Proserpina, Volume 1: Studies of Wayside Flowers, While the Air was Yet Pure Among the Alps and in the Scotland and England Which My Father KnewRuskin, John
Science
Proserpina, Volume 1: Studies of Wayside Flowers, While the Air was Yet Pure Among the Alps and in the Scotland and England Which My Father Knew
Ruskin, John
Flowers; Plants
I have said elsewhere, and can scarcely repeat too often, that a day will
come when men of science will think their names disgraced, instead of
honoured, by being used to barbarise nomenclature; I hope therefore that my
own name may be kept well out of the way; but, having been privileged to
found the School of Art in the University of Oxford, I think that I am
justified in requesting any scientific writers who may look kindly upon
this book, to add such of the names suggested in it as they think deserving
of acceptance, to their own lists of synonyms, under the head of "Schol.
Art. Oxon."
The difficulties thrown in the way of any quiet private student by existing
nomenclature may be best illustrated by my simply stating what happens to
myself in endeavouring to use the page above facsimile'd. Not knowing how
far St. Bruno's Lily might be connected with my own pet one, and not having
any sufficient book on Swiss botany, I take down Loudon's Encyclopaedia of
Plants, (a most useful book, as far as any book in the present state of the
science _can_ be useful,) and find, under the head of Anthericum, the Savoy
Lily indeed, but only the {8} following general information:--"809.
Anthericum. A name applied by the Greeks to the stem of the asphodel, and
not misapplied to this set of plants, which in some sort resemble the
asphodel. Plants with fleshy leaves, and spikes of bright _yellow_ flowers,
easily cultivated if kept dry."
Hunting further, I find again my Savoy lily called a spider-plant, under
the article Hemerocallis, and the only information which the book gives me
under Hemerocallis, is that it means 'beautiful day' lily; and then, "This
is an ornamental genus of the easiest culture. The species are remarkable
among border flowers for their fine _orange_, _yellow_, or _blue_ flowers.
The Hemerocallis coerulea has been considered a distinct genus by Mr.
Salisbury, and called Saussurea." As I correct this sheet for press,
however, I find that the Hemerocallis is now to be called 'Funkia,' "in
honour of Mr. Funk, a Prussian apothecary."
All this while, meantime, I have a suspicion that my pet Savoy Lily is not,
in existing classification, an Anthericum, nor a Hemerocallis, but a
Lilium. It is, in fact, simply a Turk's cap which doesn't curl up. But on
trying 'Lilium' in Loudon, I find no mention whatever of any wild branched
white lily.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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