The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (7 page)

urticifolia
(Benth.) Kuntze. ur-ti-ki-
foh
-lee-uh. Nettleleaf giant hyssop. Lat. with leaves like
Urtica
. W N Am.

Agathis
Salisb. (Araucariaceae).
ag
-uh-this. Gk. a ball of thread, referring to the female cones. 21 spp. coniferous trees. Malaysia to NZ.

australis
Lindl. os-
trah
-lis. Kauri pine. Lat. southern. NZ (N.I.).

Agave
L. (Asparagaceae). uh-
gah
-vee. Gk. noble, referring to the tall inflorescence. 220 spp. succulents. S USA to N S Am.

americana
L. uh-me-ri-
kah
-nuh. Century plant. Of America. S USA, Mex.

attenuata
Salm-Dyck. uh-ten-ew-
ah
-tuh. Lat. long-tapered (the inflorescence). Mex.

chrysantha
Peebles. kris-
anth
-uh. Gk. golden-flowered. Arizona.

deserti
Engelm. dez-
urt
-ee. Lat. of the desert. Calif., Mex. (B.C.).

filifera
Salm-Dyck. fi-
li
-fuh-ruh. Lat. thread-bearing (the leaf margins). Mex.

geminiflora
(Tagl.) Ker Gawl. jem-ini-
flaw
-ruh. Lat. twin-flowered. Mex.

lechuguilla
Torr. le-chue-
gee
-yuh. The native name. New Mexico, Mex.

lophantha
Schiede ex Kunth =
A. univittata

montana
Villareal. mon-
tah
-nuh. Lat. of mountains. Mex.

neomexicana
Wooton & Standl. =
A. parryi
subsp.
neomexicana

palmeri
Engelm.
pahl
-muh-ree. After Edward Palmer (1829–1911), English-born botanist and archaeologist who lived in the USA and in 1869 collected one of the specimens from which it was described. Arizona, N Mex.

parryi
Engelm.
pa
-ree-ee. After Charles Christopher Parry (1823–1890), English-born botanist who collected plants in SW USA. SW USA, Mex. subsp.
neomexicana
(Wooton & Standl.) B. Ullrich. neeoh-mex-i-
kah
-nuh. Of New Mexico.

potatorum
Zucc. pot-uh-
tor
-rum. Lat. of the drinkers (it is used to make alcoholic drinks, including mezcal). Mex.

salmiana
Otto ex Salm-Dyck. salmee-
ah
-nuh. After German botanist and artist Joseph Salm-ReifferscheidDyck (1773–1861). Mex. var.
ferox
(K. Koch) Gentry.
fe
-rox. Lat. spiny.

stricta
Salm-Dyck.
strik
-tuh. Lat. upright (the leaves). NE Mex.

tequilana
F. A. C. Weber. te-kee-
lah
-nuh. Of Tequila, Jalisco. The only species from which tequila can be made. Mex.

univittata
Haw. ew-nee-vi-
tah
-tuh. Lat. with one stripe (the leaves). Texas, N and C Mex.

utahensis
Engelm. ew-tah-
en
-sis. Of Utah. SW USA.

victoriae-reginae
T. Moore. vik-
tor
-ree-ie-re-
jeen
-ie. After Queen Victoria (1819–1901). NE Mex.

virginica
L. =
Manfreda virginica

Ageratina
Spach (Asteraceae). uh-geruh-
tee
-nuh. Diminutive of
Ageratum
. 250 spp., herbs, shrubs. Americas.

altissima
(L.) R. M. King & H. Rob. al-
tiss
-i-muh. White snakeroot. Lat. tallest. E N Am.

ligustrina
(DC.) R. M. King & H. Rob. lig-oos-
tree
-nuh. Like
Ligustrum
. Mex., C Am.

Ageratum
L. (Asteraceae). uh-
ge
-ruhtoom. From Gk. not ageing, referring to the everlasting flowers. 40 spp. herbs. Americas.

corymbosum
Zuccagni. ko-rim-
boh
-soom. Flat-top whiteweed. Lat. corymbose (the inflorescence). SW USA, Mex.

houstonianum
Mill. hew-stone-ee-
ah
-noom. After William Houston (1695–1733), Scottish surgeon and botanist who collected the type specimen and sent seeds to England. Mex., C Am.

Aglaonema
Schott (Araceae). uh-glay-oh-
nee
-ma. From Gk. bright thread, referring to the stamens. 21 spp. herbs. Trop. Asia.

commutatum
Schott. kom-ew-
tah
-toom. Lat. changing. Malesia.

modestum
Schott. ex Engl. mo-
dest
oom. Lat. modest (it is not variegated). SE Asia.

nitidum
(Jacq.) Kunth.
ni
-ti-doom. Lat. glossy (the leaves). Indo-China, Malesia.

pictum
(Roxb.) Kunth.
pik
-toom. Lat. painted (the leaves). Sumatra.

Agrostemma
L. (Caryophyllaceae). ag-roh-
stem
-uh. From Gk. field garland (it decorates the fields, or used to). 2 spp. ann. herbs. Medit.

githago
L. gi-
thah
-goh. Corn cockle. Lat. name used by Pliny for a species of
Nigella
.

Aichryson
Webb & Berth. (Crassulaceae). ie-
kris
-on. From Gk. always gold, referring to the flower colour. 15 spp. succulents. Canary Is., N Africa.

×
aizoides
(Lam.) E. C. Nelson. ie-
zoid
-eez. Like
Aizoon. A. punctatum
×
A. tortuosum
. Cult.

×
domesticum
Praeger =
A.
×
aizoides

tortuosum
(Aiton) Praeger. tort-ew-
oh
-soom. Lat. tortuous (the stems). Canary Is.

Ailanthus
Desf. (Simaroubaceae). ie-
lanth
-oos. Tree of heaven, from the Malay name for one species. 10 spp. trees. E Asia to Australia.

altissima
(Mill.) Swingle. al-
tis
-i-muh. Tree of heaven. Lat. tallest. China.

air plant
Kalanchoe pinnata

Ajania
Poljakov (Asteraceae). uh-
jah
-nee-uh. Of Ajan, E Russia. 34 spp., herbs, shrubs. Asia.

pacifica
(Nakai) K. Bremmer & Humphries. puh-
si
-fi-kuh. Of the Pacific. Japan (coast).

Ajuga
L. (Lamiaceae). uh-
jue
-guh. Bugle. Lat. name used by Pliny for a related plant. 50 spp. herbs. Eur., Asia.

pyramidalis
L. pi-ram-i-
dah
-lis. Pyramidal bugle. Lat. pyramidal (the inflorescence). Eur.

reptans
L.
rep
-tanz. Common bugle. Lat. creeping. Eur., W Asia.

Akebia
Decne. (Lardizabalaceae). uh-
kee
-bee-uh. From Akebi, the Japanese name for
A. quinata
. 5 spp. woody climbers. E Asia.

quinata
(Houtt.) Decne. kwin-
ah
-tuh. Lat. in fives (the leaflets). China, Japan, Korea.

trifoliata
(Thunb.) Koidz. trie-foh-lee-
ah
-tuh. Lat. with three leaves (leaflets). China, Taiwan, Japan.

Albizia
Durazz. (Fabaceae). al-
biz
-eeuh. After Florentine nobleman Filippo del Albizzi, who introduced
A. julibrissin
to Eur. in 1749. 130 spp., trees, shrubs. Tropics and sub-tropics.

julibrissin
Durazz. jue-lee-
bris
-in. Silk tree, pink siris. From the Persian name. SW Asia to China.

Alcea
L. (Malvaceae). al-
see
-uh. From the Gk. name used by Dioscorides for a type of mallow. 60 spp., herbs, shrubs. SE Eur. to China.

ficifolia
L. feek-i-
foh
-lee-uh. Lat. with leaves like
Ficus
. C Asia.

pallida
(Willd.) Waldst. & Kit.
pa
-li-duh. Lat. pale (the flowers). SE Eur., Turkey.

rosea
L.
roh
-zee-uh. Hollyhock. Lat. pink (the flowers). Cult.

rugosa
Alef. rue-
goh
-suh. Lat. rough (the leaves). SE Eur., Caucasus.

Alchemilla
L. (Rosaceae). al-kem-
il
-uh. Lady’s mantle. From Arabic for alchemy (the way the leaves repel water was considered magical). 300 spp. herbs. Eur., Asia, Africa, Americas.

alpina
L. al-
pie
-nuh. Alpine lady’s mantle. Lat. alpine. Eur.

conjuncta
Bab. kon-
joonk
-tuh. Lat. joined (the leaf lobes).

ellenbeckii
Engl. el-uhn-
bek
-ee-ee. After German physician Hans Ellenbeck, who collected the type specimen in Ethiopia in 1900. NE Africa.

erythropoda
Juz. e-rith-roh-
poh
-duh. Gk. red-stalked (the leaves). SE Eur., Caucasus.

mollis
(Buser) Rothm.
mol
-is. Lat. soft (the leaves). E Eur., Caucasus.

xanthochlora
Rothm. zanth-oh-
klor
-ruh. Gk. yellow-green (the flowers). Eur.

alder
Alnus
.
European
A. glutinosa
.
grey
A. incana
.
green
A. viridis
.
hazel
A. serrulata
.
Italian
A. cordata
.
Japanese
A. japonica
.
red
A. rubra
.
Sitka
A. viridis
subsp.
sinuata
.
thinleaf
A. incana
subsp.
tenuifolia
.
white
A. rhombifolia
alecost
Tanacetum balsamita
Alexanders
Smyrnium olusatrum

Alisma
L. (Alismataceae). uh-
liz
-muh. Water plantain. Gk. name for a water
plant. 8 spp. aquatic herbs. Worldwide.

plantago-aquatica
L. plan-
tay
-gohuh-
kwat
-i-kuh. Water plantain. Lat. water plantain. var.
americanum
Schult. & Schult.f. =
A. subcordatum

subcordatum
Raf. sub-kor-
dah
-toom. Lat. slightly heart-shaped (the leaves). N Am.

triviale
Pursh. tri-vee-
ah
-lee. Lat. ordinary, common. N Am.

Allamanda
L. (Apocynaceae). al-uh-
man
-duh. After Swiss naturalist Frederick-Louis Allamand (1736–1803), who studied the Brazilian flora and sent seeds to Linnaeus. 14 spp., shrubs, climbers. Trop. Am.

cathartica
L. kuh-
thar
-ti-kuh. Golden trumpet. Lat. purging. S Am.

Allium
L. (Amaryllidaceae).
al
-eeoom. Lat. garlic. 750 spp. bulbous herbs. N hemisph.

aflatunense
B. Fedtsch. af-luh-tun-
en
-see. Of Aflatun, Kyrgyzstan. C Asia. See
A. hollandicum
.

ampeloprasum
L. am-pel-oh-
prah
-soom. Wild leek. Gk. vine, leek (it is often found in vineyards). S Eur., N Africa, W Asia.
Porrum Group
.
po
-room. Garden leek. The Lat. name.