NOMENCLATURE 253 



hyphen. Similarly, the specific name may be composed 

 of two parts having other relations, as Opuntia Ficus- 

 indica, Pucdnia Marice-Wilsoni, Polypodium Donnell- 

 Smithii. An extreme case is Prosaptia Frederid et Pauli, 

 Native names of plants have been used as specific names 

 without being latinized, giving rise to such names as 

 Vigna Catjang and DoUchos Lablab. Another category of 

 nominatives as specific names is illustrated by words end- 

 ing in cola (an inhabitant of) such as Poa saxicola^ 

 Astragalus monticola, Panicum oricola, P. sphagnicola. 



275. Names of a lower category. — Subdivisions of the 

 species are sometimes recognized, these being, subspecies, 

 variety, subvariety and form. The names used to indicate 

 these subdivisions are formed in the same manner as 

 specific names. If the name is an adjective it should agree 

 with the genus in gender. The usual subdivision of the 

 species is the variety. There are two general methods of 

 writing the names of the subdivisions of the species. Most 

 European and many American botanists write the name, 

 for example, thus: Festuca rubra var. multiflora. The 

 other method, used by many American botanists, is to 

 recognize but one named category below the species, to 

 call this the subspecies, and to write the name as a trino- 

 mial, thus : Festuca rubra multiflora. 



276. Transferring specific names. — ^As indicated under 

 Classification, the botanist's conception of a species or of 

 its relation to other species may change as his knowledge 

 concerning these species increases, and the opinions of 

 different botanists are not infrequently in disagreement 

 concerning the same species. Consequently it may 

 become necessary to transfer a species from one genus to 

 another, thus causing a corresponding change in the name. 

 The specific name is retained under the new genus pro- 



