[Taxacom] Spelling help sought

[Thomas G. Lammers]

At 02:41 PM 9/12/2007, john.steel at botany.otago.ac.nz wrote:
>I have been asked for an explanation for the use of 'rachis' v. 
>'rhachis'.  Stace uses
>'rhachis', but I seldom see it spelled this way today.  .

Without looking or knowing much Greek, I think the original Greek root had 
a "spiritus asper" (a rough exhalation) on the initial "rho".  The spiritus 
asper is supposed to be transliterated as an "h" but this often was often 
ignored.


Thomas G. Lammers, Ph.D.

Associate Professor and Curator of the Herbarium (OSH)
Department of Biology and Microbiology
University of Wisconsin Oshkosh
Oshkosh, Wisconsin 54901-8640 USA

e-mail:       lammers at uwosh.edu
phone:      920-424-1002
fax:           920-424-1101

Plant systematics; classification, nomenclature, evolution, and 
biogeography of the Campanulaceae s. lat.

Webpages:
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/Lammers.htm
http://www.uwosh.edu/departments/biology/herbarium/herbarium.html
http://www.geocities.com/TheTropics/Resort/7156/lammers.html
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