In article ,
Emery Davis writes:
|
| Why the hell that usage couldn't have continued is beyond me. But
| the whole way that the British botanical loons attempt to abuse the
| English language is ridiculous.
|
| Bring back the rope!

Well, perhaps, but this is more comparable to railing against the
rigid pub opening hours, which were an attempt to tackle a social
problem by legislation. And, of course, it was totally counter-
productive, but that hasn't stopped people claiming that the only
problem with it was that it wasn't draconian enough.

Upon checking, Ramsbottom (Keeper of Botany at the National History
Museum from 1930-1950) used "mycorrhiza" for both singular and
generic, and "mycorrhizas" for plural. The use of "mycorrhizae"
came at the same time, and probably from the same stable, that
perpetrated "alpine bartsia" and attempts to claim that established
uses of common names (like bluebell, north of the Border) are wrong.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.