PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS 



PLANT NAMES 



One of the greatest complaints amateurs have against gardeners and 

 botanists is that they will use ' such long Latin names ' for their plants. 

 And there are some even — very few it is to be hoped — who use this as 

 an argument, not only against the study, but also the cultivation of 

 beautiful plants. ' If you would only give your plants English names,' 

 they say, ' we could understand them better and take more interest in 

 them.' This may be very true, but such people seldom find difficulty 

 with names like Begonia, Gloxinia, Campanula, Passiflora, Colchicum, 

 Crocus, Primula, Geranium, Pelargonium, Zinnia, Phlox, Coreopsis, 

 Nemophila, and many other botanical names which practice has 

 rendered familiar. As a matter of fact it is simply impossible to give 

 every plant an English name, and efforts to do so have resulted in 

 some very peculiar if not really awkward and inappropriate appella- 

 tions, which are often worse than the proper botanical name. There is 

 no need to say anything against the use of proper English names for 

 plants in all cases where they can be appropriately used and are gene- 

 rally accepted. Such English names are a help to the amateur, and 

 throughout this work they have been used on every possible occasion, 

 even to the extent of adopting popular names such as Buttercup, 

 Poppy, Daisy &c. to represent the various natural orders to which 

 they belong. No attempt, however, has been made to coin new or 

 awkward popular names ; and it must be pointed out that one and the 

 same English name is often applied to two or more plants belonging 

 to totally different families, as may be seen by reference to the copious 

 Index at the end. The scientific names adopted throughout the work 

 are those generally accepted by botanists throughout the world. 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



The illustration of species has not been attempted, as a satisfactory 

 representation of each one would have necessarily increased the bulk 

 of the book and its cost to the purchaser beyond what is thought 

 desirable, and anything short of this would be of little practical value. 

 As faithful a word -picture of a plant as possible has been given in 

 the descriptions, and it is hoped that this will be of real practical 

 value to the reader, and enable him to recognise any particular 

 plant. Illustrations, however, have not been altogether abandoned. 

 The ' Glossary of Technical Terms ' at the beginning of the book has 



