8 
Having thus, after a protracted and patient exam- 
ination, arrived at what I consider the rights of the 
case, I can no longer hesitate in adopting the Lin- 
nean name of his “vere gloriosus flos," as the only 
one, adjective though it be, having the slightest claim 
to be retained on the records of Botany. 
Having the subject of names and naming of plants 
in hand, I think I may as well go a step further and 
advert, but very briefly, to the unhappy state of the 
Indian Flora in having its nomenclature so overwhelm- 
ed with undefined names. Turn where we will we are 
sure to meet with them. This great evil I have 
endeavoured in the course of this work to lessen by 
never in a single instance, knowingly, superseding 
an undefined name.so long as I had the means of 
ascertaining correctly the plant to which it belonged. 
In all such cases I have felt anxious to fix by defini- 
tion these floating names, for until defined they are 
no better. 
Having been thus careful to avoid any departure 
from the courtesies of the science, I trust that those 
who use this book may always bear in mind that 
“two things are necessary before a Botanical name 
can acquire authority, viz., definition and publica- 
tion," and not ineautiously add to the existing almost 
insurmountable difficulties of unravelling our exceed- 
ingly perplexed synonyme by substituting, on the 
ground of priority, undefined names for defined ones. 
This I ask not for my own sake, but for that of my 
successors who become the sufferers. 
This request applies alike to all undefined names 
wherever they oeeur, whether in Wallich's list or 
Wight's Catalogue; in Royle's or Wight's Illustrations, 
and Spieilegium, books which unavoidably abound 
in names, many of them undefined. Also to the lists 
now publishing in Germany, edited by Hohenacker 
which, I have reason to think, give new names to 
several plants, previously published in this work, and 
doubtless to many of those published in this and the 
preceding volume: in a word to all undefined names. 
In a work of this magnitude, and produced under 
circumstances so unfavourable to accuracy, by my 
being cut off from all intercourse with Botanists 
or books and named plants beyond what my own 
rather limited library and herbarium provided; many 
errors must unavoidably have crept in: for such I 
ask no mercy, but I do, and ever shall, protest against 
my definitions being transferred to the undefined 
names of others beeause their names happened to exist 
in a catalogue or printed book before my defined 
ones were published. 
'The naturalist prizes the honor of naming the sub- 
jects he has studied and is about to add to the Cata- 
logues of Natural History—it is usually his only re- 
ward for his pains-taking labour—and, as the laborer 
is worthy of his hire, that eredit ought not on any ac- 
count, to be wrested from him, and still less when to 
be conferred, perhaps, on a person utterly incompe- 
tent either to examine or define, or what is about as 
bad, on one too idle or indifferent to do so for himself. 
One other subject remains to be very briefly ad- 
verted to. Universal praetice, among the British 
residents of India, has fixed the orthography of the 
- name of the neighbouring range of mountains which 
is now always written Neilgherry. In conformity 
with this spelling I, in latinizing the word for the 
formation of speeific names of'plants, have merely 
altered the termination, writing it Neilgherrensis. 
The writers, however, of the German catalogues, 
above alluded to, apparently thinking themselves 
better acquainted than we are, with the pronuncia- 
tion and orthography of English words, take upon 
themselves to correct us, and therefore write the 
word Nilagiry and Nilagiricus, and have even, in at 
least one instance, altered our orthography to make 
it suit their conceptions of what is right. Against 
this presumptuous liberty, I here enter my most un- 
qualified protest. We make no attempts to soften 
or amend the orthography of their, to us, harsh and 
often almost unpronounceable language, and neither 
ought they to venture on the task of attempting to 
adapt our softer and more flexible tongue to their 
pronounciation. Nor ought we to tolerate such in- 
terference. 
2047. (GLORIOSA SUPERBA (Linn., Methonica, Jus- 
sieu, Endlicher, Meisner, Kunth), leaves cerriferous, 
the inferior ones oblong, the upper ones ovate lanceo- 
late : sepals lanceolate, waved their whole length. 
Coimbatore, Eastern slopes Neilgherries, Courtal- 
lum, &c.,&c. Flowering during the autumnal months. 
I have taken the liberty of removing this genus 
from Liliaceæ, in which it is usually placed, to Uvula- 
rieæ and Melanthaceæ, should these orders be again 
united. My attention was first called to the subject 
by Dr. Stocks of Bombay who had previously 
arrived at the same conclusion. After looking into 
the matter, comparing living specimens with the 
characters of the orders, I felt, and still feel, at a 
loss, how to account for this genus having been so 
long permitted to retain its place among the Lilies, 
especially after the removal of Uvularia, a genus so 
closely allied that nearly the same words characterize 
both, with the exception of the revolute perianth. 
2048. Disrorum LESCHENAULTIANUM (Donn.), 
umbels sessile, 3-5-flowered : sepals ovato-lanceolate, 
acute, gibbous at the base, filaments about twice the 
length of the anthers, dilated at the base: style 3-4 
times the length of the stigmas: leaves ovate, short 
petioled, acuminate. 
Neilgherries, frequent, especially about the outskirts 
of woods, flowering during the rainy season, July and 
August. 
In the accompanying plate I have represented two 
forms, one with drooping the other with erect flowers. 
It did not oecur to me, when the drawings were 
made, to study carefully these forms with the grow- 
ing plants before me, and now I am unable with 
certainty to say whether I have combined 2 species 
or2 varieties. Judging from dried specimens, they 
are varieties only, but possibly in that I may be mis- 
taken. However, here are both forms, and will I 
hope induce future explorers to undertake the solu- 
tion of the question. 
2049. Disporum MYSORENSE (R. W.), umbels 
3-4-flowered, terminal: sepals ovate, cuspidato-acu- 
minate, not gibbous at the base : filaments eurved, not 
dilated at the base, shorter than the sagittate incurv- 
ed cuspidate anthers: style filiform, much longer 
than the short, almost inconspicuous, stigmas : leaves 
sub-sessile, broad, ovate, acuminate. 
Babenbodin Hills, Mysore, Cleghorn. I only know 
this plant from dried specimens, for which I am in- 
debted to the kindness of Dr. Cleghorn. 
G 
( 25 ) 
