It is said that only he could have written this work, which explains not just the derivation of plant names but also the philological principles involved in forming those names.[9][21] The work is considered responsible for the continued survival of Latin as the lingua franca of botany.[5] In addition to this seminal text, he frequently delighted in the illumination that the classics could add to understanding plants and plant lore, such as his Five Brethren of the Rose (1965).[101]