Conventions Employed in Dictionary

  Hyphenated epithets have been written as single words, unless this would be contrary to the provisions of the Code.

  It should be noted that in Latin texts, plant names are declined to satisfy the rules of grammar for that language and so may differ from their typical, dictionary form. For example, in the following sentence, Panico teretifolio is in the dative as required by the participle affinis: “Species nova Panico teretifolio affinis sed spiculis grandioribus, gluma inferiore breviore et panicula diffusiore differt”. In translation the sentence reads in English as “New species allied to Panicum teretifolium but it differs by the larger spikelets, the shorter lower glume and the more diffuse panicle”. Here the typical (nominative) form is Panicum teretifolium, which is the form under which generic and specific names are recorded in this dictionary.

  The years of birth and death of those honored by generic and specific names have been taken in the main from standard sources. In many instances, those honored have checked their own entries.

  Throughout, the origins of words are given as in non-technical non-specialized dictionaries, thereby enabling most entries to be checked in libraries. However, over the past 250 years Botanical Latin has incorporated many words from Medieval and Late Latin, and so consistency of meaning cannot be expected.

  As noted above, misspellings of specific names resulting from employing a termination that fails to reflect the gender of the generic name, as presently understood, have been corrected. However, whilst the gender of most generic names is unambiguous, disputes regarding gender have arisen from time to time, largely because of differences of opinion as to the proper manner of forming names from Greek roots. Thus, whereas Linnaeus regarded Andropogon as neuter, most recent botanists have treated the word as masculine. These differences of opinion are expressed in the specific epithets. Whereas Linnaeus (1753) refers to Heteropogon contortum, more recent works which retain the species in Heteropogon would refer to Heteropogon contortus. Herein, specific epithets have been cited in terms of their presently accepted correct genders.

  A few grass species were originally mistaken for sedges (Cyperaceae). For example, Pharus brasiliensis and Abildgaardia polystachya are synonyms. Genera and species now accepted as sedges are not defined in the dictionary. In addition to the references specifically cited in the preceding text, we have included below the principal biographical sources consulted. To have included the sources of the many thousands of original descriptions investigated would have been impractical. Searches of the World Wide Web provided much useful information, especially as to geographic localities, biographical details and places of publication. The principal web sites consulted are appended below.

  Brown RW (1979) Composition of scientific words. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington

  Brummitt RK, Powell CE (eds) (1992) Authors of plant names. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

  Chase A, Niles CD (1962) Index to grass species. 3 vols, G. K. Hall & Co., Boston

  Clifford HT (1987) Spikelet and floral morphology. In: Soderstrom TS, Hilu KW, Campbell CS,

  Barkworth ME (eds) Grass systematics and evolution, an international symposium held at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., 27–31 July, 1986. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, Chap. 3, pp 21–30

  Cohen SB (ed) (1998) The Columbia Gazetteer of the World. 3 vols, Columbia University Press, New York

  Desmond R (1977) Dictionary of British and Irish botanists and horticulturalists incl. plant collectors and botanical artists. Taylor & Francis Ltd., London

  Everist SL (1979) Poisonous plants of Australia, 2nd ed. Angus and Robertson, Sydney

  Flinders M (1814) A voyage to Terra Australis: Undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802, and 1803. 2 vols, W. Bulmer, London

  Funk VA, Scott AM (1989) A bibliography of plant collectors in Bolivia. Smithson Contrib Bot 70:1–20

  Greuter W (Chairman) (2000) International code of botanical nomenclature (St. Louis Code). International Association of Plant Taxonomy. Regnum Vegetabile 131. Koeltz Scientific Books, Königstein

  Hitchcock AS (1950) Manual of the grasses of the United States. United States Dept. of Agriculture, Misc. Publication No. 200, edn 2, revised A. Chase

  Holmgren PK, Holmgren NH, Barnett LC (eds) (1990) Index herbariorum, part 1: The herbaria of the world. 8th edn. New York Botanical Garden, New York

  Lanjouw J, Stafleu FA (1954–1988) Index herbariorum, part II (nos. 1–7). Collectors. International Bureau for Plant Taxonomy and Nomenclature, Utrecht (nos. 1–3); Bohn, Sheltema & Holkema, Utrecht & Dr. W. Junk, The Hague (nos. 4–7)

  Linnaeus C (1753) Species Plantarum. A facsimile of the first edition 1753, vol. 1, with an introduction by W. T. Stearn. Ray Society, London

  Rabelais F (1546) The complete works of François Rabelais. Translated from the French by Donald M. Frame, 1991. University of California Press, Berkeley

  Stafleu FA, Cowan RS (1976–1978) Taxonomic literature. A selective guide to botanical publications and collections with dates, commentaries and types. 7 vols. Bohn, Scheltema & Holkema, Utrecht

  Stafleu FA, Mennega EA (1992–2000) Taxonomic literature. Suppl. I–VI. Koeltz Scientific Books, Königstein

  Stearn WT (1992) Botanical Latin, 4th edn. David & Charles Publishers, Newton Abbot, Devon

  Steenis-Kruseman MJ van (1950) Malaysian plant collectors and collections: Alphabetical list of collectors. Flora Malesiana 1(5):5–605

  Steenis-Kruseman MJ van (1958) Malaysian plant collectors and collections, supplement I: Alphabetical list of collectors, supplement. Flora Malesiana 1(5):ccli–cccxlii

  Steinberg CH (1977) The collectors and collections in the Herbarium Webb. Webbia 32(1):1–49