92 



Excellency the Governor, -which is located almost in the centre of the 

 Eoyal Botanic Gardens. 



From measurements recently taken, it has been ascertained that 

 this tree is 63 feet in height, the spread of its branches is nearly 70 

 feet, and the circumference of the stem at 3 feet above the ground is 

 12 feet. The tree is evidently very old, but is still in vigorous health, 

 and flowers regularly every year during June and July, the bloom 

 lasting for about six weeks. Many trials have been made in Trinidad 

 to raise seedlings from this and other trees of the same species, but so 

 far without success. Yet, seed sent from the East Indies and also 

 from the neighbouring island of Grenada produces plants freely. This 

 is a curious fact, but one which is deserving of full enquiry, as it 

 belongs to that class of problems which, once solved, lead the way to 

 further knowledge. It may arise from causes referred to under 

 No. 148. 



154.— LOCAL PLANT NAMES. 



A LOCAL newspaper writer quoting from Butler's "Hudibras" 

 refers to plant names in the following terms : — 



A Babylonish dialect 



Which learned pedants much effect. 



It was a parti-coloured dress. 



Of patched and piebald languages ; 



'Twas English cut on Greek and Latin, 



Like fustian heretofore on satin. 



The writer goes on to say : — " It is no doubt necessary to use a 

 " language of this kind for the purposes of classification, but we think 

 " that the interest in plants would be considerably increased if 

 '•' wherever possible the familiar names were printed alongside of their 

 " resonant and rather alarming botanical titles." 



To such writers we say, as we have said many times before, that 

 the request is a very common, and to the uninitiated, apparently a 

 very reasonable one, but it is nevertheless one which it is impossible 

 to comply with in the majority of instances. It is proper, however, 

 that the reasons should be given why, what are called /a wii'Z/ar names, 

 should not be adopted in answer to the writer above mentioned. 



If Linnaius the great Swedish botanist over a hundred years 

 ago adopted bi-nominal terms for plants because he found others 

 were insufficient and inaccurate, and because such a class of names 

 could not he found in sufficient numbers for the plants then known ; 

 how much more must such nomenclature be needed at the present day, 

 when the number of plants has increased more than a hundredfold 

 above Linnoeus' register ? The answer cannot be doubtful. But I 



