— so — 



SCIENTIFIC NAMES AND THEIR CHANGES, WITH SPECIAL REFER= 

 ENCE TO THE MOSSES. 



A. J. Grout. 



To the amateur botanist, especially if he be a beginner, the Latin names 

 of plants are a fearful and tongue-twisting mystery. This mystery is deep- 

 ened and rendered more hopeless by the fact that in every new book pub- 

 lished some of the old favorites appear in brand-new names. This article is 

 written for the purpose of rendering the mystery intelligible so far as the 

 nature of the subject and the ability of the author will permit. 



First, we have Latin names because Latin is the universal language of 

 scientific nomenclature to-day, as it was once the universal language of all 

 learning. Polyt7^ichuin commune L. is the same to every man of every 

 nation. ^ . 



We have binomial names, names of two words, e. g., Polytrichum com- 

 mune^ for convenience. If we said commune alone we would be obliged to 

 have as many names as species, a very difficult matter, as the number of 

 species, both animal and plant, more than outnumber the entire Latin 

 vocabulary. By using the binomial we require a new name for each genus 

 only, and can use specific names over and over, once with each generic name 

 if need be. 



Thus in the index to the Lesq. & James Manual we have Aulacomnium 

 palustre, Brit chia pains tr is, Dicranum palnstre^ Hypnum pahtstre, Mhiium 

 palustre, etc. 



Besides this it fixes in our minds a kind of classification ; the generic 

 term being of the same rank and value as the word rose in Moss Rose, Briar 

 Rose, etc. The species name corresponds to the adjective part of the com- 

 mon name and is written without a capital initial unless derived from a 

 proper name. 



An attempt has been made, and the writer pleads guilty, to give com- 

 mon, or English, names to plants that lack them by translating the Latin 

 names, e. g., the Awned Hair-cap, the Erect Hair-cap, etc. It would be 

 much better in most cases of this 'sort to learn the Latin name, which is just 

 as easy to learn and remember, and much more satisfactory in the long run. 



After the binomial is placed the initial or abbreviation of the name of the 

 man who christened the plant, e. g., the L. after the name Polytric?ium 

 conmiiifie signifies that Linnaeus christened the plant and that its name has 

 not been changed since. An abbreviation is used instead of the initial when 

 the initial alone is not sufficient to identify the author of the name. 



If this were all, the matter would be very simple and satisfactory, but it 

 not infrequently happens that two men have christened the same plant with 

 two entirely different names. Sometimes this happens because the man who 

 gives the second name is ignorant of the fact that the plant was already 

 named; or again he may wish for some reason to disregard the first name. 



The first was often an excusable error in early times when libraries and 

 scientific literature were scarce, and even in the present da}^ the greatest care 



