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>OHijiaiuon 
Common Names of Plants. —A correspondent 
from Salena, California, writes: “ The Cabinet is gen¬ 
erally so correct in its names and descriptions of plants 
that I would suggest printing in your paper or in 
pamphlet form a correct list of garden flowers, with a 
list of the erroneous names commonly given in seeds¬ 
men’s and florists’ catalogues. No one expects a list 
describing each variety of Rose Geranium or Fuchsia, of 
which new kinds arc every year sent out by florists; 
but such blunders as calling Dicentra spectalbilis Di- 
clytra or Declytra, MfUa Call}', or Calceolaria Lady’s 
Slipper. Lilium speciosum (Japan Lily) is described as 
“ speciosum album lancifolium ” (Our correspondent is a 
little out. The Japan Lily is Lilium lancifolium.) Sedum 
carneum variegatum is written Caruceum. Hemrocalles 
and Funliia are classed as one, and both with Day Lily 
and“Fugia.” These are but a few of the examples. 
And then there is another annoyance: calling seeds and 
plants by their Latin names alone, or giving descrip¬ 
tions in one place by a Latin name and in another by a 
common. A dictionary of Latin names, with corre¬ 
sponding common names and the improper names most 
usually found, would be a blessing to lovers of flowers, 
and would, we think, well repay any one who would 
produce such a book at reasonable cost.” 
We agree with our correspondent that such a book 
might be useful; but that it would have any ex¬ 
tended circulation or pay the publisher we very much 
doubt. 
It would have no effect in making florists’ cata¬ 
logues more correct. Many who issue catalogues are 
illiterate men, and such probably would not take the 
trouble to be correct. There is, however, in this re¬ 
spect a marked improvement of late years, many of the 
catalogues published being generally correct in nomen¬ 
clature. But, even supposing such a volume would 
pay the publisher, the difficulty of compiling it would 
be very great, for the simple reason of the confusion 
of common names in this country, the same common 
name being applied in different sections of the coun¬ 
try to totally different plants. A well-known horticul¬ 
tural writer has been for many years collecting the 
common names of plants in the United States, with a 
view of publishing just such a work as you suggest. 
He has already several hundred pagpB of close writing, 
and the more he investigates the subject the more in¬ 
extricably confused does the work become. There is 
no general rule to go by, no uniformity of action, and 
generally no obvious association of the name with the 
plant. This fact brings us to the second part of your 
letter — the objection to Latin names. These scientific 
names are uniform all over the world. One name sug¬ 
gests the same plant to the botanist here and to one liv¬ 
ing at the antipodes. Even if the names were arbitrary 
and without meaning or application, the reason we 
have given would be sufficient to recommend them; but 
they usually are given for some reason either commemor¬ 
ative or with reference to some peculiarity of the plant. 
In this connection we cannot do better than to quote 
from a volume recently published in this city: 
“ Botanical or scientific names have generally been 
t given for some good reason. As a rule, they are gen¬ 
erally intended to point out something remarkable or 
characteristic in the plant, and are no more than class¬ 
ical ways of stating facts identically the same in na¬ 
ture as those expressed in “ Mue bell,” “ white-thorn” 
or “ dandelion,” or dent-de-leon. To persons acquaint¬ 
ed with Greek and Latin their meaning is obvious. 
[It would be a great educator if every botanical writer 
would subjoin to his book a glossary giving the deriva¬ 
tion and signification of every botanical name used by 
him. This is done in the volume above referred to.] 
“ The question is often asked: ‘ Why cannot flowers 
have ‘English names? ’ In one point of view, to give 
them English names is impracticable. On the other 
hand, they are already possessed of English names. 
Appellations like daisy and buttercup they can never 
possess and to attempt to bestow them would be a use¬ 
less and thankless task; for no one would be willing to 
accept them. It would be absurd. Fuchsia, Rhododen¬ 
dron, Iris, Chrysanthemum, Crocus, Narcissus, and a 
thousand others of corresponding fabric are thorough¬ 
ly un-English. 
“ The people who talk of Lilies and Roses, yet com¬ 
plain of Latin names, belong to the school of M. Jour- 
dain in MoliSre, who had ‘spoken prose all his life with¬ 
out knowing it ’; for in the former names they are 
wholly free from Saxon, Lily, Rose, and Violet being- 
nothing more than Latin words with the endings 
slightly altered. Botanical names will in time be 
adopted by all sensible people, without a murmur; just 
as we have accepted Fuchsia and Rhododendron and 
the hundreds of similar names, which have virtually 
become the English ones. They will in time slide into 
everyday speech, just as Polyanthus has done. Our 
own experience leads us to believe that those who ob¬ 
ject to Latin names do not want to learn the English 
ones either. 
“ There is no need to point out anew that without sci¬ 
entific names there could not possibly be any recipro¬ 
cal understanding or any uniformity of action among 
florists and botanists, especially those residing in dif¬ 
ferent countries, every geographical change implying a 
new set of vernacular terms.” 
Climbing Plants.--Training Zonale Gerani¬ 
ums. —Can you give the name of two good climbing 
plants for a hot greenhouse — one with varegaited leaves 
and one with fragrant flowers? A. C. B. 
New York. 
Answer. —1. Cissus discolor is a very ornamental plant, 
with beautifully marked foliage, which in certain lights 
is very lustrous. If good heat is given, it will grow all 
the year; but we prefer to let it rest a little in midwinter. 
Stephanotis floribunda has a dark green, thick foli¬ 
age and pure white, waxy, fragrant flowers. It blooms 
in spring and summer. Both these plants need rich 
soil and plenty of heat and water when growing; but 
less, of course, when at rest. They do best if planted 
out in the inside border, growing very freely and 
will in a short time cover the rafters; but may be 
grown in large pots very successfully. 
2. Zonale Geraniums may very easily be trained into a 
handsome shape by pinching the growing shoots, and 
thus causing the axillary eyes to break; repeating this 
as the side-shoots grow long. 
Seale on Plants. —Can you tell me what the in¬ 
sect is on the orange twig which I enclose? 
Lenox, Mass. A Subscriber. 
Answer .— The insect is the scale which infests vine 
Roses and all woody-stemmed plants. Make a strong 
suds with tobacco-soap. Take an old tooth-brush and 
scrub the stems where the scale is. Then with a sponge 
and lukewarm water wash every stem and leaf and 
shower the plant with clean water. If tobacco-soap 
does not kill the scale, try a suds made of carbolic 
soap with warm water in the same way. Several 
washings from time to time may be required, if the 
scale is bad. 
Magnolias.— -What Magnolias are hardy in the 
Northern States? A neighbor has a very fine one, with 
purple flowers, which bloom before the leaves come 
out. A. B. S. 
Troy, N. Y. 
Answer .—Your neighbor’s Magnolia is probably M. 
Soulangiana, one of the Chinese varieties. M. purpurea 
and Lenne also have purple flowers, but would not be 
hardy with you. M. conspicua has white flowers. All 
these arc Chinese. M. glauca has small white flowers; 
M. tripetula, Fraseri, and macrophylla very large white 
flowers; and M. acumina greenish yellow flowers. All 
these would probably stand with you; the last men¬ 
tioned certainly. 
Name of Plant.— Please tell me the name of the 
plant of which I enclose a leaf. I have had it for 
nearly four years and it has never bloomed. I think it 
is a hardy plant. It grows very little through the year; 
but every spring its buds, which are slowly forming 
during the year, burst out, and several new leaves are 
the result. M. G. Rorer. 
Ricliboro, Pa. 
Answer .—We cannot name plants from single leaves. 
It is quite probable your plant is a hardy shrub. Turn it 
into the open ground in spring. It may make more 
growth, and possibly flower. 
Name of Plant. —I enclose a plant raised from a 
seed resembling a scarlet bean. The plant is, in fact, a 
small tree, the body and branches of which have 
thorns resembling those on rose-bushes. Can you 
name it? C. A. O. 
Fulton, N. Y. 
Answer.— As we have often said, we cannot name 
plants from a single leaf. Your plant is probably one 
of the Erythrinas. It should be planted in the gar¬ 
den in warm, deep soil in summer, and may be wintered 
like a Dahlia, in a frost-proof cellar. The flowers 
are dull red, in long spikes. 
Seed of Banksia. —Can you tell me where I can 
obtain seeds of the plant called Banksia, named in 
honor of Sir Joseph Banks? 
Ipswich, Mass. S. B Dickenson. 
Ansicer.— The Banksias are coarse-growing New 
Holland plants, with flowers more curious than beauti¬ 
ful. Unless in some botanical garden, they will not 
now be found in cultivation, though formerly they 
were much grown in England. Wc hardly think you 
could find the seed in commerce; but it could be ob¬ 
tained by writing to Australia. 
Name of Plant. — Please tell me name of enclosed 
flower. Subscriber. 
Allentown, Pa. 
Answer . — The flower is Brugmansia Suawlens. The 
plant is coarse-growing and requires much room; but 
the flower is very showy, like a long white trumpet, 
and very fragrant. 
