The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (3 page)

albus/alba/album.
al
-boos/buh/boom. Lat. white.

atro-.
at
-roh. Lat. dark (used in combination).

aureus/aurea/aureum.
aw
-ree-oos/uh/oom. Lat. golden.

compactus/compacta/compactum.
kom-
pak
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. compact.

crispus/crispa/crispum.
kris
-poos/puh/poom. Lat. finely wavy.

elegans.
el
-i-ganz. Lat. elegant, slender.

fastigiatus/fastigiata/fastigiatum.
fas-tig-ee-
ah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. pointed (fastigate, narrow upright).

-florus/-flora/-florum.
flaw
-roos/ruh/room. Lat. flower (used in combination).

-folius/-folia/-folium.
foh
-lee-oos/uh/oom. Lat. leaf (used in combination).

glaucus/glauca/glaucum.
glaw
-koos/kuh/koom. Lat. bluish white.

grandi-.
gran
-di-. Lat. large (used in combination).

laciniatus/laciniata/laciniatum.
la-sin-ee-
ah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. deeply cut.

maculatus/maculata/maculatum.
mak-ew-
lah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. spotted.

macrophyllus/macrophylla/macrophyllum.
mak-
rof
-iloos/luh/loom. Gk. large-leaved.

major/major/majus.
may
-juh/juh/joos. Lat. larger.

marginatus/marginata/marginatum.
mar-jin-
ah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. margined.

maximus/maxima/maximum.
max
-i-moos/muh/moom. Lat. largest.

microphyllus/microphylla/microphyllum.
mik-
rof
-i-loos/luh/loom. Gk. small-leaved.

minimus/minima/minimum.
min
-i-moos/muh/moom. Lat. smallest.

minor/minor/minus.
mie
-nuh/nuh/noos. Lat. smaller.

monstrosus/monstrosa/monstrosum.
mon-
stroh
-soos/suh/soom. Lat. monstrous.

nanus/nana/nanum.
nah
-noos/nuh/noom. Lat. dwarf.

nigrus/nigra/nigrum.
nie
-groos/gruh/groom. Lat. black.

niveus/nivea/niveum.
niv
-ee-oos/uh/oom. Lat. snow-white.

pendulus/pendula/pendulum.
pen
-dew-loos/luh/loom. Lat. pendulous, weeping.

pictus/picta/pictum.
pik
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. painted (variegated).

plenus/plena/plenum.
pleen
-oos/uh/oom. Lat. full (used particularly for double flowers).

plumosus/plumosa/plumosum.
plue-
moh
-soos/suh/soom. Lat. feathery.

prostratus/prostrata/prostratum.
pro-
strah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. prostrate.

purpureus/purpurea/purpureum.
pur-
pew
-ree-oos/uh/oom. Lat. purple.

roseus/rosea/roseum.
roh
-zee-oos/uh/oom. Lat. pink or rose.

ruber/rubra/rubrum.
rue
-ber/bruh/broom. Lat. red.

splendens.
splen
-duhnz. Lat. splendid.

striatus/striata/striatum.
stree-
ah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. striped.

sulphureus/sulphurea/sulphureum.
sul-
few
-ree-oos/uh/oom. Lat. sulphur-coloured.

tortuosus/tortuosa/tortuosum.
tort-ew-
oh
-soos/suh/soom. Lat. twisted.

tricolor.
tri
-ko-lor. Lat. three-coloured.

undulatus/undulata/undulatum.
un-dew-
lah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. wavy-edged.

variegatus/variegata/variegatum.
va-ree-uh-
gah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. variegated.

Aaron’s beard
Hypericum calycinum

Aaron’s rod
Verbascum thapsus

Abelia
R. Br. (Linnaeaceae). uh-
bee
-lee-uh. After Clarke Abel (1780–1826), British surgeon and naturalist who discovered and introduced
A. chinensis
. 5 spp. shrubs. China, Japan.

chinensis
R. Br. chin-
en
-sis. Of China. China.

engleriana
(Graebn.) Rehder =
A. uniflora

floribunda
(M. Martens & Galeotti) Decne. =
Vesalea floribunda

×
grandiflora
Rehder. gran-di-
flaw
-ruh. Glossy abelia. Lat. large-flowered.
A. chinensis
×
A. uniflora
. Cult.

mosanensis
T. H. Chung ex Nakai =
Zabelia mosanensis

parvifolia
Hemsl. =
A. uniflora

schumannii
(Graebn.) Rehder =
A. uniflora

triflora
R. Br. ex Wall. =
Zabelia triflora

uniflora
R. Br. ew-nee-
flaw
-ruh. Lat. one-flowered (the flowers are borne singly). China.

abelia, fragrant
Zabelia mosanensis
.
glossy
Abelia
×
grandiflora

Abeliophyllum
Nakai (Oleaceae). uh-bee-lee-oh-
fil
-um. Gk. with leaves like
Abelia
. 1 sp., deciduous shrub. Korea.

distichum
Nakai.
dis
-tik-oom. White forsythia. Lat. arranged in two rows (the leaves).

Abelmoschus
Medik. (Malvaceae). a-buhl-
mosk
-oos. Arabian, father or source of musk, from the scented seeds. 15 spp. herbs. Trop. Asia.

esculentus
(L.) Moench. esk-ew-
lent
-oos. Lady’s fingers, okra. Lat. edible (the fruit). Tropics.

manihot
(L.) Medik.
man
-ee-hot. Sunset hibiscus. From the resemblance of the leaves to those of
Manihot
, from Brazilian Portuguese
mandioca
. SE Asia.

moschatus
Medik. mos-
kah
-toos. Musk okra/mallow. Arabian, musk-scented (the seeds). S Asia.

Abies
Mill. (Pinaceae).
a
-bee-ayz. Firs. From Lat. to rise, for their height. 48 spp. conifers. N hemisph.

alba
Mill.
al
-buh. Silver fir. Lat. white (the bark). Eur.

amabilis
Douglas ex J. Forbes. uh-
mah
-bi-lis. Pacific silver fir, red silver fir. Lat. beautiful. W N Am.

balsamea
(L.) Mill. ball-
sam
-ee-uh. Balsam fir, balm of Gilead fir. Lat. balsam-scented. N Am.

cephalonica
Loudon. kef-uh-
lon
-ikuh. Greek fir. Lat. of Cephalonia. S Greece.

concolor
(Gordon & Glend.) Lindl. ex Hildebr.
kon
-ko-lor. White fir. Lat. of similar colour (both leaf surfaces). W USA, Mex. (B.C.). var.
lowiana
(Gordon & Glend.) Lemmon.
low-ee-
ah
-nuh. After Messrs Low, to whose Clapton nursery William Lobb sent seed from California in 1851.

delavayi
Franch. del-uh-
vay
-ee. After French missionary Jean Marie Delavay (1834–1895), who collected the type specimen in Yunnan in 1884. SW China, N Myanmar.

forrestii
Coltm.-Rog. fo-
rest
-ee-ee. After Scottish botanist George Forrest (1873–1932), who collected the type specimen in Yunnan in 1910. SW China.

fraseri
(Pursh) Poir.
fray
-zuh-ree. Fraser fir. After Scottish botanist John Fraser (1750–1811), who discovered it and introduced it to cultivation ca. 1807. SE USA.

grandis
(Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindl.
gran
-dis. Giant fir, grand fir. Lat. large. W N Am.

homolepis
Sieb. & Zucc. ho-moh-
lep
-is. Nikko fir. Gk. with equal scales (on the cone). Japan.

koreana
E. H. Wilson. ko-ree-
ah
-nuh. Korean fir. Of Korea. S Korea.

lasiocarpa
(Hook.) Nutt. laz-ee-oh-
kar
-puh. Subalpine fir. Gk. with rough cones. W N Am. var.
arizonica
(Merriam) Lemmon. a-ri-
zon
-ikuh. Corkbark fir. Of Arizona. SW USA.

magnifica
A. Murray. mag-
ni
-fi-kuh. California red fir. Lat. magnificent. W USA.

nordmanniana
(Steven) Spach. nord-man-ee-
ah
-nuh. Nordmann fir. After its discoverer Alexander von Nordmann (1803–1866), Finnish zoologist. Caucasus, N Turkey.

numidica
de Lannoy ex Carrière. new-
mid
-i-kuh. Algerian fir. Of Numidia (now Algeria). Algeria.