Table Of ContentPublished in North America in 2020 by Princeton University Press,
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An Encyclopedia of Latin Plant Names
ROSS BAYTON
with more than 5,000 entries
and 350 botanical illustrations
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY PRESS
PRINCETON AND OXFORD
Contents
Introduction 7
How to Use This Book 8
A Guide to the Use of Latin 10
Why Botanical Latin Is Used for Plant Names 12
A Brief History of Botanical Art 17
How the Study of DNA Is Changing Plant Names 20
Practical Uses of Botanical Latin 22
Acknowledgments and Credits 319
Index of Common Names 321
THE A-Z LISTINGS OF LATIN PLANT NAMES
A from a- to azureus 25 N from Nandina to Nyssa 211
B from Babiana to byzantinus 55 O from obconicus to Ozothamnus 217
C from Cabomba to Cytisus 69 P from pachy- to Pyrus 223
D from Daboecia to Dysosma 105 Q from quadr- to Quisqualis 251
E from e-, ex- to eyriesii 119 R from racemiflorus to rutilans 253
F from fabaceus to futilis 129 S from sabatius to szechuanicus 263
G from gaditanus to Gypsophila 139 T from Tabernaemontana to Typhonium 287
H from Haageocereus to hystrix 149 U from Ugni to Uvularia 299
I from ibericus to Ixora 161 V from vacciniifolius to vulgatus 303
J from Jaborosa to juvenilis 169 W from Wachendorfia to Wulfenia 309
K from Kadsura to kurdicus 173 X from xanth- to Xerophyllum 313
L from labiatus to Lythrum 177 Y from yakushimanus to Yushania 315
M from Maackia to Myrtus 193 Z from zabelianus to Zygopetalum 317
GENUS SPOTLIGHT FACT SPOTLIGHT
Acanthus 26 Mixing It Up 37
Achillea 27 The Gender of Trees 47
Alyssum 38 Language Bias 62
Bismarckia 61 Clerical Classification 81
Calceolaria 69 Women in Botany 99
Cyperus 102 Doctor of Medicine 113
Digitalis 112 Founding Fathers 137
Eryngium 124 Officer and Gentleman 153
Eucalyptus 125 Taxonomic Shortcuts 159
Foeniculum 134 Sprechen Sie Deutsch? 175
Geranium 140 Physician, Heal Thyself 189
Ginkgo 142 Gift of the Gods 211
Helianthus 150 Chemical Composition 230
Heuchera 154 Pteris and Pteridology 247
Ilex 161 Handy Habitat Hints 267
Jasminum 170 Naming a Giant 285
Lycopersicon 191 What’s in a Name? 301
Magnolia 194 Keeping It in the Family 315
Mahonia 195
Nymphaea 215
Parthenocissus 226
Passiflora 227
Plumbago 241
Pulmonaria 248
Quercus 251
Rhinanthus 256
Sempervivum 270
Streptocarpus 282
Tropaeolum 296
Vaccinium 303
Viscum 307
Wollemia 311
Zamioculcas 317
Introduction
For any gardener, knowing the names of the plants in your The enduring benefits of using this botanical tongue are
care is crucial. Not only does it let you share what you are that scientists, growers, and gardeners can communicate
growing with friends and family, it unlocks a world of useful about plants with accuracy, no matter what language
information, both in books and online, helping you to make they speak. So whether it is bluebell (Scotland), harebell
the best of the plants you grow. But why do the names have to (England), bluebell-bellflower (United States), campanilla
be in Latin? Many garden plants have English names that are (Spanish), campanule à feuilles rondes (French), or
much easier to remember. The trouble is, those names vary rundblättrige glockenblume (German), it is universally
depending on who you talk to. In the United States, bluebell Campanula rotundifolia. Latin names are not static, however,
is a common name for plants in the Mertensia genus, but and new information is always being discovered—on page 20
in Scotland a bluebell is Campanula rotundifolia and in we look at how DNA is revealing old and new relationships
England it is Hyacinthoides non-scripta. Not surprisingly, between plants.
there are other bluebells, including desert bluebell (Phacelia Understanding Latin names brings other benefits. Most
campanularia) in California and royal bluebell (Wahlenbergia obviously, they can reveal useful information that is helpful
gloriosa) in Australia. There are even bluebell creepers, to the gardener. Armeria maritima thrives by the sea, while
Clitoria ternatea in the United States and Asia as well as Geum rivale does not mind getting its feet wet. Toxicodendron
Billardiera heterophylla in Australia. With “bluebells” is best avoided, while silky soft Alchemilla mollis is a pleasure
occurring seemingly worldwide, it is essential for each to have to touch. Botanical Latin has other practical uses, too, which
its own unique name, because the cultivation requirements are discussed on page 22.
for an English bluebell differ widely from those of its Latin names also reveal fascinating stories, such as the tale
Antipodean namesakes. of French diplomat Jean Nicot, who popularized tobacco,
The decision to use Latin for this naming system stems which now bears his name (Nicotiana), or the moving
largely from its historical use by scholars. A university account of a promising Scottish botanist who fell during
education in the eighteenth century required familiarity with World War I and is commemorated for evermore (Briggsia).
both Latin and Greek, allowing for students to access the Delve into our dictionary of botanical Latin and you will find
works of classical writers from ancient Greece and Rome. interest, inspiration, and intrigue in equal measure.
Much of the “Latin” in use in horticulture is actually derived
from Greek. How botanical Latin has changed over time, and
botanical art alongside, is discussed on pages 12 and 17.
left: French diplomat Jean Nicot is
immortalized in the Latin name for
tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum.
7
How to Use This Book
The following section of the book contains about 5,000 Latin Where a genus term can also be used for a species, it is
botanical terms arranged alphabetically. These are terms that included in parentheses afterward.
you might come across either for the genus or the species At the end of the book is an index of 2,000 of some of the
name of a plant. The term appears first, then a guide to most frequently used common names. Here, you can look up
pronunciation. The following line provides the feminine a plant that you know by its common name and find the
and neuter versions of the name, if applicable, followed by Latin name. You can then look up what the Latin term means
the etymology of the word. This will explain the meaning in the alphabetical listings section.
(or meanings) behind the Latin term. For the genus entries, Pronunciation of botanical Latin can vary, so the
the family name is also included in parentheses at the end. examples provided here are a guide rather than a definitive
An example of a plant name that features the term is directive. Capital letters indicate where the stress should fall.
also supplied. Where gender variations occur, pronunciation is given for
Where variations in spelling occur, they are grouped only the masculine version.
together, as in: Most gardeners will have encountered plants that seem to
have not only numerous common names but also variations
in their Latin appellations. Some epithets, which were once
cashmerianus
in wide usage, have now become obsolete, perhaps due to
kash-meer-ee-AH-nus
reclassification of the plants to which they were once applied.
cashmeriana, cashmerianum
– However, because these names may still sometimes be found
cashmirianus
in old horticultural works, as synonyms in modern texts, or
kash-meer-ee-AH-nus
when browsing the varied sources of the Internet, they have
cashmiriana, cashmirianum
– been included for completeness. The RHS Plant Finder by
cashmiriensis the Royal Horticultural Society in England provides a general
kash-meer-ee-EN-sis guide to current nomenclatural opinion, if required, that is
cashmiriensis, cashmiriense
often used internationally as a reliable up-to-date source, but
From or of Kashmir, as in Cupressus
you can also check the USDA plants database for plants by
cashmeriana
their scientific or common names.
Helped by an informed understanding of botanical
nomenclature, it is hoped that gardeners will be able to make
better gardens filled with better plants; plants that sit well in
their site, thrive in the conditions provided for them, and
have the form, habit, and color that make for the most
aesthetically pleasing association with their neighbors.
8
