﻿14 The Neiv York State College of Forestry 



(plural-genera) which is always capitalized, a species name 

 (plural-species) which is rarely capitalized, and the abbreviation 

 cf the name of the man who is given credit for its original 

 description. The common Sugar Maple is Acer sacchrum Marsh, 

 while Acer ruhruni L. signifies Red Maple. In general practice 

 it is customary to omit the abbreviation of the author's name. 

 The proper use of scientific names* may be well illustrated with 

 the oaks. The various oaks all are assigned to the genus Quercus; 

 in other words, they are different species of this getius. In the 

 United States alone we have some eighty species which are de- 

 signed by different scientific names as Quercus rubra, Red Oak; 

 Quercus coccinea, Scarlet Oak ; Quercus phellos, Willow Oak, 

 etc., (ach with the abbreviation of the author's name after the 

 species name. 



Generic and specific limits are more of a conception than a 

 definite thing. Man aims at a natural classification, that is, one 

 which indicates natural relationships, but the boundaries thus 

 laid down may not be of those of nature. Plants which resemble 

 each other as closely as the offspring of common parents are gen- 

 erally conceded to belong to the same species. A genus may 

 contain but one species as in the case of Ginkgo hiloba L., the 

 Maidenhair Tree, or a hundred or more as in the case of Salix 

 ("Willow) where some one hundred and seventy species are 

 recognized. The actual number of species assigned to a genus 

 depends largely on whether the systematist is radical or conser- 

 vative in his ideas. Unfortunately botanists often differ widely 

 in their conception of plant relationships, especially as to 

 specific limits. 



In some cases the differences between plants are so slight as to 

 render their separation into different species unjustifiable. It 

 may be a difference in stature or in size and shape of the leaves 

 or fruit which a different environment has occasioned. For 

 example, the White or Canoe Birch of New York and southern 

 Canada differs from the European White Birch in its greater size 

 and larger leaves. In its other characters it approximates the 

 European species very closely and conservative systematists con- 



* For the derivation of the scientific and common names used in this text, the 

 reader is referred to the g:lossar.v on page 375. They may be derived from any of 

 the follovrinar sources : (a) An ancient common name (Latin, Qiterciis) or aborigrnal 

 name (Indian, Pon-cohiccora-Hlcoyia) : (b) the name of the geographical locality 

 (continent, Prunus nmericnna ; Qonutvy. Tsuga canadensis ; atate, Quercus marUan- 

 dica ; city, Picea sitc.hensis ; river, Celtis mississippiensis. etc. "I, from which the 

 plant originall.v came: (c) habitat (Latin, mons — mountain and colere — to dwell, 

 Pinus monticola) ; (d) the name of the discoverer or some person associated with 

 the discovery, or in honor of some person (Maclufa — Wm. Maclure. an early 

 American geologist; (e) some peculiar feature of the plant (Latin, nUira — black, 

 <alix nigra). 



