NAMED, AND STUDIED. 95 
Brown and James Brown, &c. In the same way, we name a plant by giving the 
name of the genus along with that of the species; as White Oak, Red Oak, Water 
Oak. Here the first word is the name of the species, which is nothing by itself, 
but joined to the second word, which is the name of the genus, it designates the 
species of Oak; and the two together completely name the plant we mean. 
These are 
299. Popular Names, or the common names in our own language. Plants also 
have truly Scdentific Botanical Names, which are the same in all countries. On 
this account they are in Latin. Some of them are the ancient Latin or Greek 
names; others are words made in later times, but all are in Latin form. Thus, the 
scientific name of the Oak genus is Quercus; of the Ash genus, Fraxinus ; of the 
Rose genus, Josa; of the Pear genus, Pyrus; of the Bramble or Blackberry 
genus, Rubus, &c. The names of some genera are in honor of botanists or discov- 
erers ; as, Linnea, named in honor of Linneus ; Magnolia, after Magnol; Kalmia, 
after Kalm, a pupil of Linnzus, who travelled in this country; Claytonia, after 
Clayton, a botanist of Virginia. 
300. In the Latin or scientific name, that of the genus comes before the species. 
So the scientific name of the White Oak is Quercus alba; of Red Oak, Quercus 
rubra; of Water Oak, Quercus aquatica. In fact, these are just the popular names 
turned into Latin. It is not always so; for what we call Post Oak is botanically 
named Quercus obtusiloba, which means an Oak with blunt lobes to the leaves. 
And our White Ash is Fraxinus Americana, meaning “ American Ash”; Red Ash 
is Fraxinus pubescens, meaning “Downy Ash”; Black Ash is Mraxinus sambuci- 
folia, meaning “Elder-leaved Ash.” But our Green Ash is Hraxinus viridis, 
which means the same thing as the common name. 
301. The name of the genus is a substantive. That of the species is generally 
an adjective; as, viridis, green; sambucifolia, Elder-leaved ; Americana, Ameri- 
can; aquatica, growing in water; and so forth. 
302. Accordingly, any plant is named in two words, that is, by giving the name 
of its genus and of its species. 
303. The names of the class, order, &c. make no part of the name of the plant 
itself. And these names differ in different systems of classification, while those of 
the genus and species are the same in all systems. 
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