128 



REVIEWS 



The first list is the one most open to criticism, since the author has endeavoured to supply derivations 

 for all Latin plant names, confessing defeat in only a few cases, e.g. Blechnum and Draha. Some of these 

 derivations are, to say the least, highly conjectural : no evidence is given in support of the statement that 

 acer, the Latin name of the Maple, is cognate with acer, sharp - Lewis & Short (1924) say " kindred with 

 German Ahom." The author suggests (pp. 3, 27) that Armeria, the generic name now used for the Thrifts, 

 may be derived from " ad mare," near the sea, with reference to the habitat of some of the species. Actually, 

 the name Armeria or Armerius first appears in the sixteenth century and was applied primarily to certain 

 species of Dianthus with aggregated flowers, namely to D. barbatus, D, carthusianorum, D. armeria and 

 D. prolifer, also to Dianthus arenarius, Silene armeria and Lychnis flos-cuculi. Clusius included the plant 

 now known as Armeria marltima under the name Armerius montanus tenuifolius major, probably because of 

 its superficial resemblance to Dianthus prolifer. Caspar Bauhin (1623) states that the name Armeria or 

 Armerius is derived from the French words " armoires " (wardrobes) and " Armoiries," (coats of arms) but 

 this seems very far-fetched. The origin of the name Armeria is quite problematical. Undue importance is 

 attached by the author to the fanciful derivations supplied by Pliny in his Natural History. 



The introduction is attractively written and the book is one which should appeal to the large non-botanical 

 public interested in wild flowers and using Bentham & Hooker's Handbook of the British Flora as a text-book. 



T. A. Sprague. 



