216 BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY. 



have a sufficient knowledge of the language to rest assured of 

 the possibility of substituting English, or at least English-sounding 

 words, for the modern botanical terms, and in many cases I find that 

 such terms really do exist, but are sparsely used. 



Convinced as I am that a reform of the more unintelligible 

 terms would serve the purpose of facilitating and popularising the 

 study of Botany more than anything else, I venture to propose that 

 the Botanical Committee of this Society be requested to revise the 

 existing terminology and to substitute English and intelligible terms 

 for the more unintelligible ones. 



In order, however, to show that my project need not meet with 

 serious obstacles, I shall take a few examples of commonly used 

 terms and suggest English substitutes for them. 



The Natural arrangement of plants consists of two large divisions — 

 Phanerogams, or " Flower-plants." 

 Crytogamous plants, or " Spore-plants." 

 " Flower-plants " are again divided into — 



Dicotyledons, or " Two-seed-leaved." 

 Monocotyledons, or " One-seed leaved." 

 The " Two-seed-leaved" in — 



Angiosperms, or " Seed-vessel-plants." 

 Gynosperms, or iC Naked-seeded plants." 

 The " Two-seed-leaved" are sub-divided into — ■ 



(a) Polypetalae, Eleutheropetahe, or t{ Free-crown leaved/' 

 with the groups — 



Thalainiflorae, " Top-flowered." 



Discifloree Ci Disc-flowered." 



CalyciflorEe i( Cup-flowered." 



(b) Gamopetake, " Entire crowned." 



(c) Apetake, " Crownless." 



These groups are again divided into Natural orders, too numerous 

 to enumerate here, the Latin names of which in many cases might 

 advantageously be substituted by existing or new English ones, as— 

 Eanunculaceae by the " Crowfoot order." 

 Menispermaceae „ " Moonseed order." 

 Anonaceee „ " Custard apple order." 



Crucifer® „ " Cross-flowered." 



Malvaceae „ " Hollyhock order." 



Sterculiacese „ " Flame-tree order." 

 Tiliaceee „ " Lindenbloom order." 



