Cf)e Bfjobotjenljron ^ocietp ^ctesl, 
THE SPELLING OF RHODODENDRON NAMES. 
Letter from Lieut.-Colonel Sir David Prain, C.M.G., with a Memorandum 
FROM THE Keeper of the Herbarium and Library, Royal Botanic Gardens, 
Kew. 
Royal Botanic Gardens, 
Kew, Surrey. 
Dear Mr. Eley, 
As regards the questions of nomenclature I cannot do better, I think, than 
enclose in original a memorandum by the Keeper of the Herbarium which 
might be taken as an authoritative statement of the effects of compliance with 
the Vienna Code. 
With kind regards. Yours sincerely, 
\ith March, 1919. D. PRAIN. 
Memorandum respecting the Spelling of Rhododendron Names. 
Taking the recommendations of the Vienna Code of 1905 as a basis, the 
following rules would have to be adhered to :— 
1. Recomm. XL Specific name from the name of a man. 
(a) When the name ends in a vowel, the letter i is added. 
(b) When the name ends in a consonant, the letters ii are added, except 
when the word ends er, when i is added. 
(d) When specific names taken from the name of a person have an 
adjectival form a similar plan is adopted. 
According to these we would have for instance :— 
(a) Rhododendron Blumei, Nutt, and Rhododendron Vaseyi, A. Gray. 
(b Rhododendron Kendrickii, AmW. and Rhododendron Hookeri, Nutt. 
(d) Rhododendron Brookeanum, Low. and Rhododendron Bland- 
INIANUM, Martr. 
Recomm. XH. The same applies to the names of women. These are written 
in the feminine when they have a substantival form, e.g.. Rhododendron Cham¬ 
pions, Hook. 
2. Recomm. X. Specific names begin with a small letter, except those 
which are taken from names of persons (substantives or adjectives), or those 
which are old generic names (substantives or adjectives). 
e.g.. Rhododendron afghanicum, Aitch. and Hemsel., Rhododendron Blan- 
DiNiANUM, Martr., Rhododendron Albrechtii, Maxim., Rhododendron Rhodora, 
J. F. Gmel. (because of the old generic name Rhodora, Linn.), and Rhododendron 
anthopogon, D. Don. (meant as a descriptive adjective). 
mh March, 1919. O. STAPF. 
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