A. Gray—Botanical Nomenclature. 421 
789. Cohorts and Tribes from A. P. DeCandolle’s Systema, 
1818. Subgenera begin with R. Brown, in 1810, according to our 
author. There are a few instances (without the name) in the 
Holl is 1 
botanists as to this point of departure; and the fact that the 
specific phrase of earlier authors is occasionally of a single 
adjective does not militate against it. Galega vulgaris, Lappa 
major and Trifolium agrarium of the old herbalists were in good 
binomial form ; but the adjectives are phrases, not specific names. 
Generic names bring in a question of interpretation and usage. 
ority, Linneeus, Genera Plantarum, ed. 1 Il agree, or 
should agree, that no anterior name has right of priority to a 
Linnean name to a name adopted by Linnzxus. 
or 
respects generic names adopted by him, are we to follow Lin- 
neeus or are we not? He says, “ Tournefortius primus charac- 
teres genericos ex lege artis condidit.” And in the Genera Plan- 
* Or may be essentially false from the beginning. One of our common Maples 
has two names, Acer dasycarpum and A. eriocarpum, both signifying that the 
fruit is woolly, whereas it is perfectly glabrous; only the ovaries are woolly. 
Yet oo has ever proposed to change the received name,—which is re- 
able. 
On p. 58 DeCandolle has collected nineteen synonyms of the name Crypto- 
gamia, all of later date, and specified the objections which may be brought against 
each of them, besides that of want of priority. 
