INTRODUCTION ix 



{-egra, -egrum), -icus, -ichus, -idis, -idus, -His, -iliis, -imus, -ior, -ius, -uus, -yiis. 

 The compound words ending in the following syllables have also a short vowel 

 in the penult: -cladus, -cola, -color, -fcra, -ferum, -gera, -gerum, -gynus, -fidus, 

 -filus, -philus, -lepis, -olens, -pilis, -podus, -stotnus, -tomus, -virens, -phylum. If 

 the short connecting vowels i (in Latin) and o (in Greek) appear in the penult, 

 they are not accented; when they appear in the antepenult in words with short 

 penult they receive the short accent: drmiger, armigera, spinifer, spinifera. Of 

 course, in adjective endings in which the penult has consonant length, this is 

 accented and the vowel is short: -ensis, -ellus, -illus, -formis, -estus, -uster, -esler, 

 -essus. The same rule applies to compound words enging in -carpus, -rdstris, 

 -phyllus. 



By following the hints given above, any one can accent correctly eighty per 

 cent, of the specific names in this flora. A few words may be said concerning 

 the genitives of personal names and the same remarks apply to generic names 

 dedicated to persons. The usual method of Latinizing a personal name is to 

 add ius (genitive -ii) or, in case of a generic name dedicated to a person, -ia, to 

 it if it ends in a consonant (except r), and -us (-i) and -a if the name ends in a 

 vowel or r. If the noim ends in -er, as Palmer, it is better to regard this as the 

 proper Latin form with Palmer-i in the genitive. As the i in the penult of -ii 

 and -ia alwaj^s is short, the accent in such words will always be on the antepenult. 

 Harder to determine is the place of accent if the genitive ends in a single -i or 

 the generic name in merely -a, as it depends upon whether the penult is long Or 

 short. Many botanists pronounce the names derived from persons as they 

 would the family name itself, with the Latin ending added, as Jdmes-i-a and 

 Jdmes-i-i, named for James; while the Latin usage would require Ja-me-si-a and 

 Ja-me-si-i. In Latin all syllables are pronounced and the accent can never be 

 further from the end than in the antepenult. It has been a custom to regard 

 the vowel in the antepenult of the endings -esii, -onii, -inii, -unii, -elii, etc., and 

 in the penult of -07iis, -oni as long. Many include the ending -eri. This would 

 be perhaps defendable in the case of Berlandieri, Plumieri, where the ending er 

 has the accent in French and in plant names dedicated to some German and 

 Scandinavian persons who ^^Tite their name with an accent on the last syllable, 

 but the author does not think it correct in Pdlmeri, Bbreri, Brhweri, Wdrneri, where 

 the English name has a short er and the words in er following the second declen- 

 sion in Latin as a rule had short e in the genitive or dropped it altogether. The 

 author thinks that the four names just mentioned should have the accent on the 

 first syllable. 



The generic names are much harder to treat. They are old Latin or Greek 

 nouns, or vernacular names, with or without Latin endings, or modified personal 

 names, or compound words (mostly Greek) manufactured according to the whims 

 of the authors. The author saw no other way but to indicate their proper ac- 

 cent in each case as far as they could be ascertained. 



Names of Authors 



The generic and specific names are followed by the names of their authors, 

 usually abbreviated; the abbreviations are explained on pages 1070-8. If an 

 author's name is placed in parenthesis after a generic name, it means that he 

 published it before 1753 and that it was accepted after that date by the author 

 following the parenthesis (usually Linnaeus). After the specific name, an 

 author's name in parenthesis signifies that he originally proposed it, either in 

 another genus or else only as a subspecies, variety, or form, and the author follow- 

 ing the parenthesis was the first one to make the accepted combination. 



Common Names 



The common names are given in most cases after the Latin generic name. A 

 common name has been inserted after the description of a species only where it 

 seems to apply exclusively or principally to that species. In the Rocky Moun- 

 tain region the common names apply usually to all species of the genus rather 

 than to a particular one. No attempt has been made to manufacture a " common 

 name" where there is none in existence. 



