BRIEFER ARTICLES. 
On the derivation of Linnean specific names.—At page 360 (July 
issue) of Popular Science Monthly, is a paper by Dr. John P. Lotsy on 
“Herbaria in their relation to botany.” While the paper has much of 
value, it rather underrates the services of those who can name at sight 
any plant presented to them, which, the author says, was “what was 
understood as a botanist in Linnzus’ time.” Morphology, histology, 
and physiology he regards as of greater importance. There seems no 
necessity for depreciating the study of systematic botany in order to 
elevate the other branches. The best proof of this is the fact that 
most of the ablest workers in these fields, are distinguished as system- 
atists, 
But the point I have in view in this note is to call attention to a very 
excusable error, into which Dr. Lotsy has fallen, that Linnzus is the 
originator of the so-called Linnzan names. He “resolved” says Dr. L., 
“to give every plant two names, the first one being the genus name, here 
Ranunculus, the second one expressing some particular kind of Ra- 
nunculus, and thus indicating the species. Thus he found, for ex- 
ample, that one buttercup had an acrid taste, and he called it the acrid 
buttercup i in Latin, Ranunculus acris; that another one only grew in 
marshy apts he called it the marsh buttercup, in Latin Ranunculus 
palustris, e 
A study oo the work of Linnzeus shows that when he took in hand 
to reduce the labors of his predecessors to a binomial system, he 
usually adopted some one of the specific terms already employed by 
them—frequently the last term, whatever that might be, or even 
though it might be on general principles inappropriate. Whenever 
there was no opportunity to make use of terms already in use for his 
Specific names, his choice seemed to be geographical ones. The 
genus Ranunculus, already introduced by Dr. L. furnishes a good il- 
lustration of this. He did not “find that one buttercup had an acrid 
taste, and he called it” Ranunculus acris, for Bauhin had “found” 
this long before. He had styled it Ranunculus pratensis erectus acris. 
All Linnzeus did was to strike out all but the first and last words of 
the sentence. In some cases he adopted the generic names of his 
Predecessors for his specific names. Dodonzus, for instance, had a 
genus Flammula, represented by our Ranunculus Flammula as Lin- 
Neus reduced it. Ranunculus repians, was the R. Solits linearibus 
‘aule repente of his early “Flora Lapponica.” &. gramineus was Bau 
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