110 FIRST BOOK OF GRASSES 



it was everywhere adopted in less than a gen- 

 eration. 



In botanical works it will be noted that plant 

 names are followed by the initial, abbreviation, or 

 the full name of a person, as Poa pratensis L., 

 Phragmites communis Trin. This stands for the 

 name of the person who gave the plant the name, 

 L. for Linnaeus, Trin. for Trinius. It has often hap- 

 pened that the same species has been given different 

 names by men working in various places and not in 

 touch with each other. In such cases the name first 

 given is the one now generally used. It has also 

 happened that two species in a genus have been 

 given the same name. In this case the name stands 

 for the earlier one and the second is renamed. These 

 superabundant names constitute what is termed 

 synonymy. (Synonyms are two or more names for 

 the same thing.) Superabundant names are also 

 due to the fact that many species when first de- 

 scribed were placed in genera to which more intensive 

 study shows they do not belong. Triodia flava, for 

 example, was first named Poa flava by Linnaeus, and 

 Danthonia spicata was named A vena spicata by him. 

 When these species are placed in Triodia and Dan- 

 thonia, respectively, the name of the original author 

 is given in parenthesis with the name or abbreviation 

 of the person who made the change following it; 

 thus, Triodia flava (L.) Hitchc, Danthonia spicata 

 (L.) DC, 



