'a^\ 



4 Spring Flora of Ohio. 



to only so far generally as is necessary to contrast and identify our 

 species. The constant aim has been to select the most obvious and 

 striking available characters which the beginner can in no case fail 

 to comprehend readily. The names have been divided into syllables 

 and the accented syllables marked, thus making the correct pronun- 

 ciation of the supposed difficult names an easy and simple matter. 



The scientific names of the plants are here given as they have 

 recently been agreed upon by North American botanists. The names 

 used have been determined according to the principle of priority. 

 This principle is, briefly stated, that the oldest, /. e. the first, name 

 given to a species should invariably stand — in no case (unless pre- 

 occupied) be replaced by another name thereafter. 



Thus for instance the generic name HicoRi.\ was given by 

 Rafinesque to the Hickories in 1808. To the same genus Nuttall, 

 in 1818, applied the name Carya, which has since been used in the 

 Manuals in this country. In this case the name Hicoria is to be 

 retained, Carya being cited merely as a synonym. Similarly Nas- 

 turtium is replaced by Roripa ; A^ieinonella by Syndksmon ; Des- 

 modium by Meibomi.\ ; Liatris by Lacinaria, etc. 



The specific names of the plants also have been treated in the 

 same manner, the names retained or restored that properh' belong 

 to them. Thus the Kentucky Coffee-tree is called Gymnocladus 

 Dioicus (L.) Koch, instead of Gymnocladus canadensis Lam.® as 

 heretofore printed in the Manuals. The "L." in parenthesis indi- 

 cates that this specific name was first applied by Linnaeus — though 

 he placed it in the wrong genus (namely Giiilandina't) \ the author 

 whose name (or abbreviation) follows the parenthesis is responsible 

 for its present generic status. Similarh- the name of the Sugar 

 Maple, AcKR saccharum (Marsh.) Britt. replaces Acer saccharinu'>n 

 Wang. ; for our Silver Maple the name Acer s.\cch.\rinum L. 

 replaces Acer dasycarptnn Ehrh.; S.\SSAfras sassafr.\s (L.) Karst. 

 replaces Sassafras officinale Nees; Castanea dentata (Marsh) 

 Sudw. replaces Castanea sativa var. americana Wats. & Coult., etc. 



The corrected names for all the plants growing in the North- 

 eastern United States can be seen in the " Li.st of the Pteridophyta 

 and Spermatophyta " edited by a committee of the Botanical Club 

 (Amer. Asso. Adv. Sci.) and published by the Torrev Botanical 

 Club, Columbia College, New York City. This List has been fol- 

 lowed in the printing of the names in this work. 



* 178:5. tl">-!- 



