.;
the other is called differential, ancl is chiefly used in discriminating species. TJic dif-
terciitial character conveys information respecting the differences between one tliino- and
another and tho essential chai-actcr expresses those pccuharities which arc knonm¥o be
essential. “ In constructing essential and differential characters in Latin it is customary
to use the nominative case for genera and orders, and the ablative for species ; but in
ilfiiglisii the nominative only is employed in both cases.” (Ibid. p. 439.)
1000. Collections o f botanical descriptions may be of diftci-ent sorts as
I. Monographs, or descriptions of one genus, tribe, or class, as Lifdlev’s Monoqraphia
Rosaruna 2 F h rm , or an enumeratiou of the plants of any one district or countiT,
as hw ith s Flora Britannica. 3. Gardens, or on omimeration, descriptive or nominal
of the plants cultivated in any ono garden, as Alton’s Hortus Keu-ensis. 4. Generd
wcmhs in which all known plauts are described, as De Candolle’s Systema Naturale
Willdenow s Species Plantarum, and Pcrsoon’s Synopsis Plantarum
A ll these classes o f books may be with or without plates or figures; and these a-o-ain
may be of part or of tlic whole plant, and coloured or plain, &c. ’ » »
_ 1001. Herbaria. Some botanists havo substituted dried specimens for firares which
IS appreved of in cases of difficult tribes or g en e ra ; as in the grasses, fcras, ntosscs, fungi,
and other lower orders of plants, &c. A collection of plants of this kind is c/llcd a
Hortus Siccus, or di-y garden.
1002. Collections o f abridged descriptions o f p h n ts in what are called gardens (Horti)
or catabgues, form perhaps tlic most useful kind of botanical books for the practical
gardener. The most complete of these hitJicrto publislicd is our Hortus Britannicus
from Its more extensive use of abbreviated tcnns than anv otlicr work of the kind and '
from the use of numerous pictorial signs. A single line of this catalogue expands’ into
a Jcnig paragraph of ideas m the niind of the botanist or gardener ; an"d the work rai<flit
easily be rendered a Species Plantarum, by introducing short specific characters in sino-le