256 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
PLANT NOMENCLATURE, III. 
The rules that it is expected will solve the difficulty 
are given below, a brief explanation when necessary 
accompanying each; 
Rule i. Priority of publication is to be regarded as 
the fundamental principle of botanical nomenclature. 
Names may be given for the glorification of authors. 
This rule tends to bring into common usage only one 
name and therefore only one author, and in time this 
can be omitted. In a sense this will deprive many 
authors of honor that must be perpetuated by great in- 
convenience to students or be obliterated in the interests 
of science. Further it means a personal sacrifice by 
which few of the older students can hope to benefit. 
The object however is not to deprive anyone of honor 
for the sake of doing it but rather in interest of science. 
Rule 2. The botanical nomenclature of both genera 
and species is to begin with the publication of the first 
edition of Linnjeus’ “Species Plantarrm” published in 
1 753 - 
This has been selectetl as the oldest work where 
descriptions are at all clear, exhaustive or recognizable 
as well as adopting the binomial system. .Accordingly 
no work of previous date is considered and this there- 
fore marks the starting point. 
Rule 3. In the transfer of a species to a genus 
other than the one under which it is first published, the 
original specific name is to be retained. 
It sometimes happens that the genus to which a 
plant was originally assigned, additional knowledge of 
the plant decides its name more properly belongs to a 
different genus anrl must therefore drop its original name 
for the right one. In such a case the specific name 
would still be retained thus: — from Linnaeus’ genus 
Polyiiodium, several genera have since been made and 
his Polypodium cristatum has its generic name altered 
to Dryopteris, but the specific name remains and we 
therefore have Dryopteris cristata and to give credit to 
the original author it is written Dryopteris cristata ( L. ) 
dray, signifying the retention of Linmeus’ specific name 
but denoting that Gray is the authority for the correct 
name. According to this rule we obtain such duplicate 
names of Sassafras Sassafras, Benzoin Benzoin, Dier- 
villa Diervilla, etc., where the generic and specific names 
are the same. 'Phis happens thus; — Linnaeus’ was the 
author of the name .\splenium Scolopendrium and when 
the genus was divided this plant was placed with Scolo- 
pendrium. The earliest authority for this last name 
was Karstin who gave it the name Scolopendrium, 
Scolopendrium ( Deulsch FI. 278. 1880 — 83) therefore 
the correct name of the genus is Scolopendrium taken 
from Karstin and the specific name Scolopendrium 
taken from Linna;us which equals Scolopendrium Scolo- 
pendrium Karst, or it could be written Scolopendrium 
( Karst ) Scolopendrium. 
Rule 4. The original name is to be maintained, 
whether published as species, subspecies or variety. 
This is merely a plank inserted in the platform oppos- 
ed to confusion. 
.\n instance may be cited in our native Yew the 
elder Michaiix in 1 803 calls it Taxus baccata v ir, minor; 
whereas in 1806 Willdenow called it Taxus Canadensis. 
Both referred it to the correct genus but Michauxs’ 
specific name being the older that would have the pre- 
ference. In this case however the plant he reduces to 
a variety of the European Yew was raised to specific 
rank and his varietal name was made the specific thus 
Taxus minor (Michx.) 
Rule 5. The publication of a generic name or a 
binominal invalidates the name for any subsequently 
published genus or species respectively. 
Thus Halesia a name given to the Silver Bell by 
Ellis in 1756 was later found to be wrongly placed and 
the name Mohria was proposed — this was the name of 
a fern and upon discovery (after publication) it was 
substituted by Mohrodendron. 
The generic name is therefore Mohrodendron but 
Linnfeus’ specific name is retained which makes it 
Mohrodendron carolinum (L. ) Britton. According to 
this rule one name only is preserved for a genus or 
species— the first one used unless it rightly belonged to 
another in which case the next oldest is to be used. 
Occasionally it happens that by mistake or without full 
knowledge of other names the same name is given to 
two different plants, thus the §oft or white maple has 
long been known as Acer dasycarpum according to 
Ehrhardt and the Rock or Sugar maple was called .-\cer 
saccharinum by Wangenheim. It happens that Linnaeus 
called the Silver maple .Acer Saccharinum in 1753 which 
therefore supersedes Ehrhardts name give in 1789. 
Wangenheim gave the rock maple the name of .Acer 
Saccharinum in 1787 and Marshall named it Acer 
Sa- charum in 1785 therefore the latter is correct for 
the Rock maple. Supposing this tree had not been re- 
ferred to any species previous to Wangenheim, even 
though it would then have been the oldest it could not 
be used because Linnaeus had used the same name 32 
years before and the procedure would have been to use the 
next oldest name for the Rock maple which would have 
been Acer barbatum, Michx (FI. Bor. .Am. 2:252. 1803.) 
Rule 6. Publication of genus consists only, (i ) in 
the distribution of a printed description of the genus 
named; (2 ) in the publication of the name of the genus 
and the citation of one or more previously published 
species as examples or types of the genus, with or with- 
out a diagnosis. 
Rule 7. Publication of a species only, (1.) in the 
distribution of a printed description of the species 
named; ( 2 ) in the publishing of a binominal, with re- 
ference to a previously published species as a type. 
Rule 8. Similar generic names are not to be reject- 
ed on account of slight differences, except in the spelling 
of the same word. 
Rule 9. In the case of a species which has been 
transferred fron one genus to another, the original author 
must always be cited in parenthesis followed by the 
author of the new binominal. 
Rule 10. In determining the name of a genus or 
species to which two or more names have been given 
by an author in the same volume, or on the same page 
of a volume, precedence shall decide. 
Emil Alisihe. 
