I have a hunch that the only vernacular names/common names you'll see in old botanical names are those derived from languages other than the modern European languages.
And according to Stearne (see his Botanical Latin) Linnaeus did not approve of the use of aboriginal names unless he had an inkling of what they meant. In our times the gates have been opened wide for just about anything. Although I can think of many genus names and species names derived from aboriginal words, I can't offhand think of even one derived from the modern European languages other than those based on personal names. That makes sense to me because the whole purpose of using Latin was to avoid the confusion which would be unavoidable to an international readership if words were drawn from the local languages. Can anyone cite an example other than one coined in our times? Jim McKenney
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