NAMES OF PLANTS. 89 



under a newly distinguislied genus. Of this we have many 

 instances : thus Yellow-rattle was formerly called Crista- 

 galli, but Linneus requiring a generic name for this and 

 other si^ecies, and rejecting Crista-galli as unfit for his 

 purpose (see Canon 8, p. 64) called the genus Rhinanthus, 

 and this particular species Crista-galli. The same is the 

 case with Achillea Millefolium, Aconitum Napellus, Adian- 

 tum Capillus-Veneris, Eanunculus Flammula, Spiraea Ul- 

 maria, Teucrium Botrys, (fee. 



In all these cases the second name is an old substantive 

 name. It is commemorative, and not adjectival; we have 

 two substantive names together, and in order to preserve 

 the old name the more distinctly it is spelt with a capital 

 letter, and retains its original termination irrespective of the 

 other name with which it is joined; thus we say Galium 

 Cruciata, Anthriscus Cerefolium, Polygonum Bistorta, &c., 

 in which the terminations do not agree as to gender. All 

 these names are included in my first list, or that of sub- 

 stantive names. 



Trivial names taken from the names of people (as 

 explained p. 73) are spelt with a capital letter, while those 

 derived from the names of continents, countries, or places, 

 are generally spelt with a small letter, though by some with 

 a capital. According to English usage we might think it 

 the more correct plan to spell such like names with a capital 

 letter, but as affecting the clearness of botanical nomencla- 

 ture the small letter is preferable, and it was always used by 

 Linneus. A capital letter to a trivial name loses something 

 of its significance if it is applied in too many ways. In 

 most cases when a plant is specified by the name of its 

 habitat, this is expressed in the form of an adjective, as 

 Euphorbia portlandica (Linneus), Portland Spurge ; but 

 sometimes the same object is attained by using a substantive 

 in the possessive case, as Saccharum Teneriffse (Willdenow), 



