The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (54 page)

nivale
(Ten.) Hand.-Mazz. ni-
vah
-lee. Lat. of the snow. subsp.
alpinum
(Cass.) Greuter. al-
pie
-noom. Edelweiss. Lat. of the Alps. Mts. of Eur.

leopard’s bane
Doronicum pardalianches

Leptinella
Cass. (Asteraceae). lep-tin-
el
-uh. Diminutive of Gk. slender. 33 spp. perenn. herbs. New Guinea, Australia, NZ, S S Am., Antarctic Is.

dendyi
(Cockayne) D. G. Lloyd & C. J. Webb.
den
-dee-ee. After English zoologist and botanist Arthur Dendy (1865–1925), who was a friend of author Leonard Cockayne. NZ.

minor
Hook.f.
mie
-nuh. Lat. small. NZ.

potentillina
F. Muell. poh-ten-til-
ee
-nuh. Lat. like
Potentilla
. NZ (Chatham Is.).

squalida
Hook.f.
skwo
-li-duh. Lat. dirty (the flower colour). NZ.

Leptospermum
J. R. & G. Forst. (Myrtaceae). lep-toh-
sperm
-oom. Tea tree. Gk. slender-seeded. 85 spp., shrubs, trees. Australia and NZ to Malaysia.

lanigerum
(Sol. ex Aiton) Sm. la-
nij
-uh-room. Woolly tea tree. Lat. woolly (the foliage). SE Australia, Tasmania.

scoparium
J. R. & G. Forst. skoh-
pair
-ree-oom. Manuka, tea tree. Lat. broom-like. SE Australia, Tasmania, NZ.
‘Chapmanii’
. chap-
man
-ee-ee. After Sir Frederick Revans Chapman (1849–1936), NZ judge, who discovered it.
‘Keatleyi’
.
keet
-lee-ee. After Edward John Keatley (1875–1962), NZ sea captain, who discovered it.

Lespedeza
Michx. (Fabaceae). les-ped-
ee
-zuh. After Vicente de Cespedes y Velasco (d. 1794), Spanish governor of West Florida 1784–90. 35 spp., herbs, shrubs. N and S Am., E Asia, Australia.

bicolor
Turcz.
bi
-ko-lor. Lat. twocoloured (the flowers). E Asia.

thunbergii
(DC.) Nakai. thun-
berg
-ee-ee. After Swedish botanist and physician Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1828), who collected in Japan and S Africa. E Asia.

lettuce
Lactuca sativa

Leucanthemopsis
(Giroux) Heywood (Asteraceae). lue-kanth-uhm-
op
-sis. Gk. like
Leucanthemum
. 6 spp. perenn. herbs. Eur., N Africa.

alpina
(L.) Heywood. al-
pie
-nuh. Alpine moon daisy. Lat. alpine. Eur.

Leucanthemum
Mill. (Asteraceae). lue-
kanth
-uh-moom. Gk. white flower. 40 spp. perenn. herbs. Eur., Asia.

maximum
(Ramond) DC.
max
-imoom. Lat. largest. Pyrenees.

×
superbum
(Bergmans ex J. Ingram) D. H. Kent. sue-
per
-boom. Shasta daisy. Lat. superb.
L. maximum
×
L. vulgare
. Cult.

vulgare
Lam. vul-
gar
-ree. Marguerite, ox-eye daisy. Lat. common.

Leucojum
L. (Amaryllidaceae). lue-
koh
-joom. Gk. name of an early-flowering plant, from Gk. white violet. 2 spp. bulbous herbs. Eur., W Asia.

aestivum
L.
ee
-stiv-oom. Summer snowflake. Lat. of summer. S Eur., W Asia.

autumnale
L. =
Acis autumnalis

vernum
L.
ver
-noom. Spring snowflake. Lat. of spring. C Eur.

Leucothoe
D. Don (Ericaceae). lue-ko-
thoh
-ee. After Leucothoe of Gk. myth., who was changed into a shrub after being buried alive. 6 spp. shrubs. E Asia, N Am.

axillaris
(Lam.) G. Don. ax-il-
ah
-ris. Coastal doghobble. Lat. in the (leaf) axils (the inflorescence). SE USA.

fontanesiana
(Steud.) Sleumer. fon-tuh-nees-ee-
ah
-nuh. Mountain doghobble. After French botanist René Louiche Desfontaines (1750–1833), who called it
Andromeda lanceolata
, a name already used for an Asian species. SE USA.

populifolia
(Lam.) Dippel =
Agarista populifolia

Levisticum
Hill (Apiaceae). le-
vis
-ti-koom. From Lat. to relieve, from med. properties and the similar
Ligusticum
. 1 sp., perenn. herb. E Medit.

officinale
W. D. J. Koch. of-is-i-
nah
-lee. Lovage. Lat. sold as a med. herb.

Lewisia
Pursh (Portulacaceae). lue-
is
-ee-uh. After Meriwether Lewis (1774–1809), American explorer of the Lewis and Clark expedition (1804–06), during which the type specimen was collected. 16 spp. perenn. herbs. W N Am.

cotyledon
(S. Watson) B. L. Rob. ko-ti-
lee
-don. Like
Cotyledon
. W USA.

nevadensis
(A. Gray) B. L. Rob. nev-uh-
den
-sis. Of the Sierra Nevada. W USA.

pygmaea
(A. Gray) B. L. Rob.
pig
-mee-uh. Lat. dwarf.

rediviva
Pursh. re-di-
vee
-vuh. Bitterroot. Lat. coming back to life (a dried specimen from the Lewis herbarium grew after planting).

Leycesteria
Wall. (Caprifoliaceae). les-
te
-ree-uh. After William Leycester, chief justice in Bengal ca. 1820, keen horticulturist and a friend of the author, Wallich. 6 spp. shrubs. Himal., China.

crocothyrsos
Airy Shaw. kroh-koh-
thur
-sos. Gk. with saffron-coloured panicles (of flowers). NE India, N Myanmar, SE Tibet.

formosa
Wall. for-
moh
-suh. Himalayan honeysuckle. Lat. beautiful. Himal., W China.

Leymus
Hochst. (Poaceae).
lay
-moos. Anagram of
Elymus
. 50 spp. grasses. N temp. regs.

arenarius
(L.) Hochst. a-ruhn-
ah
-reeoos. Lyme grass. Lat. of sand (where it grows). Eur., Asia.

Liatris
Gaertn. ex Schreb. (Asteraceae). lee-
ah
-tris. Blazing star, gay-feather. Deriv. obscure. 37 spp. perenn. herbs. N Am., W Indies.

aspera
Michx.
as
-puh-ruh. Rough gayfeather. Lat. rough (the foliage). E USA.

cylindracea
Michx. si-lin-
dray
-see-uh. Barrelhead gayfeather. Lat. cylindrical (the flowerheads). E USA.

ligulistylis
(A. Nelson) K. Schum. ligew-li-
stie
-lis. Northern Plains gay-feather. Lat. with strap-shaped styles. C USA.

microcephala
(Small) K. Schum. mik-roh-
kef
-uh-luh. Smallhead gayfeather. Gk. with small heads. SE USA.

punctata
Hook. punk-
tah
-tuh. Dotted gayfeather. Lat. spotted (with glands, the leaves). C Canada, C USA, N Mex.

pycnostachya
Michx. pik-noh-
stak
-eeuh. Prairie gayfeather. Gk. with crowded spikes (of flowers). E USA.

scariosa
(L.) Willd. ska-ree-
oh
-suh. Northern gayfeather. Lat. dry, membranous (the margins of the involucral bracts). E USA.

spicata
(L.) Willd. spi-
kah
-tuh. Marsh gayfeather. Lat. in spikes (the flowers). SE Canada, E USA.

squarrosa
(L.) Michx. skwo-
roh
-suh. Colicroot. Lat. with spreading tips (the involucral bracts). E and C USA.

Libertia
Spreng. (Iridaceae). li-
bert
-eeuh. After Marie-Anne Libert (1782–1865), Belgian botanist. 15 spp. perenn. herbs. New Guinea, Australia, NZ, S Am.

caerulescens
Kunth & C. D. Bouché =
L. sessiliflora

ixioides
(G. Forst.) Spreng. ix-ee-
oy
-deez. Like
Ixia
, a related genus. NZ.

perigrinans
Cockayne & Allan. pe-ri-
green
-uhnz. Lat. travelling (it spreads by rhizomes). NZ.

sessiliflora
(Poepp.) Skottsb. se-sil-i-
flaw
-ruh. Lat. with unstalked flowers. C Chile.

Ligularia
Cass. (Asteraceae). lig-ew-
lair
-ree-uh. From Lat. strap, referring to the shape of the ray flowers. 125 spp. perenn. herbs. Eur., Asia.

dentata
(A. Gray) H. Hara. den-
tah
-tuh. Lat. toothed (the leaves). China, Japan, Myanmar, Vietnam.

hodgsonii
Hook.f. hoj-
son
-ee-ee. After Christopher Pemberton Hodgson (1821–1865), British consul in Hakodote, Japan, who sent it to Kew in 1859. Japan, E Russia, China.

japonica
(Thunb.) Less. juh-
pon
-i-kuh. Of Japan. China, Korea, Japan.

przewalskii
(Maxim.) Diels. shuh-
val
-skee-ee. After its discoverer, Nikolai Mikhaylovich Przhevalsky (1839–1888), Polish-born Russian explorer and naturalist. China.

tangutica
(Maxim.) Bergm. =
Sinacalia tangutica

veitchiana
(Hemsl.) Greenm. veechee-
ah
-nuh. After Messrs Veitch & Sons, in whose Coombe Wood nursery it first flowered in 1905. China.

wilsoniana
(Hemsl.) Greenm. wilson-ee-
ah
-nuh. After English botanist Ernest Henry (‘Chinese’) Wilson (1876–1930), who collected prolifically in China for the Veitch
nursery and the Arnold Arboretum and introduced it to cultivation. China (Hubei, Sichuan).

×
yoshizoeana
(Makino) Kitam. yoshee-zoh-ee-
ah
-nuh. After Shiro Yoshizoe, of the Koishikawa Botanic Gardens, Imperial University of Tokyo, late 19th cent., where the type specimen was collected.
L. dentata
×
L. japonica
. Japan.

Ligusticum
L. (Apiaceae). li-
gus
-ti-koom. Gk. name for a plant from Liguria, NE Italy, probably lovage (
Levisticum officinale
). 60 spp. perenn. herbs. Eur., Asia, N Am.

scoticum
L.
skot
-i-koom. Scot’s lovage. Lat. of Scotland. N Eur., E Asia, Canada, NE USA.

Ligustrum
L. (Oleaceae). li-
gus
-troom. Privets. Lat. name for
L. vulgare
, from Lat. to tie, referring to the use of the shoots. 45 spp., shrubs, trees. Eur., Africa, Asia, Australia.

delavayanum
Hariot. del-uh-vay-
ah
-noom. After French missionary Jean Marie Delavay (1834–1895), who collected the type specimen in 1889. SW China, N Myanmar.

japonicum
Thunb. juh-
pon
-i-koom. Japanese privet. Of Japan. Japan, Korea, Taiwan.

lucidum
W. T. Aiton.
lue
-sid-oom. Glossy privet. Lat. shiny (the leaves). China.

obtusifolium
Sieb. & Zucc. ob-tews-i-
foh
-lee-oom. Border privet. Lat. blunt-leaved. China, Korea, Japan.

ovalifolium
Hassk. oh-vahl-i-
foh
-leeoom. Garden privet. Lat. oval-leaved. Japan, Korea.

quihoui
Carrière. kee-
hue
-ee. After French horticulturist Antoine Quihou (1820–1889), from whose garden the type specimen was collected. China, Korea.

sinense
Lour. sin-
en
-se. Chinese privet. Lat. of China. China, Taiwan, Laos, Vietnam.