Read The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants Online

Authors: Allen Coombes

The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (25 page)

BOOK: The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants

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Chamaelirium
Willd. (Melanthiaceae). kam-ee-
li
-ree-oom. Gk. dwarf, lily. 1 sp., tuberous herb. E USA, SE Canada.

luteum
(L.) A. Gray.
lue
-tee-oom. Blazing star, fairywand. Lat. yellow (the flowers age to).

Chamaemelum
Mill. (Asteraceae). kam-ee-
mel
-oom. Gk. dwarf, apple, from the scent. 2 spp. herbs. Eur., Medit.

nobile
(L.) All.
noh
-bi-lee. Chamomile. Lat. renowned (healing properties). W Eur.

Chamaerops
L. (Arecaceae).
kam
-eerops. Gk. dwarf, bush, referring to its shrubby habit. 1 sp., palm. W Medit.

humilis
L.
hew
-mil-is. Dwarf fan palm. Lat. low (growing). var.
argentea
André. ar-
jen
-tee-uh. Lat. silvery (the foliage). N Africa.

Chamerion
(Raf.) Raf. (Onagraceae). ka-
me
-ree-on. From Gk. dwarf,
Nerium
. 8 spp. herbs. N temp. regs.

angustifolium
(L.) Holub. an-gus-ti-
foh
-lee-oom. Rose-bay willow herb. Lat. narrow-leaved.

chamomile
Chamaemelum nobile
.

dyers’
Anthemis tinctoria

chaste tree
Vitex agnus-castus

checkerberry
Gaultheria procumbens

Cheilanthes
Sw. (Pteridaceae). kie-
lanth
-eez. Gk. lip or edge, flower, referring to the marginal sporangia. 150 spp. ferns. Widespread.

lanosa
(Michx.) D. C. Eaton. lan-
oh
-suh. Hairy lip fern. Lat. woolly (the fronds). E USA.

sinuata
(Lag. ex Sw.) Domin =
Astrolepis sinuata

tomentosa
Link. to-men-
toh
-suh. Woolly lip fern. Lat. hairy (the fronds). S USA.

Cheiranthus cheiri
L. =
Erysimum cheiri

Chelidonium
L. (Papaveraceae). kel-i-
doh
-nee-oom. From Gk. swallow (it was said to restore their sight). 1 sp., herb. Eur., N Asia.

majus
L.
may
-joos. Greater celandine, swallowwort. Lat. large.

Chelone
L. (Plantaginaceae). kee-
loh
-nee. Turtlehead. Gk. turtle, tortoise, from the resemblance of the flowers to a turtle’s head. 4 spp. herbs. SE Canada, E USA.

barbata
Cav. =
Penstemon barbatus

glabra
L.
glab
-ruh. Balmony, white turtlehead. Lat. smooth (the leaves).

lyonii
Pursh. lie-
on
-ee-ee. Pink turtle-head. After John Lyon (1765–1814), Scottish plant collector in the E USA, who discovered it. SE USA.

obliqua
L. o-
bleek
-wuh. Red turtle-head. Lat. oblique (the mouth of the corolla). E USA.

chenar tree
Platanus orientalis

chenille plant
Acalypha hispida

Chenopodium
L. (Amaranthaceae). kee-noh-
poh
-dee-oom. Gk. goose foot, referring to the shape of the leaves. 100 spp., herbs, subshrubs. Widespread.

album
L.
al
-boom. Fat hen, goosefoot. Lat. white (the leaves).

ambrosioides
L. =
Dysphania ambrosioides

bonus-henricus
L.
boh
-noos-
hen
-rikoos. Good King Henry. Lat. good Henry, from the German name
Guter Heinrich
, possibly a corruption of
heimrich
(German, home, good to eat). Eur.

botrys
L. =
Dysphania botrys

capitatum
(L.) Ambrosi. kap-i-
tah
-toom. Indian paint, strawberry blite. Lat. in a head (the flowers). N Am.

chequer tree
Sorbus torminalis

cherry, bird
Prunus padus
.
black
P. serotina
.
Carolina laurel
P. caroliniana
.
choke
P. virginiana
.
cornelian
Cornus mas
.
downy
Prunus tomentosa
.
Fuji
P. incisa
.
Jerusalem
Solanum pseudocapsicum
.
Manchurian
Prunus maackii
.
pin
P. pensylvanica
.
rum
P. serotina
.
sand
P. pumila
.
sour
P. cerasus
.
sweet
P. avium
.
western choke
P. virginiana
var.
melanocarpa
.
western sand
P. pumila
var.
besseyi

cherry pie
Heliotropium arborescens

chervil
Anthriscus cerefolium

chestnut
Castanea
.
American
C. dentata
.
Chinese
C. mollissima
.
Spanish
C. sativa
.
sweet
C. sativa

Chiastophyllum oppositifolium
(Ledeb.) A. Berger =
Umbilicus oppositifolius

chicory
Cichorium intybus

Chilean bellflower
Lapageria rosea

Chilean firebush
Embothrium coccineum

Chimonanthus
Lindl. (Calycanthaceae). kim-on-
anth
-oos. Gk. winter flower (they flower in winter). 6 spp. shrubs. China.

praecox
(L.) Link.
prie
-koks. Winter-sweet. Lat. early (flowering).

Chimonobambusa
Makino (Poaceae). ki-mo-noh-bam-
bew
-suh. Gk. winter,
Bambusa.
In some, the shoots appear in winter. 37 spp. bamboos. E Asia, mainly China.

marmorea
(Mitf.) Makino. mar-
mor
-ree-uh. Marbled bamboo. Lat. marbled (the young culm sheaths). Japan.

quadrangularis
(Fenzi) Makino. kwod-rang-ew-
lah
-ris. Lat. four-angled (the shoots). China.

tumidissinoda
D. Ohrnb. tew-mi-disi-
noh
-duh. Walking stick bamboo. Lat. with very swollen nodes. China.

Chinese gooseberry
Actinidia deliciosa

Chinese houses
Collinsia heterophylla

Chinese lantern
Physalis alkekengi

chinkapin
Castanea pumila

chinquapin
Castanea pumila

Chionanthus
L. (Oleaceae). kee-on-
an
-thoos. Gk. snow flower, referring to the white flowers. 60 spp., shrubs, trees. E Asia, USA, Africa.

retusus
Lindl. ree-
tew
-soos. Chinese fringe tree. Lat. blunt with a shallow notch (the leaf tip). E Asia.

virginicus
L. vir-
jin
-i-koos. Fringe tree. Of Virginia. E and C USA.

Chionodoxa forbesii
Baker =
Scilla forbesii

gigantea
Whittall =
Scilla luciliae

luciliae
Boiss. =
Scilla luciliae

sardensis
Whittall ex Barr & Sayden =
Scilla sardensis

×
Chitalpa
T. S. Elias & Wisura (Bignoniaceae). chi-
tal
-puh. From the names of the parents (
Catalpa
×
Chorisia
). Shrubs, trees. Cult.

taschkentensis
T. S. Elias & Wisura. tash-kent-
en
-sis. Of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, where it was raised.
Catalpa bignonioides
×
Chorisia linearis
.

chittamwood
Cotinus obovatus

chives
Allium schoenoprasum
.
Chinese
A. tuberosum

Chlidanthus
Herb. (Amaryllidaceae). kli-
dan
-thoos. Gk. luxury flower. 4 spp. bulbous herbs. Bolivia, Peru.

fragrans
Herb.
fray
-gruhnz. Lat. fragrant (the flowers). Peru.

Chlorophytum
Ker Gawl. (Asparagaceae). klo-roh-
fie
-toom. Gk. green plant. 150 spp. herbs. Trop. and S Africa.

comosum
(Thunb.) Jacq. ko-
moh
-soom. Spider plant. Lat. long-haired (the drooping leaves).

chocolate cosmos
Cosmos atrosanguineus

chokeberry
Aronia
.
black
A. melanocarpa
.
red
A. arbutifolia
.
purple
A
. ×
prunifolia

Choisya
Kunth (Rutaceae).
choy
-zee-uh. After Jacques Denis Choisy
(1799–1859), Swiss botanist. 7 spp. shrubs. SW USA, Mex.

×
dewitteana
Geerinck. duh-wit-ee-
ah
-nuh. After French nurseryman Dominique de Witte.
C. dumosa
var.
arizonica
×
C. ternata
. Cult.

ternata
Kunth. ter-
nah
-tuh. Mexican orange blossom. Lat. in threes (the leaflets). Mex.

Christmas rose
Helleborus niger

Chrysanthemum
L. (Asteraceae). kris-
an
-thuh-moom. Gk. golden flower, referring to
C. coronarium
(now
Glebionis coronaria
), the original type species. 30 spp., herbs, sub-shrubs. E Eur., Asia.