314 
COMMENTARY ON 
undique semini adhaerens. Semen unicum, grande, forma bacc£e 
leve. Integumentum duplex ; exterius crustaceum^ durum, 
tenue ; interius membranaceum_, utrumque arctissime adnatum. 
Albumen semini conforme, cartilagineum, cavitate obliqua, 
utrinque attenuata, apicem prope et basin seminis hinc inde 
attingente perforatum. Embryo ovalis, semini prope basin 
(cavitatis extremitati inferiori oppositus) immersus, utrinque 
obtusus, lacteus. 
Caput IX. 
Lon tarns domestica, p. 45, t. 10. 
J ussieu (Gen. PI. 45) proposes to restore the name Lon- 
tarus, in place of Borassus, the name given by Linnaeus, 
and since adopted by most botanists, but derived from the 
name of a part (spatha) common to most palms. The 
name domestica is well chosen, as I have never seen the 
palm except near villages ; while Jlabelli/brmis, the specific 
name usually given since the time of Linnaeus, is applicable 
to every species which can be considered nearly related to 
the same genus. I consider, therefore, that Gaertner was 
perfectly justifiable in having (De Sem. i. 21) restored to 
this palm the name Lontarus domestica. Indeed, it may 
be observed, that Linnaeus very commonly changed the 
names given by Rumphius for the worse, and that the 
plan of making the generic name a substantive, agreeing 
with an adjective for a specific appellation, seems to have 
been borrowed from the venerable Dutch Governor, al- 
though Linnaeus has generally received credit for the in- 
vention. No doubt, however, Linnaeus followed the rule 
almost universally, while Rumphius only adopted it in a 
great proportion of instances. 
Caput X. 
Lontarus sylvestris, p. 53, t. 11. 
In the Encyclopedic (ii. 131) this is considered as a spe- 
cies of Corypha, and has the barbarous specific name tita7i. 
