The nomenclatural significance of Thomas Martyn’s monumental revision (and expansion) of Philip Miller’s Gardeners dictionary, namely Martyn’s puzzlingly neglected The gardener’s and botanist’s ...dictionary (1795–1807), is assessed with particular reference to New World botany. The publication dates of its constituent parts are discussed; a key resource is internal evidence, citation of recently published works, notably Roxburgh’s Plants of the coast of Coromandel, publication dates of which are also made more precise through examination of Royal Society of London records. Besides making more secure currently accepted names in Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae), Liatris (Compositae) and Meniscium (Thelypteridaceae), a number of other additions and corrections to current databases are identified, those affecting currently accepted names being disposed of here. This results merely in a new combination in Ctenodon (Leguminosae) being proposed, though Croton cochinchinensis Martyn may well be an earlier name for C. cascarilloides Raeusch. (Euphorbiaceae), while Mimosa carthagenensis Martyn (Leguminosae) is lectotypified such that it conclusively falls into the synonymy of Piptadenia retusa (Jacq.) P.J. Ribeiro & al. (Leguminosae).
A consideration of the naming of Hibiscus patersonius (Malvaceae) and similar names leads to the conclusion that such adjectival forms in specific epithets are in accordance with Classical Latin and ...that their "correction" to other adjectival forms or the genitive form of nouns is disruptive in botanical Latin.
The history of publication of the generic name Murraya (“Murraea”, Rutaceae) is set out in the context of the interactions between Linnaeus, J.G. König, N.L. Burman, and C. Kleijnhoff. It is ...concluded that M. exotica L. (and therefore Murraya J.Koenig) must be typified by a sterile sheet in Linnaeus’s herbarium and not by a neotype recently proposed. To ensure stability of nomenclature for the horticultural and pharmacological industries, as well as in the plant pathological and other biological literature, it is proposed that Nair’s lectotypification of Chalcas paniculata L. (and therefore Chalcas L.), be superseded so as to maintain current usage of both Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack s.l. and M. paniculata s.str. to include orange jasmine.
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