NOMENCLATURE 



corresponding to the Baptismal names John or 

 James, 



But the identity is not yet sufficiently clear, for there 

 may be several John or James Browns. Still further 

 individualization is necessary — so we say the blonde 

 John Brown, or big John Brown — that is we describe 

 him in some way that distinguishes him unmistakably. 

 And this brings us to the final portion of the name 

 — the portion that stands for Variety — and we have 

 phlox paniculata, Coquelicct, or phlox Drummondii, 

 grandiflora. In the first instance it is the color of the 

 flowers that is referred to by the name Coquelicot; in the 

 second it is their very large size that is indicated by 

 grandiflora. 



You will find Family, Species and Variety names all 

 spelled with both capital and small initial letters. 

 This is perfectly right though it may look queer, for the 

 rule is that capitals are used only when a proper name 

 furnishes the root for the plant name — phlox Drum- 

 mondii for instance is a Phlox named for Drummond, 

 who collected its seed — while small letters are used at all 

 other times. Unfortunately many are not as careful 

 in this respect as they ought to be and mistakes are 

 rather common. 



There are, of course, many more divisions of plants 

 than the three here given, but the others are of interest 

 and importance to the botanist only. The practical 

 gardener is not keen about marshalling great families 

 into still greater classes, or clans and cohorts, and these 

 again into some still larger group, with a more compre- 



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