What's in a Plant Name?

Item Type text; Article

Authors Gould, F. W.

Citation Gould, F. W. (1975). What's in a Plant Name?. Journal of Range Management, 28(4), 330.

DOI 10.2307/3897790

Publisher Society for Range Management

Journal Journal of Range Management

Rights Copyright © Society for Range Management.

Download date 26/09/2021 13:37:47

Item License http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Version Final published version

Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/647060 What’s in a Plant Name?

FRANK W. GOULD It was not until 1848 that John based on the pendulant disposition of Torrey combined the first published the spikelets on the short reflexed Highlight: First described in 1803 as a species epithet, curtipendula, with the inflorescence branches. The “sideoats” species of Chloris, sideoats grama has been retained genus name, Bouteloua, to designation for B. curtipendula is given 18 scientific names (Latin binomtals) provide the valid scientific name somewhat of a misnomer in that this and 10 common names. The valid name combination, Bou teloua curtipendula. grass is not closely related to the oat wmbination, Bouteloua curtipendula, was The vernacular name “sideoats genus, A vena ; it is a warm season published by Torrey in 1848. grama” was not commonly used until perennial rather than a cool season after 1900. Bessey in 1888 referred to annual; and the spikelets are small and Relatively few range scientists and this grass as “muskit grass”; Vasey in crowded, rather than large and loosely ranchmen are aware of the sequence of 1889 used the names “mesquite grass” arranged as in Avena. events and changes in name usage that and “tall grama grass.” Tourney noted “This beautiful grass is have preceded present name in 1891: Literature Cited generally known to ranchmen as Tall designations for many familiar plants. Bessey, C. E. 1888. Grasses and forage Sideoats grama, the accepted Grama although in some localities it is known as one of the Mesquite plants of Nebraska. Reprinted from the “common name” for the widespread 10th Annual Report of the Nebraska grasses. ” In 1896 Wooton reported, and valuable range forage grass, State Board of Agr. 15 p. “ ‘The tall grama’ or ‘hairy mesquite’ is Bouteloua curtipendula, is a good Biswell, H. H., and J. E. Weaver. 1933. perhaps the most widely distributed of example. Sideoats grama was first Effect of frequent clipping on the any of the gramma grasses. . . .” known as Chloris curtipendula, a name development of roots and tops of grasses proposed by Michaux in 1803 on the L. H. Pammel of Iowa apparently in prairie sod. Ecology 14: 368-390. Featherly, A. S. 1938. Grasses of Oklahoma. basis of a collection from southern provided the first published record of Okla. Agr. Exp. Sta. Tech. Bull. 3: l-l 32. Illinois. Two years later, 1805, M. the name sideoats grama in 1897. Pammel stated, “Sideoats grama or tall Lagasca, M. 1805. Var. Ci. 4:141. Lagasca, a Spanish botanist, described Michaux, 1803. FL Bor. Amer. 1:59. grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) is A. the genus Bouteloua, named in honor common on the hills in central and Pammel, L. H. 1897. Notes on the grasses of two Spanish gardeners, the and forage plants of Iowa, Nebraska and Boutelou brothers. Lagasca listed five western Iowa.” S. M. Tracy, for whom Colorado. U.S. Dep. Agr. Div. Agrost. the herbarium at Texas A&M species in his new genus, including B. Bull. 9.47 p. University is named, was the next to racemosa, the sideoats grama taxon. Pammel, L. H., C. R. Ball, and F. Between 1806 and 1886 the names use the name “sideoats grama,” stating LamsonScribner. 1904. The grasses of Iowa. Part II. Iowa Geological Survey. Dinebra in 1898, “It is found from Mississippi cur tipendula, Eu triana 436 p. curtipendula, Cynodon curtipendula, to Georgia, though rarely abundant, and its growth should be encouraged.” Torrey, G. S. 1848. In, Emory, Notes Mil. A ndro pogon curtipendula, A ther- Reconn. 15 4. opogon curtipendulus, A theropogon After 1900 the name sideoats Tourney, J. W. 1891. Notes on some of the apludoides, Bouteloua melicaeformis, grama came into general usage but range grasses of Arizona. Ariz. Agr. Exp. Melica curtipendula, Cynosurus sec- other names were used by some Sta. Bull. 2. 6 p. undus, Dinebra secunda, Aristida sec- authors. In 1904 Pammel et al. Tracy, S. M. 1898. A report from the forage unda, Bouteloua curtipendula, Eu tri- referred to this grass as “tall grama plants and forage resources of the gulf ana affinis, Atheropogon affinis and oats” and in the same year Bessey used states. U.S. Dep. Agr. Div. Agrost. Bull. He terostega curtipendula, were pro- the name “tall grama.” Biswell and 15. 55 p. Vasey, G. 1889. The agricultural grasses and posed by different authors for this Weaver (1933) referred to Nebraska forage plants of the United States. same grass. plants both as sideoats grama and “slender grama” and J. M. Winter Special Bull. Govt. Printing Office, Washington. 115 p. (1936) used the name “prairie grama.” Winter, J. M. 1936. An analysis of the The author is distinguished professor and In 1938 H. I. Featherly of Oklahoma flowering plants of Nebraska. Nebraska curator, Department of Range Science, Texas A&M University. listed tall grama grass as an alternate Conserv. and Survey Div. Bull 13. This paper is Technical Article No. TA name for sideoats grama. 203 p. 11391, Texas Agricultural Experiment Both the common name, sideoats Wooton, E. 0. 1896. Some New Mexico Station. grama, and the specific epithet of the forage plants. New Mexico Agr. Exp. Manuscript received November 13, 1974. scientific name, curtipendula, are Sta. Bull. 18 :5 7-95.

330 JOURNAL OF RANGE MANAGEMENT 28(4), July 1975