GENDER OF NAMES OF VARIETIES. 259 
have to attend to. Another is, that our sense of good form 
revolts at beginning sentences and paragraps without capitals. 
In our books, varieties usually stand in independent para- 
graphs. Even in Latin we do not like to begin a para- 
graph — 
“a indivisum foliis omnibus integerrimis serratisve, non 
aut vix basi auriculatis.” 
In English we can still less abide it. So we prefix “ Var.,” 
and either number our varieties with Greek letters or, prefer- 
entially, leave them out. 
But, we did not suppose that by the employment of the 
word “ var.” we had interfered with the relation of the name 
of the variety to that of its genus. Var. indivisum, in this 
case, we should construe the phrase: “ Varietas cujus nomen 
est indivisum. ‘Var. indivisum’ stands on the same ground 
as ‘species amphibium.’” The latter rank we rarely need to 
express, because we always prefix the generic name or its in- 
itial. The former may often‘ ne in a shape which renders 
the designating prefix “‘ var.” necessary, or at least most con- 
venient. 
We may indeed, quite correctly write, var. albiflora, a white 
flowered variety, var. longifolia, a long-leaved variety ; but 
that is not according to the Linnean pattern nor to the regu- 
lar practice, nor to the strict analogy of the varietal name 
with the specific. 
Moreover, if the gender of the word which designates the 
grade of the name is to govern the gender of the name, at 
least when expressed, as by var., then all subspecies must be 
made feminine. Now this term subspecies is coming largely 
into use. And it has to be expressed in every case, in this 
wise: Ranunculus aquatilis, L. Subsp. heterophyllus. Subsp. 
hederaceus, ete. 
If the proposition which we deprecate is adopted, these 
names would have to be written heterophylla and hederacea 
by an author who ranked them as subspecies but heterophyl- 
lus and hederaceus by one who took them as varieties and 
simply numbered them by Greek letters. Obviously the 
proposition in the ‘“Gardener’s Chronicle” has not been 
thoroughly worked out. 
