INTRODUCTION. 
Xlll 
times occupied themselves in collecting plant-names, and that the 
results of their labours in each case remain unpublished. Gaertner, 
during bis residence at St. Petersburg, compiled a dictionary of them, 
of which we have been unable to discover any details. A ‘ Diction- 
naire des hToms vulgaires des Plantes,’ compiled by Moritzi, with the 
assistance and under the direction of the elder De Candolle, is in the 
library of the De Candolles at Geneva, and is probably the most 
complete in existence so far as arrangement and convenience of 
reference are concerned. This was arranged for publication, and a 
prospectus and specimen of the w^ork were issued. ^ Unfortunately 
its magnitude, embracing as it did ‘ the names of plants in sixty 
different languages or dialects, from French, English, and other 
European languages, to Chinese, Sanskrit, Mexican, &c.’ ^ prevented 
the publishers to whom it was offered from undertaking its produc- 
tion. Something of its value and completeness may be gathered 
from the description given of it in the memoir already cited : ‘ It 
is an immense work, executed with great care, and of which the 
publication would have an interest at once- botanical, philological, 
and geographical. Botanists would avail themselves of it in utilising 
the descriptions of travellers. Philologists would delight to trace 
the origin and filiation of the names of plants from one language to 
another. Eeaders of travels, agriculturists, traders who receive the 
products of 'foreign countries, would find here the explanation of 
many of the names which puzzle them.’ This ‘ Dictionnaire ’ is 
frequently quoted in De Candolle’s ‘ Geographie Botanique.’ Lastly, 
the late Dr. Seemann had, as is well known, devoted much time and 
care to the collection of these vernacular names. He entertained 
strong views as to their importance,^ and from his extensive philo- 
logical knowledge was admirably fitted to carry out the task which 
he unfortunately did not live to complete.” 
English Plant-names are derived from many languages — Latin, 
Creek, Ancient British, Anglo-Saxon, Horman, Low German, 
Swedish, Danish, Arabic, Persian. The Latin and Greek names 
1 See Pritzel, ‘ Thesaurus Botanicum,’ p. 202, No, 7204. 
2 Alph. De Candolle, ‘ Biographie de M. Moritzi,’ Arch, des Sciences 
Physiques et Naturelles de Geneve, xv. p. 6. 
3 See ‘ Journ. Bot.’ 18G9, 333 — 336. 
