355 



" Botanists in every corner of the globe are therefore solicited to 

 furnish contributions, either addressing them to the author,* or 

 making them known by means of the press. It is scarcely necessary 

 to add that every word has to be reduced to the Roman alphabet, and 

 that great care is required in collecting the names. In districts where 

 a provincial dialect prevails the names' must be in accordance with it. 

 For instance, in Northern Germany the ' plattdeutschen Namen ' 

 should be written as they are pronounced. In translating them into 

 'Hochdeutsch' the object of the nomenclature is frustrated; confusion 

 created. 



" The following pages, which can only be looked upon as a mere 

 fragment, contain all the vernacular names of American plants col- 

 lected during my travels ; I have also employed those cited by differ- 

 ent authors. My principal authorities have been the writings of 

 Aublet, Bridges, Cruckshanks, DeCandolle, Gardner, Gillies, Hooker, 

 Humboldt and Bonpland, La Llave and Lexarza, Martins, Miers, 

 Pursh, Ruiz and Pavon, Torrey and Gray, &c. I have also incorpo- 

 rated a list of Mexican names annexed to B. de Sahagun's ' Historia 

 General de las cosas de Nueva Espana,' which, according to the edi- 

 tor of the work, was formed by V. Cervantes, greatly augmented by 

 P. de Llave, and finally published by M. Bustamente, Professor of 

 Botany in the University of Mexico. 



" The nomenclature has been divided into two parts, like a diction- 

 ary, one containing the vernacular-scientific, the other the scientific- 

 vernacular names. The names are arranged in alphabetical order, 

 and spelt either according to the prevailing language of the country 

 in which they are current, or that to which they belong. They are 

 given as popular currency has rendered them, and are neither cor- 

 rected, because they are not in accordance with their derivation, nor 

 altered, on account of their erroneous grammatical construction. 

 They are never translated from one language into the other, nor have 

 any translated names — the useless encumbrance of scientific works — 

 been received. One and the same name being often applied to seve- 

 ral plants in different countries, each name is followed by that of the 

 state in which it has currency, and succeeded by the name of the per- 

 son on whose authority it is given. By following this mode of quota- 

 tion, I have succeeded in solving the puzzle which hitherto seems to 

 have deferred many an author from attempting the task I have under- 

 taken." 



" * Mr. Berthold Seemann, Kew, near London.'' 



