INTKODUCTION. 17 



at a loss for names, as Linneus was when he 

 framed Quisqualis ; I could readily supply 20- 

 000, all good: and Adanson table of Synonyms 

 is an unfailing mine of old Classical names. As 

 I have not yet heard of a Genus dedicated to 

 me, I shall perhaps have to imitate Roxburg, and 

 choose one for myself, as a Rafinesquia ! 



Altho' Linneus gave strict rules of nomencla- 

 ture, he has broken them himself in 100 in- 

 stances. He would have no generic names de- 

 rived from each other, nor made up by adding 

 or substracting a letter or a syllable : and yet he 

 has Ambrosia, Amhroslnia — Pijrus, Pyrola 

 — ^ea, Zeus — Thea, Itea, Althea — Aster, As- 

 terias — Apis, Apium, Sinapis — Capra, Ca- 

 praria — Liniim, Talimim, Selintim — Pinus, 

 Carpinus, Lupinus — Delphinus, Delphinium 

 — Canna, Cannabis, Canarina, Canariumt 

 Melia, Bumelia, Bromelia. ^c. — The natural 

 Botanists disregarding still more his tasteful 

 principles, have added a crowd of similar bad 

 names, Portulaca-ria, Oryz-opsis, Aquila-ria, 

 Actinella &c. HeliantJiemum identic with He' 

 lianthus, which is my Anthelis — Qalamag- 

 rostis ! my Amagris, which have encumbered 

 nomenclature. It appears that by the increase 

 of names, Botanists begin to bo at a loss for 

 them, or cannot seek for good derivations. 



Linneus objected also to names either too 

 short or too long, under 2 or above 4 syllables ; 

 yet he has Bos, Mas, Sus, Boa, Poa, Thea, 

 Zea, &.C. which I changed for him into Taurus, 

 Musculus, Aper, Theaphyla, Mayzea — He 

 had also Sectiridaca, Aeschynomene, Indigofe' 

 ra &/C. of 5, which may be tolerated; but T«- 

 bernamontana of 6 is intolerable, and must be- 

 come Tabrrnaria — Boa and Poa are both too 



