The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (70 page)

Populus
L. (Salicaceae).
pop
-ew-loos. Cottonwoods, poplars. From the Lat. name
arbor populi
(tree of the people). 30 spp. trees. Mostly N hemisph.

×
acuminata
Rydb. uh-kew-min-
ah
-tuh. Lat. taper-pointed (the leaves).
P. angustifolia
×
P. deltoides
. W USA.

alba
L.
al
-buh. White poplar. Lat. white (the leaf undersides). Eur., N Africa, W Asia to China.

angustifolia
E. James. an-gus-ti-
foh
-lee-uh. Narrowleaf cottonwood. Lat. narrow-leaved. SC Canada, W and C USA.

balsamifera
L. bawl-suhm-
i
-fuh-ruh. Balsam poplar. Lat. bearing balsam. Canada, N USA.

×
canadensis
Moench. kan-uh-
den
-sis. Of Canada, where it was thought to be native.
P. deltoides
×
P. nigra
. Cult.

deltoides
Bartram ex Marshall. del-
toy
-deez. Eastern cottonwood. Shaped like the Gk. letter delta (i.e., triangular, the leaves). S Canada, USA.

euramericana
Guinier =
P
. ×
canadensis

grandidentata
Michx. gran-di-den-
tah
-tuh. Bigtooth aspen. Lat. with large teeth (the leaves). Canada, E USA.

lasiocarpa
Oliv. laz-ee-oh-
kar
-puh. Chinese necklace poplar. Gk. woolly-fruited. China.

nigra
L.
nie
-gruh. Black poplar. Lat. black (the bark). Eur., N Africa, W Asia to W China.
‘Italica’
. i-
tal
-ikuh. Lombardy poplar. Lat. Italian.

tremula
L.
trem
-ew-luh. Aspen. Lat. trembling (the leaves). Eur., N Africa, temp. Asia.

tremuloides
Michx. trem-ew-
loy
-deez. Quaking aspen. Lat. like
P. tremula
. Canada, USA, Mex.

trichocarpa
Torr. & A. Gray. trik-oh-
kar
-puh. Black cottonwood. Gk.
hairy-fruited. SW Canada, W USA, NW Mex.

possum haw
Ilex decidua

potato
Solanum tuberosum

potato bean
Apios americana

Potentilla
L. (Rosaceae). poh-tuhn-
til
-uh. Diminutive of Lat. powerful, referring to med. properties. 500 spp., perenn. herbs, shrubs. Mainly N hemisph.

alba
L.
al
-buh. Lat. white (the flowers). Eur.

argyrophylla
Wall. ex Lehm. =
P. atrosanguinea
var.
argyrophylla

atrosanguinea
Lodd. et al. at-roh-san-
gwin
-ee-uh. Lat. dark red (the flowers). Himal. var.
argyrophylla
(Wall. ex Lehm.) Grierson & D. G. Long. ar-gi-roh-
fil
-uh. Gk. silver-leaved.

aurea
L.
aw
-ree-uh. Lat. golden (the flowers). Alps, Pyrenees.

fruticosa
L. frue-ti-
koh
-suh. Lat. shrubby. N Am., Eur., Asia.

×
hopwoodiana
Sweet. hop-wood-ee-
ah
-nuh. After Mr E. Hopwood, in whose Twickenham nursery it was raised before 1830.
P. nepalensis
×
P. recta
. Cult.

megalantha
Takeda. meg-uh-
lanth
-uh. Gk. large-flowered. E Russia, Japan (Hokkaido).

nepalensis
Hook. nep-uh-
len
-sis. Of Nepal. Himal.

neumanniana
Rchb. noy-man-ee-
ah
-nuh. After Joseph Henri François Neumann (1800–1858), French botanist. N Eur.

recta
L.
rek
-tuh. Lat. upright. Eur., W Asia to W China.

rupestris
L. rue-
pest
-ris. Lat. growing on rocks. Eur. to N China.

thurberi
A. Gray.
thur
-buh-ree. After American pharmacist and botanist George Thurber (1821–1890), who collected the type specimen in New Mexico in 1851. SW USA.

Poterium sanguisorba
L. =
Sanguisorba minor

Pratia pedunculata
(R. Br.) Benth. =
Lobelia pedunculata

prayer plant
Maranta leuconeura

prickleweed
Desmanthus illinoensis

prickly Moses
Acacia verticillata

prickly pear
Opuntia
.
creeping
O. humifusa

pride of Barbados
Caesalpinia pulcherrima

pride of India
Koelreuteria paniculata

primrose
Primula vulgaris
.
cape
Streptocarpus
×
hybridus

Primula
L. (Primulaceae).
prim
-ewluh. Diminutive of Lat. first, referring to the early flowers. 500 spp., mainly perenn. herbs. N temp. regs.

allionii
Loisel. al-ee-
ohn
-ee-ee. After Carlo Ludovico Allioni (1728–1804), Italian physician and botanist. N Italy, S France.

alpicola
(W. W. Sm.) Stapf. al-
pik
-oluh. Lat. growing in alpine regs. Bhutan, Tibet.

auricula
L. o-
rik
-ew-luh. Auricula. Lat. a little ear (from the shape of the leaves). C Eur.

beesiana
Forrest. beez-ee-
ah
-nuh. After Bees Nursery, Cheshire, founded by A. K. Bulley, sponsor of George Forrest, who introduced it to cultivation. SW China, N Myanmar.

×
bulleesiana
Janson. bool-eez-ee-
ah
-nuh.
From the names of the parents,
P. beesiana
×
P. bulleyana
. Cult.

bulleyana
Forrest. bool-ee-
ah
-nuh. After Liverpool cotton merchant Arthur Kiplin Bulley (1861–1942), founder of Bees Nursery and sponsor of George Forrest, who introduced it to cultivation. SW China (Sichuan, Yunnan).

capitata
Hook. kap-i-
tah
-tuh. Lat. in a head (the flowers). Himal., W China.

chionantha
Balf.f. & Forrest. kee-on-
anth
-uh. Gk. snow flower. George Forrest, who collected the type specimen in Yunnan in 1913, described the flowers as “pure snow white.” SW China.

chungensis
Balf.f. & Kingdon-Ward. chung-
en
-sis. Of the Chung Valley, NW Yunnan. SW China.

cockburniana
Hemsl. koh-burn-ee-
ah
-nuh. After H. Cockburn of HM Consular Service, Chungking (now Chongqing), and Rev. G. Cockburn of the Church of Scotland mission in China, for their assistance to Antwerp Pratt, who collected the type specimen. China (Sichuan).

denticulata
Sm. den-tik-ew-
lah
-tuh. Lat. finely toothed (the leaves). Himal., Tibet.

elatior
Hill. ee-
lay
-tee-or. Oxlip. Lat. taller. Eur., W Asia.

florindae
Kingdon-Ward. flo-
rin
-die. After Florinda, first wife of Frank Kingdon-Ward. He collected the type specimen in Tibet in 1924. Tibet.

japonica
A. Gray. juh-
pon
-i-kuh. Of Japan. Japan.

jeffreyi
(hort. ex Van Houtte) A. R. Mast & Reveal.
jef
-ree-ee. Sierra shooting star. After Scottish plant collector John Jeffrey (1826–1854), who discovered it. SW Canada, W USA.

marginata
Curtis. mar-ji-
nah
-tuh. Lat. margined (with white, the leaves). S France, N Italy.

meadia
(L.) A. R. Mast & Reveal.
meed
-ee-uh. Shooting star. After Richard Mead (1630–1699), physician to George II and patron of Mark Catesby, who illustrated it. E and C USA.

pauciflora
(Greene) A. R. Mast & Reveal. paw-si-
flaw
-ruh. Pretty shooting star. Lat. few-flowered (the inflorescence, sometimes). W Canada, W USA.

poissonii
Franch. pwah-
son
-ee-ee. After Jules Poisson (1833–1919), French botanist. China (Sichuan, Yunnan).

×
polyantha
Mill. pol-ee-
anth
-uh. Polyanthus. Gk. many-flowered.
P. veris
×
P. vulgaris
. Eur.

prolifera
Wall. proh-
lif
-uh-ruh. Lat. proliferous, producing offshoots. Himal. to Indonesia.

×
pubescens
Wulfen. pew-
bes
-uhnz. Lat. hairy (the leaves).
P. auricula
×
P. hirsuta
. Cult.

pulverulenta
Duthie. pul-ve-rue-
len
-tuh. Lat. dusty (the flower stems). China (Sichuan).

rosea
Royle.
roh
-zee-uh. Lat. pink (the flowers). N India, N Pakistan.

secundiflora
Franch. se-kun-di-
flaw
-ruh. Lat. with flowers facing in one direction. W China.

sieboldii
E. Morren. see-
bold
-ee-ee. After German physician and botanist Philip Franz von Siebold (1796–1866), who introduced it to cultivation. E Asia.

sikkimensis
Hook. si-kim-
en
-sis. Of Sikkim. Himal., China.

veris
L.
ve
-ris. Cowslip. Lat. of spring. Eur., W Asia.

vialii
Delavay ex Franch. vee-
al
-ee-ee. After Paul Vial (1855–1917), French missionary in Yunnan. China (Sichuan, Yunnan).

vulgaris
Huds. vul-
gar
-ris. Primrose. Lat. common. Eur., N Africa, W Asia. subsp.
sibthorpii
(Hoffmanns.) W. W. Sm. & Forrest. sib-
thorp
-ee-ee. After English botanist John Sibthorp (1758–1796), who, with artist Ferdinand Bauer, discovered it on a journey to Greece and Turkey. SE Eur., Turkey.

prince’s feather
Amaranthus cruentus, A. hypochondriacus, Persicaria orientalis

Prinsepia
Royle (Rosaceae). prin-
sep
-ee-uh. After James Prinsep (1799–1840), English scholar of philology and numismatics in India. 5 spp. deciduous shrubs. Himal., E Asia.

sinensis
(Oliv.) Oliv. ex Bean. sin-
en
-sis. Lat. of China. E Russia, N China, Korea.

privet
Ligustrum
.
border
L. obtusifolium
.
Chinese
L. sinense
.
European
L. vulgare
.
garden
L. ovalifolium
.
glossy
L. lucidum
.
Japanese
L. japonicum

Prosartes
D. Don (Liliaceae). proh- -
sar
-teez. Fairy bells. From Gk. to hang upon, referring to the suspended ovules. 5 spp. perenn. herbs. Canada, USA.

hookeri
Torr.
hook
-uh-ree. After Sir William Jackson Hooker (1785–1865), English botanist and first director of RBG Kew, who first described it as a form of
Uvularia lanuginosa
. SW Canada, W USA.

smithii
(Hook.) Utech, Shinwari & Kawano.
smith
-ee-ee. After English botanist James Edward Smith (1759–1828), founder and first president of the Linnaean Society, who originally named it
Uvularia puberula
. W USA.