180 NOMENCLATURE. [SECTION 18. 



of the first to find this species ; and Sarracenia Drummondii, for a Pitcher- 

 plant found by Mr. Drummond in Florida. Such personal specific names 

 are of course written with a capital initial letter. Occasionally some old 

 substantive name is used for the species ; as Maguolia Umbrella, the Um- 

 brella tree, and Ranunculus Flammula. These are also written with a 

 capital initial, and need not accord with the generic name in gender. Geo- 

 graphical specific names, such as Canadensis, Caroliniana , Americana, in 

 the later usage are by some written without a capital initial, but the older 

 usage is better, or at least more accordant with English orthography. 



538. Varietal Names, when any are required, are made on the plan of 

 specific names, and follow these, with the prefix var. Ranunculus Flam- 

 mula, var. reptans, the creeping variety : R. abortivus, var. micranthus, 

 the small-flowered variety of the species. 



539. In recording the name of a plant it is usual to append 1 he name, 

 or an abbreviation of the name, of the botanist who first published it; and 

 in a flora or other systematic work, this reference to the source of the 

 name is completed by a further citation of the name of the book, the 

 volume and page where it was first published. So " Ranunculus acris, 

 L.," means that this Buttercup was first so named and described by Lin- 

 naeus; " R. multifidus, Pursh," that this species was so named and pub- 

 lished by Pursh. The suffix is no part of the name, but is an abbreviated 

 reference, to be added or omitted as convenience or definiteness may re- 

 quire. The authority for a generic name is similarly recorded. Thus, 

 -Ranunculus, L.," means that the genus was so named by Linnaeus; 

 ' Myosurus, Dill.," that the Mouse-tail was established as a genus under 

 this name by Dillenius ; Cauloph/llum, Michx., that the Blue Cohosh was 

 published under this name by Michaux. The full reference in the last- 

 named instance would be, " in Flora Boreali-Americana, first volume, 205th 

 page," in the customary abbreviation, "Michx. Fl. i. 205." 



540. Names of Orders are given in the plural number, and are com- 

 monly formed by prolonging the name of a genus of the group taken as a 

 representative of it. For example, the order of which the Buttercup or 

 Crowfoot genus, Ranunculus, is the representative, takes from it the name 

 of Ranunculacece ; meaning Plants Ranunculacea when written out in 

 full, that is, Ranunculaceous Plants. Some old descriptive names of 

 orders are kept up, such as Crucifem for the order to which Cress and 

 Mustard belong, from the cruciform appearance of their expanded corolla, 

 and Umbellifera, from the flowers being in umbels. 



541. Names of Tribes, also of suborders, subtribes, and the like, are 

 plurals of the name of the typical genus, less prolonged, usually in ece, 

 jie<#, idea, etc. Thus the proper Buttercup tribe is Ranunculeee, of the 

 Clematis tribe, Clematidea. While the Rose family is Rosacea, the special 

 Rose tribe is Rosea*. 



542. Names of Classes, etc. For these see the following synopsis nf 

 the actual classification adopted, p. 183. 



