402 SYSTEMATIC BOTANY, OB 



tricolor, which has tricoloured flowers, Viola rotundifolia, with 

 rounded leaves, Viola lanceolata, with lanceolate leaves, Viola 

 pedata, with pedately parted leaves, Viola priviulo'foUa, where 

 the leaves are compared to those of a Primrose, Viola asarifolia^ 

 where they are likened to those of Asarvm, Viola pubescens, 

 which is hairy throughout, &c. Frequently the species bears 

 the name of its discoverer or describer, as Viola Muhlenbergii, 

 Viola Nuttalii, &c." Specific names are written after the 

 generic, as indicated above in the different species of the genus 

 Viola ; they are also commonly adjectives, and agree in gender 

 and case with the name of the genus. When a species is named 

 after its discoverer or describer, it is usually placed in the 

 genitive case, as Viola Muhlenbergii, V. Nuttalii, &c. ; but when 

 such names are merely given in honour of botanists who have 

 had notliing to do with their discovery or description, the specific 

 names are usually put in the adjective form, as Carex Hookeriana, 

 Veronica Lindleyana : such a rule is, however, frequently de- 

 parted from. Sometimes the specific name is a noun, in which 

 case it does not necessarily agree with the genus in gender ; 

 such specific names are often old generic ones, as Dictamnus 

 Fraxinella, Rhus Cotinus, Lytlirum Salicaria, Hhus Coriaria, 

 Dianthus Armeria, Asclepias Vincetoxicunx. In such cases the 

 specific name should begin with a capital letter ; a similar rule 

 should also be adopted when it is derived from a person ; 

 but in all other instances the specific name should begin with 

 a small letter. The specific name was called by Linnaus the 

 trivial name; thus, in the particular kind of Violet called Viola 

 palustris, Viola is the generic, and palustris the specific or trivial 

 name. 



Abbreviations and Symbols. — It is usual in botanical 

 works to use certain abbreviations and symbols. A few of the 

 more important can alone be mentioned here. Thus the names 

 of authors, when of more than one syllable, arc commonly ab- 

 breviated by writing the first letter or syllabic, &c., as follows : — 



Z. or Linn, means Linnreus ; Jttss. is the abbreviation for 

 Jussieu ; JJ. C. or De Caiid. for De Candolle ; Br. for Brown ; 

 Lindl. for Lindley ; liich. for Kichard ; Willd. for Willdenow ; 

 Hook, for Hooker ; With, for Withering ; Endl. for Endlicher ; 

 Bab. for Babington ; Berk, for Berkeley, &c., &c. 



It is common to put such abridged names after that of the 

 genus or species which has been described by them respectively. 

 Thus Eriucaulon, L. indicates that the genus Eriocaukm was 

 first dcscril)cd by Linnanis ; Miltonia, Lindl. is the genus Mil- 

 tonia as defined by Lindley ; Nuphar pumila, D. C. is the 

 species of Nuphar defined by De Candolle, &c. &c. 



Other al)breviations in common use arc. Had. for root ; Caul. 

 for stem ; Fl. for flower ; Cal. for calyx ; Cor. for corolla ; 

 f^er. for perianth ; Fr. for fruit ; Ord. for order ; Gen. for 



