THE PLANT WORLD 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL OF POPULAR BOTANY. 



F. H. KNOWLTON, Ph. D., Editor, U. S. National Museum, Washington, D. C. 



ARTICLES AND NOTES ON ANY SUBJECT OF INTEREST TO PLANT-LOVERS ARE SOLICITED, AND SHOULD 



BE ADDRESSED TO THE EDITOR. 



Sofascription Price, $1.00 per annum. t^ Advertising Rates upon Application. 



WILLARD N. CLUTE & CO., Publishers, - - BINGHAMTON, N. Y. 



The question is often asked as to why it should be necessary to 

 give long, and seemingly unpronounceable and unmeaning Latin 

 names to all plants and animals. To the trained naturalist this ques- 

 tion is of course a very simple one, but to the beginner in science it 

 is often formidable, not to say forbidding. Why, for example, should it 

 be necessary to use Platanus occidentalis when we mean the common 

 sycamore, or Amelanchier Canadensis when referring to the shad- 

 bush ? If English were a universal language, and the names syca- 

 more and shad-bush were the only ones ever applied to these particu- 

 lar plants, it would be sufficient; but when it is remembered that 

 English is only one of the great groups of languages, it is easy to see 

 that the French, German or Russian student could just as logically 

 demand that these plants be given and be known only by French, 

 German or Russian names. The use of common names is further 

 complicated by the fact that a plant is often known by different names 

 in various parts of the world. Thus the name sycamore is applied in 

 this country to at least four distinct species of Platanus, which, in addi- 

 tion, are known as button-woods, button-ball trees and water-beeches. 

 The shad-bush is also called June-berry, service-tree, service-berry 

 and May-cherry in various parts of the country. 



On the other hand Latin is the universal language of science, and 

 when Platanus occidentalis or Amelanchier Canadensis is employed, 

 the botanist, whether he be English, French, German, Russian or 

 other nationality, knows precisely what is meant. Any plant may 

 have, indeed often does, if it has a wide distribution, almost as many 

 common names as there are nationalities, but it has only one Latin 

 name. It is, therefore, not only a matter of convenience, but a mat- 

 ter of necessity, to give Latin names to our plants and animals, and 

 without it there would be only hopeless confusion. 



Notwithstanding the popular prejudice against scientific names, 

 a great many are in daily use without, perhaps, the users knowing 



