180 NOMENCLATURE. [SECTION 18. 



of the first to fiud tins species ; aud Sarraccnia Drummondil, for a Pitcher- 

 plant found by Mr. Druumiuud in i*'lorida. Such personal s])eoilic names 

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

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

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

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

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

 tlic hitcr usage arc by some written witliout 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 the 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. multijidus, Pursh," that this species was so named aud 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 autliorify for a generic name is similarly recorded. Thus, 

 *' Ranunculus, L.," means that the genus was so named by Linnaus; 

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

 this name by DiUenius ; Caulophi/lluni, Miclix., that the Blue Cohosh was 

 pul)lished under this name by Michaux. The full reference in the last- 

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

 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 ihe Buttercup or 

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

 of Ranunculacece ; meaning Planta Ranunculacete when written out in 

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

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

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

 and Umhelliferce, from the flowers being in umbels. 



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

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

 inem, idea, etc. Thus the proper Buttercup tribe is Ranunculece, of the 

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

 Rose tribe is Rosea;. 



543. Names of Classes, etc. For these see the following synopsis o£ 

 the actual classification adopted, p. 183. 



