CHAP. V. 
OF SYNONYMES. 
535 
better to arrange the names chronologically ; and to arrange 
under each name, in chronological order, those authors who 
have spoken of the plant by such name. 
This will be more apparent from the following example, 
from the Sy sterna Naturale of De Candolle, in which the dates 
of the authors’ works are introduced to demonstrate the chro- 
nological order of their quotations. In practice the dates are 
usually omitted : it would be, perhaps, an improvement if 
they were always added. 
Trollius asiaticus. 
Helleborus aconiti folio flore globoso croceo. Amm, ruth, 
p. 76. n. 101. (1739.) 
Trollius asiaticus. Lin. I sp. pi. 782 (exclus. Buxb. et Tourn. 
syn.) (1763.) — Mill. diet. n. 2. (1768.) — Gmel. fi. sib. 
p. 190. n. 23. (1769.) —P«ZZ. itin. 2. p. 528. (1793.) — 
^Curt. hot. mag. t. 235. (1793.) — Willd. sp. 2. p. 1334. 
(1799.) —PoZr..^ diets. p.\22. (1808.) 
T. europaeus Sohol.Jl.petr. p. 134. 376? (1799.) 
T. sertiflorus Salisb. in Lin. Soe. 8. p. 303. (1809.) 
In order to show distinctly the different value of these 
synonymes, De Candolle marks with an asterisk (^) those in 
which good original descriptions are to be found; and to 
explain which have been ascertained by the actual inspection 
of authentic specimens, he marks such names with a note of 
admiration immediately succeeding the name of the author : 
thus, Lin. ! sp. pi. 427. would mean that the original speci- 
men from which the plant was described by Linnaeus in the 
Speeies Plantarum, page 427., had been actually examined by 
himself ; whereas, if the note of admiration had been omitted, 
it would have appeared that the only evidence, with respect 
to the plant described by Linnaeus, w^as obtained from his 
book itself. This distinction is of great importance, as it 
shows upon which synonymes implicit reliance can be placed, 
and to which we can turn with less confidence. 
In proportion to the importance of synonymes ought to be 
the care with which they are quoted. No synonymes ought 
to be adopted by a writer, upon the credit of others ; he should 
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