216 PRINCIPLES OF BOTANY, ETE. 
In. this way we can ina few words. designate the 
genus, species and varieties of a plant, which the 
older botanists could not do without a, long de- 
scription. 
§ 223. 
The great advantage of the Linnean names is not 
admitted by some botanists, and therefore they have 
attempted a change. First Ehrhart, considering 
that there. are No proper genera in nature, but that 
these, are invented by the ingenuity of botanists, 
proposes, in his. Phytophylaceum, to denominate 
every plant by.one word; thus, 
Carex dioica he calls Polyglochin. 






pulicaris Psyllophora, 
== arenarla —~—- Ammorhiza. 
————- capillaris Caricella. 
——— pallescens Limonaetes. 
_ burailis Baeochortus, & 
Bys such names the science would be nina 
burdened. ‘Fhnere.may be, about 2000) known ge- 
nera, and at an average 80,000 plants, which must 
all have their appropriate names. But what me: . 
mory would be sufficient for such a nomenclature ? 
The idea of Wolii is of a very different nature. 
He proposes to distinguish every character of a plant, 
whether it be the figure of the flower, the stamina, 
style, fruit, leaves, root, stem, stipula, florescence, 
smell, colour, &c.. by a particular letter, so that the 
name of every plant,shall be composed.of these 
letters, and Sti shall. convey an. idea of its struc- 
ture and properties. However, ingenious such a 
.- proposal 
