180 BOTANICAL NAMES AND CHARACTERS. [LESSON 29. 



nunculus Pitrshii, p. 7, named for the botanist Pursh ; and Pulsa- 

 tilla Nuttalliana, p. 4, named in compliment to Mr. Nuttall. Such 

 names of persons are of course written with a capital initial letter. 

 Occasionally some old substantive name is used for the species ; as 

 Magnolia Umbrella, p. 16, and Ranunculus Flammula, p. 8. These 

 are also written with a capital initial, and need not accord with the 

 generic name in gender, &c. 



517. The name of a variety, when it is distinct enough to require 

 any, is made on the same plan as that of the species, and is written 

 after it; as, Ranunculus Flammula, variety reptans, p. 8 (i. e. the 

 creeping variety), and R. abortivus, variety micranthus, p. 9, or 

 the small-flowered variety of this species. 



518. Names Of Groups, The names of tribes, orders, and the like, 

 are in the plural number, and are commonly formed by prolonging 

 the name of a genus of the group taken as a representative of it. 

 For example, the order of which the Buttercup or Crowfoot genus, 

 Ranunculus, is the representative, takes from it the name of Ranun- 

 culacece (Manual, p. 2) ; meaning Plantce Ranunculacece when writ- 

 ten out in full, that is, Ranunculaceous Plants. This order comprises 

 several tribes ; one of which, to which Ranunculus itself belongs, 

 takes the name of Ranunculece ; another, to which the genus Clem- 

 atis, or the Virgin's-Bovver, belongs, takes accordingly the name of 

 Clematidece ; and so on. So the term Rosacece (meaning Rosaceous 

 plants) is the name of the order of which the Rose (Rosa) is the 

 well-known representative ; and Rosece is the name of the particular 

 tribe of it which comprises the Rose. 



519. A few orders are named on a somewhat different plan. The 

 great order Leguminosce, for instance (Manual, p. 88), is not named 

 after any genus in it; but the fruit, which is a legume (356), gives 

 the name of Leguminous Plants. So, likewise, the order Umbelliferce 

 (Manual, p. 148) means Umbelliferous or Umbel-bearing Plants; 

 arid the vast order Compositce (Manual, p. 177) is so named be- 

 cause it consists of plants whose blossoms are crowded into heads 

 of the sort which were called " compound flowers " by the old 

 botanists (277). 



520. Characters, The brief description, or enumeration in scien- 

 tific terms of the principal distinctive marks of a species, genus, 

 order, or other group, as given in botanical works, is called its 

 Character. Thus, in the Manual, already referred to, on the first 

 page, the character of the first great series is given ; then that of 



