{"id":6682,"date":"2010-03-19T09:05:06","date_gmt":"2010-03-19T16:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/?p=6682"},"modified":"2010-03-19T09:05:06","modified_gmt":"2010-03-19T16:05:06","slug":"gardening-epithets-and-plant-names","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/gardening\/gardening-epithets-and-plant-names\/","title":{"rendered":"Gardening Epithets and Plant Names"},"content":{"rendered":"

The purpose \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0botanical names of plants is to provide some information about a particular plant that distinguishes it from other plants. Starting with the species or type of plant then an adjective applied to the plant, the specific epithet<\/em>, which is often helpful in describing the plant.<\/p>\n

This second word can often tell us the colour of the flowers, the height of the plant, whether the leaves are long and thin or short and fat, whether the plant is sticky or prickly, where it comes or who discovered it. (There is only so much space for information so a bit of detective work may be needed).<\/p>\n

Below are three lists of the Latin specific epithets often used in gardening or naming of plants. Nearly all trees and shrubs are feminine usually ending in \u00e2\u20ac\u201ca, <\/em>( whilst male names end<\/em> \u00e2\u20ac\u201cus but mean the same).<\/em> You can add to these lists as your knowledge grows.<\/p>\n

Latin Epithets for Colour<\/strong>
\n\"Musa<\/a>
\nMusa Coccinea<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

alba – white
\naurea – golden, yellow
\nchrysantha or flava, \u00c2\u00a0lutea\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0 -yellow and sulphurea \u00e2\u20ac\u201c yellow
\naurantiaca – orange and citronella – lemon
\ncoccinea, rubra or punica – red and sanguinea – blood-red
\npurpurea – deep pink or rosea – rose pink
\nphoenicea – purple and violacea – violet
\nviridis – green
\npallidia \u00e2\u20ac\u201c cream,
\nincana – grey or glaucus \u00e2\u20ac\u201c greyish- blueish
\nargentea – silvery,
\nazurea\u00c2\u00a0 or caerulea – blue
\nnigra – black<\/p>\n

Dictionary of Botanical Epithets contains a great deal more information,<\/a> derivations, stems and meanings.<\/p>\n

Latinized Epithets Location or Origination<\/strong> <\/strong>
\n
\n\"Crocus<\/a>
\nCrocus Corsicus<\/strong>
\nalpicola or alpestris – from mountains
\narenaria – from sandy places
\nalpina – from the alps
\naustralis \u00e2\u20ac\u201c from the south \u00c2\u00a0not necessarily Australia
\nchinensis – from China
\njaponica – from Japan
\nsaxatilis – of rocks
\nsibirica – from Siberia
\nsinense – from China
\nsylvestris – of woods<\/p>\n

Latinized Epithets of Plant Characteristics<\/strong><\/strong>
\n\"St<\/a>
\nHypericum perforatum<\/strong><\/p>\n

angustifolia – narrow-leaved \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0
\nacaulis – stemless
\narboricola – living on trees
\narmata – prickly \u00c2\u00a0and glutinosa – sticky
\narvensis or\u00c2\u00a0 campestris – of the field
\nautumnalis – of autumn\u00c2\u00a0 and vernalis – of spring
\nbarbata – bearded, hairy
\nbulbifera – bearing bulbs
\ncampanulata – campanulate, like a bell
\ncompacta – compact or gigantea – giant
\ndecidua – deciduous
\ndensiflora – dense-flowered
\ndigitata or palmate – leaves like a hand, with five lobes
\nflore plena – with double flowers
\nflorida – floriferous
\nfoetida – with an unpleasant smell
\nfruticosa – shrubby
\nglabra – smooth
\ngrandiflora – large-flowered
\nhirsuta – hairy or hispida – bristly
\nhumilis – short
\ninodora – unscented
\nlanata – woolly
\nlanceolata – lance-shaped (leaves)
\nlatifolia – wide-leaved
\nlongiflora – with long flowers longifolia – with long leaves
\nmacrocarpa – large-fruited
\nmacrophylla – with large leaves
\nmacrorrhiza – with large roots
\nmaculata – spotted
\nmaritima – maritime, near the sea
\nmicrantha – small flowered
\nmicrophylla – with small leaves
\nnana – small
\nodorata – perfumed
\nofficinalis – with herbal uses
\npauciflora – few-flowered
\npendula – hanging
\nperennis or redivida – perennial
\npinnata – with pinnate leaves
\npraecox – early, of spring
\nprocumbens – creeping
\nprostrata – prostrate
\npumila – small
\nquercifolia -oak leaved
\nrotundifolia – round-leaved
\nsativa – cultivated
\nscandens – climbing
\nsemperviva – perennial
\nspinosa spiny
\nstellata starry
\ntenuifolia – with thin, narrow leaves
\ntrifoliata – trifoliate, with three-lobed leaves
\numbellata – unbellate, with flowers in an umbel
\nviscosa – sticky
\nvitifolia – with leaves like a vine
\nvulgaris – common.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The purpose \u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0botanical names of plants is to provide some information about a particular plant that distinguishes it from other plants. Starting with the species or type of plant then an adjective applied to the plant, the specific epithet, which is often helpful in describing the plant. This second word can often tell us the colour of the flowers, the height of the plant, whether the leaves are long and thin or short and fat, whether the plant is sticky…<\/p>\n

Read More Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6682","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-gardening"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6682","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6682\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gardenerstips.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}