April 23, 1890.] 



Garden and Forest. 



207 



True, the botanical names are in Latin or have Latin termi- 

 nations, this being the common language of all natural science 

 the world over, so that a plant may be known by the same 

 name in every tongue. If each nation had a nomenclature of 

 its own, and a poor little plant had as many names as there 

 are languages in the world, then there might be some reason 

 in scolding about the nomenclature. The case is worse than 

 this with common names, however, for each language has 

 several of them for the same plant and many of these are mis- 

 leading. 



The correspondent cites for an example of a hard name 

 Anastatica hierochuntina. The common name of this plant 

 is "Rose of Jericho," which has misled him into thinking it a 

 Rose or something like one. Now a little knowledge of 

 botanical nomenclature would have shown him that this plant 

 was a long way from the Rose family, and he would have known 

 that the common name of all true Roses is Rosa. It certainly is 

 more simple, more systematic, more easy to remember, if a 

 single name — like Rosa — is used for all plants in one genus, 

 with distinguishing specific additions for the separate species, 

 than it is to have a name for each species which gives no hint 

 of a plant's relationship to other plants. The name of the genus 

 is like the family name or surname of an individual — as Davis 

 or Smith — and the name of the species corresponds to the 

 Christian name — as John or Jane. If one wished to study the 

 ethnology of any race, would he consider it necessary to learn 

 the names of the individuals before he learned the character- 

 istics of the nation ? Or would he make a plea that the names 

 were so hard that it prevented him from gaining a knowledge 

 of the people ? 



Any person who has a natural love of plants can become 

 familiar with the botany of his neighborhood in one season. 

 If not more than a hundred plants were well examined it would 

 give a good general idea of our flowering plants, or if a person 

 will patiently study even twenty well chosen examples he will 

 thereafter have no difficulty in determining the species around 

 him. The system of botany is so perfect that the study of one 

 plant gives us a knowledge of the whole order or family to 

 which it belongs. 



Now if we look more closely at the dreadful botanical names, 

 we find that when the genus was known to the Greeks and 

 Romans, the old classical name is commonly retained. For 

 instance.the genus Aster (of which we have so many wild species 

 in the United States) is from the Greek word meaning a star. 

 These little Star-flowers are everywhere on our roadsides, 

 and in the woods and swamps, lighting up and making our 

 waste places gay with their pretty white, or blue, or purple, 

 or pink starry Mowers. The specific name of these various 

 Asters is often given to denote some character of the plant, so 

 that the name is a clue to the species. Thus Aster grandi- 

 florus means one with flowers large and showy ; A. acutnina- 

 tus, one with leaves oblong and sharp-pointed ; A. longifolius, 

 one with leaves long and linear. Would a common name for 

 each species of Aster be an improvement upon this ? 



Some difficult names have been given to plants in honor of 

 individuals; for instance, Eschscholtzia Californica, named for 

 the discoverer, Eschscholtz, who found it in California, as the 

 specific name indicates. Kosteletzskya, named for the Bohemian 

 botanist, Kosteletzsky, is another hard one ; but these names 

 are more difficult to write than to pronounce. Hundreds of 

 other persons to whom genera and species have been dedi- 

 cated have not been so unfortunate in their names, as, for 

 example, the botanist Magnol, whose name lives forever in 

 the beautiful genus Magnolia. Claytonia is named for Clay- 

 ton, an early botanist in Virginia; and Jeffersoniafor the Presi- 

 dent who sent the first exploring expedition over the Rocky 

 Mountains. Other genera are named from some property of 

 the plant, or appearance of the leaves or flowers or stem. 

 For example, the genus Hepatica is named from the shape of 

 the leaf, which resembles that of the liver ; Sanguinaria from 

 the blood-like color of the juice of the plant. The specific 

 name, when it does not indicate where the plant comes from — 

 like Japonica, from Japan — is most generally truly descriptive 

 of some characteristic of the plant. 



All this elementary talk is of course for beginners, and it 

 means that while scientific nomenclature might be greatly 

 improved, really it is much better, simpler and easier to 

 learn than the wits would have young people and ignorant 

 people believe. It will be found, too, that scientific nomen- 

 clature is necessary even as a basis of common names, and 

 gives the only key to the identification of plants by common 

 names. And last of all, it will be found that good botanists — 

 those familiar with scientific names — know the most about 

 the common names. 

 Vineiand, N. j. Mary Treat. 



Destruction of Wild Plants by Roadsides. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — A spasmodic attack of clearing up roadsides to which 

 rural districts are frequently subject, has of late swept away 

 several of those groups of Nature's planting upon which the 

 eye lingers restfully when they are permitted to remain along 

 county roads. One of these, where the pedestrian could 

 pause among the shadows and note the variety of foliage, 

 must have dated back many years, for its principal feature was 

 a self-planted Apple-tree, the branches of which reached 

 across the fence and drooped to meet a fringe of Hazel- 

 bushes bordering the outer side of the footpath. Other shrubs 

 gathered about these, one an Elder of large proportions, and a 

 beautiful object when covered with its creamy white flowers 

 or dark purple fruit. Many vines added their grace in fitting 

 places, making altogether a pretty arbor, beneath which Ferns 

 and Podophyllum found needed shade. All this and much 

 more might have been urged in favor of this mass of growth, 

 while on the other hand complaint was made, not without 

 cause, that it was cumbering the pathway to the annoyance of 

 passers-by. A judicious trimming, however, of the under 

 branches and a removal annually of dead Blackberry-canes, 

 would have obviated all difficulty in walking and saved it from 

 wholesale destruction. Now the offending side of the tree 

 having been cut away, and the shrubs trimmed off or grubbed 

 out, there is little left above ground that bears promise of ver- 

 dure in the near future ; not at least until Nature shall have 

 recovered her wounds and restored the loss from mutilation. 

 Neither is there cause for hope that the tender plants now hid- 

 den beneath the soil will long survive unsheltered the extreme 

 droughts to which the summers here are subject. 



Another place of unusual interest to a lover of Nature was a 

 small piece of marsh-land noted for the variety and brilliancy 

 fflf its wild flowers, the great number of birds that dwelt among 

 the Sedges and Willows, and also as the only spot in the 

 neighborhood where Cypripedium spectabile might be found. 



The land thus occupied, being destined to serve agricul- 

 tural uses, is to be drained, and the occupant's first step was to 

 burn it over, after which grub-hoe and axe were plied at the 

 root of every tree and shrub. A strip of young timber on the 

 higher land next the road, though of little use when cut, even 

 for fuel, but of great value for shade and an attraction to birds, 

 was included in the general uprooting, and many a choice wild 

 flower will die out, lacking the protection and nourishment its 

 leaves afforded. 



It is to be regretted that persons who have highways in 

 charge do not recognize the advantages to be derived from ver- 

 dure in place of parched and barren roadsides. 



The dry seasons and sweeping winds are a menace to the 

 farmer, which he is constantly deploring, yet few land-owners 

 spare any standing trees or protect those that spring up in 

 waste places. 



Klinger Lake, Mich. Dorcas E. Collins. 



Fuchsia triphylla. 

 To the Editor of Garden and Forest : 



Sir. — In a late number of Garden and Forest, in a para- 

 graph referring to Fuchsias, I find the statement made by a 

 writer in the Revue de I' Horticulture Beige that Fuchsia tri- 

 phylla, a native of San Domingo, was rediscovered in 1884. 



Permit me to say, as a matter of historical accuracy, that it 

 was rediscovered on that island by myself in the early spring 

 of 1873. I disposed of it to Mr. Isaac Buchanan in the autumn 

 of the same year, and later on he disposed of it to another 

 florist, who in turn disposed of it (as I am informed) to 

 one of the large florists in the neighborhood of London. 



New York. 



Notes. 



Miss A. M. Vail, of this city, has been elected associate ed- 

 itor of the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club. 



The Pacific Rural Press, in its issue of the 12th of April, has 

 an admirable portrait of the late Dr. C. C. Parry. 



The perennial Candytuft is a plant which should be in every 

 spring garden. Its leaves keep green all winter and it is 

 already covered with snow-white flowers which endure for 

 several weeks. 



At a late meeting of the Royal Agricultural Society at George- 

 town, Demerara, Mr. Rodway explained how ripe bananas 

 could be dried so that they would keep in a condition of fresh- 

 ness long enough to be carried to England or America. The 

 fruit was said to retain its flavor unimpaired for a long time. 



