228 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCE Voi.. XXVIII, 1921 
is used as the common name for another. Thus, the name 
“syringa” is commonly applied to the mock-orange (Philadelphus 
coronaria), but it is the generic name of the lilac; “smilax” is 
applied to a hothouse Asparagus, but it is the generic name of 
sarsaparilla and the greenbrier; “geranium’’ is really the spot- 
ted cranesbill of our woods, and not the cultivated Pelargoniunl 
known by that name; “nasturtium” is a Tropacolum, but it was 
formerly the generic name of insignificant plants belonging 
to the mustard family, now known as Radicula; the name 
“calla” is properly, applied to a small native swamp species 
rather than to the cultivated calla-lily, which is a Richardia; etc. 
Surely it would be no more difficult to use these names correctly 
than it is to apply them erroneously! 
Botanists have made repeated efforts to establish common 
names by including them in descriptive manuals, but in the great 
majority of cases they have not been accepted generally, and lo- 
cally the manuals have been criticised for giving the wrong com- 
mon name “because it did not conform to the local usage !” Des- 
pite all that botanical authors have attempted in the direction of 
fixing common names, to many people the columbine is still a 
“honey-suckle,” some species of Asparagus are “ferns,” and many 
names are hopelessly confused in common usage. The botanist 
can scarcely be justly criticised for turning to the scientific name 
for accurate designation when his own efforts to standardize 
common names receive such scant attention. 
The use of common names will continue, but those who use. 
them should join in some effort at standardization. In the great 
majority of cases it would probably be best to recognize the com- 
mon names which have appeared in edition after edition of our 
descriptive manuals. In many cases, however, it would be better 
to employ the generic name as the common name. Thus in the 
sedge family (Cyperaceae) it scarcely seems worth while to 
apply common names to all the species (as has been done in 
one of the recent manuals) since they are usually so difficult to dis- 
tinguish, but it would make for greater accuracy if the names of 
the genera, as Cyperus, Scirpus, Carex, Bleocharis, etc., should 
be adopted as common names of the plants in the several groups. 
A similar use of generic names could be made in many other 
cases, especially in the larger families, such as the Leguminosde, 
Lahiatae, Scrophulariaceae, Compositae, etc. 
To bring about this standardization of common names will re- 
quire the combined efforts of all who are interested. It is evi- 
