Dear Diana: You will note in the examples you gave, the species commemorate a person. In the International Code of botanical Nomenclature, the following is observed. When the name of the person ends in a vowel, the letter 'i' is added thus glazioui from Glaziou, baureaui from Burreau. The exception being when the name ends in 'a' when an e is added, thus balansae from Balansa. When the name ends in a consonant, the letters 'ii' are added. Thus from Ramond it becomes ramondii. When the name ends in 'er' then an 'i' is added, thus Kerner becomes kerneri. If a personal name is already Latin or Greek, the appropriate Latin genetive should be used. Alexander becomes alexandri, Linnaeus becomes linnaei, When the name is derived from the names of women, then these have a substantive form they are given the feminine termination, as for example Cypripedium hookerae, Rosa beatricis, Scabious olgae. These recommendations e-i were adapted from the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature in 1961. If you wish to know more I would suggest the book 'Botanical Latin' by William T. Stearn, published by David and Charles, in 1966, the 3rd edition revised in 1983, the 3rd impression 1986. It is a book well worth having. The International Code of botanical Nomenclature is well worth reading, if you have the patience! Cheers, John E. Bryan diana chapman wrote: > > Since we seem to have members on the PBS forum who are versed in Latin or > linguistics, I would like some clarification of spelling, if possible. > > Calochortus westoni when first described was spelled thus. It has morphed > into C. westonii, repeated in recent articles and even in the Jepson Manual. > What gives? The same applies to C. gunnisoni, now spelled C. gunnisonii. I > thought from my extremely distant memories of Latin that the "i" ending > means "of" or "from" or "belonging to" or something of that sort, so why put > two of them? Then what about C. leichtlinii, C. nuttallii, C. coxii, C. > howellii, C. lyallii and C. weedii? And then there's Camassia cusckii etc., > etc. > > Comments appreciated. > > Diana > Telos Rare Bulbs > > _______________________________________________ > pbs mailing list > pbs@lists.ibiblio.org > http://www.pacificbulbsociety.org/list.php