Masson- was Re: masoniorum?

Jim McKenney jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com
Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:29:23 PDT
Roy wrote: “To confuse things even more, we also have:///Oxalis/ massoniana and
Oxalis massonorum

which I gather are valid names honoring Francis Masson. These are two
completely different plants.

Can someone please explain this one?”

 

Roy, I do not see an Oxalis massonorum in IPNI. But just for the sake of
argument, let’s pretend such a name exists. 

 

The name Oxalis massoniana is based on the genus Massonia (which itself is
based on the name of Francis Masson). The word massoniana is an adjective.
The Oxalis in question (I don’t know it) must resemble Massonia in some way.


 

The word massonorum (if such a word exists) would be based on the family
name Masson. As several people have pointed out in related threads, such
words are plural possessive nouns, and so it would honor at least two
persons named Masson. Names originally published as massonorum (if such
exist) would now routinely be corrected to the spelling massoniorum.  

 

Or at least that’s my take on it. 

 

Jim McKenney

jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com

Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone
7

My Virtual Maryland Garden http://www.jimmckenney.com/

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