NOTE O N THE USE OF PLANT NAMES
T h e policy h a s been to identify b y its scientific n a m e , w h e n e v e r pos- sible, a n y p l a n t mentioned b y a v e r n a c u l a r n a m e b y the contributors to this work. I n general, this has been done on t h e first occasion in each chapter w h e n a v e r n a c u l a r n a m e has been used. P a r t i c u l a r care was taken to e n s u r e t h e correct designation of plants mentioned in tables a n d figures w h i c h record actual observations. Sometimes, w h e n refer- ence has been m a d e b y a n a u t h o r to w o r k done b y others, it has not been possible to ascertain the exact identity of the p l a n t material origi- n a l l y used, because the original workers did not identify their m a t e r i a l except b y generic or common n a m e .
It should be unnecessary to state t h a t t h e precise identification of p l a n t m a t e r i a l used in experimental w o r k is as i m p o r t a n t for the endur- ing value of the work as the precise definition of a n y other variables in the work. " W a r m " or "cold" would not usually be considered a n ac- ceptable substitute for a precisely stated t e m p e r a t u r e , n o r could a gen- eral designation of " s u g a r " take t h e place of the precise molecular con- figuration of the substance used; "sunflower" and "Helianthus" are no m o r e acceptable as p l a n t n a m e s , considering h o w m a n y diverse species are covered b y either designation. P l a n t physiologists a r e becoming in- creasingly a w a r e t h a t different species of one genus (even different varieties or cultivars of one species) m a y differ in their physiological responses as well as in their external morphology, a n d t h a t experimen- tal plants should therefore be identified as precisely as possible if the observations m a d e are to be verified b y others.
On the assumption t h a t such common n a m e s as lettuce and bean a r e well understood, it m a y a p p e a r pedantic to append the scientific n a m e s to t h e m — b u t such a n assumption cannot safely b e m a d e . W o r k e r s in the United States w h o use the unmodified w o r d " b e a n " almost invari- ably are referring to some form of Phaseolus vulgaris; whereas in Britain Vicia faba, a p l a n t of another genus entirely, m i g h t be implied.
" A r t i c h o k e " is another such n a m e t h a t comes to m i n d , sometimes used for Helianthus tuberosus (properly, the J e r u s a l e m artichoke), though t h e true artichoke is Cynara scolymus.
By the frequent interpolation of scientific n a m e s , consideration has also been given to the difficulties t h a t a n y v e r n a c u l a r English n a m e alone m a y present to a reader whose native tongue is not English. E v e n some A m e r i c a n a n d most British botanists would be led into a misinter- pretation of the identity of "yellow poplar," for instance, if this ver-
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xii N O T E ON T H E U S E OF P L A N T N A M E S
n a c u l a r A m e r i c a n n a m e w e r e not supplemented b y its scientific equiv- alent Liriodendron tulipifera, for this is not a species of Populus as m i g h t be expected, but a m e m b e r of the quite u n r e l a t e d magnolia family.
W h e n reference has been m a d e to t h e w o r k of another investigator who, in his published papers, has used a p l a n t n a m e not n o w accepted b y the n o m e n c l a t u r a l authorities followed in t h e present work, t h a t n a m e ordinarily has been included in parentheses, as a s y n o n y m , im- mediately after the accepted n a m e . I n a few instances, w h e n it seemed expedient to employ a p l a n t n a m e as it was used b y a n original author, even though t h a t n a m e is not n o w recognized as the valid one, t h e valid n a m e , preceded b y the sign = , h a s been supplied in parentheses: e.g., Betula verrucosa (= B. pendula). S y n o n y m s have occasionally been added elsewhere also, as in t h e case of a p l a n t k n o w n a n d frequently reported u p o n in t h e literature u n d e r m o r e t h a n one n a m e : e.g., Pseudotsuga menziesii (P. taxifolia); species of Elodea (Anacharis).
H a v i n g adopted these conventions, their implementation rested first w i t h each contributor to this work; b u t all outstanding problems of n o m e n c l a t u r e h a v e been referred to Dr. W . J. Dress of the Bailey H o r t o r i u m , Cornell University. T h e authorities for t h e n o m e n c l a t u r e employed in this work h a v e been Bailey's Hortus Second a n d Bailey's Manual of Cultivated Plants for cultivated plants. F o r bacteria Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, for fungi Ainsworth a n d Bisbee's Dictionary of the Fungi h a v e been used as reference sources; other n a m e s h a v e been checked w h e r e necessary against Engler's Syllabus der Pflanzenfamilien. Recent taxonomic monographs a n d floras h a v e been consulted w h e r e necessary. Dr. Dress' w o r k in ensuring consist- e n c y and accuracy in the use of p l a n t n a m e s is deeply appreciated.
T H E EDITOR
