BOTANICAL NOTES, NOTICES, AND QUERIES. 367 
Lotus or Lotos, Derivation of—This term, employed by classical poets 
and historians to designate several very different plants, both herbaceous 
and arborescent or shrubby, and in modern and medieval times often 
misunderstood, is from the Greek Aovw, J bathe, or I wash; and hence 
are derived the various Latin forms duo, diluo, eluo, lavo, ete., all of signi- 
fications cognate with the Greek verb. Its applicability to the aquatic 
plants Nymphea and Nelumbium is obvious enough. We would thank 
our learned readers for even plausible conjectures explanatory of its appli- 
cation to the Leguminous Lo??, or to the Rhamnus Zizyphus or Celtis. 
If “ Carpentarius” would take the trouble to look into a quarto edition 
of Ainsworth’s Latin Dictionary, he will see what is probably the deri- 
vation of both “ Carpinus” and “ Hornbeam.” Under the verb “ Carpo” 
he will find one of the meanings to be “to card or comb wool,” etc. ; 
unde derivatur Carpinus, the ‘Yc ohke- tree,’ from which the teeth of the comb 
were probably made; unde derivatur Carpineus, ‘made of the Carpin-tree’ 
(this is possibly the origin of the word carding). Again, Hornbeam is 
evidently the deam or yoke that connected the horns of the oxen in olden 
times, made from the same tree. ‘There are various references to Pliny 
under the above words in the Dictionary. INVESTIGATOR. 
Populus nigra and P. fastigiata (Lombardy Poplar).—Will any skilful 
botanist and arboriculturist inform “ Juvenis” what is the botanical distinc- 
tion between these two reputed species ? 
Tilia. —Quere : Is this term derived, as London and Wyse in ‘Retired 
Gardener,’ tell us, from azAoy, a feather, or from 7Aar? The Anglo-Saxon 
name is Lind or Linden. 
Species, Definition of, by Dr. Lindley (¢ Introduction to Botany,’ p. 365). , 
—“A species is a union of individuals agreeing with each other in all es- | 
sential characters of vegetation and fructification, capable of reproduction } 
by seed, without change, breeding freely together, and producing perfect | 
seed, from which a fertile progeny may be reared.” We wish to be in- | 
formed if botanists generally adopt this definition of Species. 
Arum italicum in the Isle of Wight.—In the ‘ Gardeners’ Chronicle’ for 
February the 2nd there is an abstract of a report of the proceedings of the 
Edinburgh Botanical Society ; and, among other notices, there is one about 
the occurrence of Arum italicum among rocks and ivy between Niton and 
Bonchurch. Mr. Hambrough, its discoverer, says that ‘it differs from 
Arum maculatum in almost every respect.” It would be desirable to see 
a living plant of this Bonchurch form before deciding about its specific 
distinctness from 4. maculatum. This latter plant is very rarely seen in 
fruit till the latter end of the summer, and the appearance of its fruit in 
autumn is not an uncommon occurrence. The spadix is well known to 
assume divers shades of colour: this is well known to children, who call 
the plants with the dark purplish-coloured spadix Lords, and those with 
the paler, or yellowish-coloured, Ladies. We have never seen the Arum 
maculatum quite so tall as two feet, the height given of the supposed 4. 
wtalicum. A living plant from the station near Ventnor, or a root or corm, 
would very much oblige the Editors of the ‘ Phytologist. > Will some of 
our Hampshire Correspondents have the kindness to gratify us by sending 
specimens or roots ? 
Sere neni NOOO ys 
