428 IiJlSSOJVS WITS PLANTS 



kinds to a common group or genus; and the name 

 of this genus was made the first word in the 

 description. 



551. Linnaeus, who attempted to name and de- 

 scribe all plants and animals, used a single word, 

 which, when joined to the genus name, should 

 designate the species. This word was placed in 

 the margin of his book, and the Latin descrip- 

 tion, headed by the genus name, ran as before. 

 There thus arose a binomial system of nomencla- 

 ture. 



551a. A fac-simile reproduction of Linnseus' description of the 

 Fox-grape is here inserted (from "Species Plantarum," second edi- 

 tionj : 



3. VITIS foliis cordatis rubtcilobis dentatis fubtus to- LabniTcs, 



mentofis. 

 Vitis heder« folio ferrato. Plum.fpee, i8. «V, 259. /. I. 

 Vitis fylveftris virginiana. Bauh. pin. 299. 

 Vitis vinifera fylveftris americana, foliis averfa parte 



denfa lanugine re£lis. Pluk;phyt. 249./. t. 

 Vitis fruda minore rubro acerbo, folio fubrotundo 



minus laciniato, fubtus alba lanugine teSto. Sloan. 



hiji. z.p. 104. t.zio. f. 4. 

 Habitat in America fepttntrionali. %■ 



Vitis is the genus name, and Labrusca the species name. The 

 combination, Vitis Labrusca, is the name of the plant. 



551S. It is probable that Linnseus did not foresee the com- 

 manding place which his system of nomenclature was destined to 

 fill. The specific name was apparently intended for little more 

 than a marginal index to the descriptions. It was Linnasus' suc- 

 cessors and editors who made the combination of the generic and 

 specific names take precedence of the description, and who thereby 

 stereotyped it into an arbitrary and irrevocable name of the plant. 



