Plant Names 



283 



Black or Sable, and what letter was Scarlet to have ? 

 The "curious ingenious Gentleman " who published 

 this plan urged also the giving of " pompous names " 

 as more dignified ; and he made the assertion that 

 French and Flemish " Flowerists " had adopted his 

 system. 



Edging of Striped Lilies in a Salem Garden. 



These were all forerunners of Ruskin, with his 

 poetical notions of plant nomenclature, such as this; 

 that feminine forms of names ending in a (as Pru- 

 nella, Campanula, Salvia, Kalmia) and is (Iris, Ama- 

 rylis) should be given only to plants " that are pretty 

 and good"; and that real names, Lucia, Clarissa, 

 etc., be also given. Masculine names in us should be 



