NCMENCLATURE : 
—_— 
By general agreement of botanists plants are admitted to 
have only one true name. This name is written in Latin and is com- 
posed of two or sometimes three words. The first, a proper noun 
written with a capital, is the generic name. The second capitalized 
only in certain cases, is usually a modifying adjective which is known 
as the specific name. For example, referring again to the blackberry, 
raspberry and thimbleberry, we find that the first is called Rubus 
macropetalus, the second Rubus idaeus and the third Rubus parviflorus. 
In this case the generic name common to all is Rubus, the specific 
names |respectively being] macropetalus, idaeus,and parviflorus. 
The third, likewise vsually a modifying adjective, is known 
as the varietal or subspecific name. This appears only when it has 
been deemed exvedient from the taxonomic standpoint to recognize units 
smaller than svecies. By variety or subspecies is usually meant a var- 
jant vortion of the species which is morohologically recognizable and 
generally occuoying a geogrenhical range different from that of the 
"syoical". It must be remembered that the "typical" form or subspecies 
is a nomenclatorial concent, derived from rules of nomenclature and is 
not always typical in the sense of being the norm. 
Although a plant name always specifies the genus to which the 
plant belongs, the family is not usually indicated by it. Family names 
usually are formed from the root oi a weli known genus belonging to the 
family in questior to which is usually added -aceae, as in Rosaceae, 
the rase (Rosa ) family. 
