328 
AMAUYLLIDACEiE. 
my recollection, Greek words, the original Latin practice 
having been to form adjectives from the names of the animals 
in in us, and of vegetables in eus. The vegetable adjectives 
in inus were of late introduction, and built upon the Greek 
model, even when derived from Latin names ; they seem to 
have been always reputed short, and the contracted adjec- 
tives, abiegnus, acernus, quernus, seem to imply the brevity 
of abietinus, acerinus, and quercinus, which were not used. 
Pliny seems to have attached to the termination inus a pecu- 
liar meaning, as virga myrtea or laurea, a myrtle or laurel 
twig ; oleum myrtinum, laurinum, myrrhinum, oil extracted 
from myrtle, laurel, or myrrh ; folium laurinum, a leaf like 
that of laurel. Adjectives in inus, from the names of animals, 
are invariably long and accented on the i; as equinus,canmus, 
cervinus, viperinus, aquilinus, murinus, from mus. I think it 
may be laid down as a general law that all adjectives in inus, 
of Greek extraction, or derived from the names of vegetables 
(such being framed on the Greek model), have the i short 
and unaccented ; all derived from the names of animals, and 
generally all other adjectives in inus, the i long and accented, 
unless there be special authority to the contrary ; and I call 
to mind no other exceptions than serotinus and diutinus, 
though it is very possible that others may escape my recol- 
lection. 
3. Obsoleta. — Haw. N. autumnalis medio obsoletus. 
Park. Par. p. 90. t. 89. f. 4. Two flowers declined, 
white; cup very small ; yellow, with dun-coloured 
edge ; leaves two, narrow ; scape rising between 
them. Received by Parkinson from Spain, and 
not since noticed. N. Broussoneti (Lagasca), 
colour unknown, is perhaps this plant. PI. 41. f. 28. 
represents the tube, cup, and sepal, of two-flowered 
specimens from Tangiers (herbar. Bentham. and 
Lindl.), the flowers of which have the posture of 
those of Viridiflora ; the cup minute, the tube a 
little exceeding half an inch ; segments of the limb 
obovate, equal to the limb ; but the colour of the 
flowers cannot be ascertained. If they are not 
viridiflora, they are probably obsoleta. The obovate 
apiculate sepal seems to distinguish them from the 
others. 
4. Viridiflora. — 1- (3?) flora. Bot. Mag. 41. 1687. 
