The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (8 page)

atropurpureum
Waldst. & Kit. at-roh-pur-
pew
-ree-oom. Lat. dark purple (the flowers). S Eur.

beesianum
W. W. Sm. beez-ee-
ah
-noom. After Bees Nursery, Cheshire, which introduced it to cultivation. W China.

bulgaricum
(Janka) Prodán =
A. siculum
subsp.
dioscoridis

caeruleum
Pall. kie-
rue
-lee-oom. Lat. blue (the flowers). C Asia.

canadense
L. kan-uh-
den
-see. Of Canada. N Am.

carinatum
L. ka-ri-
nah
-toom. Keeled garlic. Lat. keeled. Eur. subsp.
pulchellum
(G. Don) Bonnier & Layens. pool-
kel
-oom. Lat. beautiful.

cepa
L.
see
-puh. Onion. Lat. onion. Cult.
Aggregatum Group
. ag-ree-
gah
-toom. Shallot. Lat. clustered (the bulbs).

cernuum
Roth.
surn
-ew-oom. Lat. nodding (the flowers). N Am.

cristophii
Trautv. kris-
tof
-ee-ee. After the physician Cristoph, who collected the type specimen in 1883. C Asia.

cyaneum
Regel. sie-
an
-ee-oom. Lat. blue (the flowers). China.

cyathophorum
Bureau & Franch. sie-uh-
thof
-uh-room. Gk. bearing cups (the flowers). China. var.
farreri
(Stearn) Stearn.
fa
-ruh-ree. After English plant collector and author Reginald John Farrer (1880–1920). It was described from plants grown at Cambridge Botanic Garden that he introduced from China in 1914.

fistulosum
L. fis-tew-
loh
-sum. Welsh onion. Lat. hollow (the scape). Cult.

flavum
L.
flah
-voom. Lat. yellow (the flowers). Eur., W Asia.

giganteum
Regel. jie-
gan
-tee-oom. Lat. very large. C Asia.

hollandicum
R. M. Fritsch. ho-
land
-i-koom. Of Holland, where it was widely grown as
A. aflatunense
. Iran.

karataviense
Regel. ka-ruh-tah-vee-
en
-see. Of Karatau, Kazakhstan. C Asia.

lusitanicum
Lam. lue-si-
tan
-i-koom. Lat. of Portugal. Eur.

moly
L.
mol
-ee. Gk. a plant mentioned by Homer in the Odyssey. S Eur.

neapolitanum
Cirillo. nee-uh-pol-i-
tah
-noom. Naples garlic. Lat. of Naples (Lat.
Neapolis
). S Eur., N Africa, W Asia.

nigrum
L.
nie
-groom. Lat. black (the ovary in the centre of the flower). Eur., N Africa, W Asia.

oreophilum
C. A. Mey. o-ree-oh-
fil
-oom. Gk. mountain-loving. C Asia.

porrum
L. =
A. ampeloprasum
Porrum Group

×
proliferum
(Moench) Schrad. ex Willd. proh-
lif
-uh-room. Tree onion. Lat. bearing offspring (the bulbils in the flowerhead).
A. cepa
×
A. fistulosum
. Cult.

rosenbachianum
Regel. roh-zuhn-bahk-ee-
ah
-noom. After Nikolai Ottonowitsch Rosenbach (1836–1901), governor-general of Turkestan 1884–89. C Asia.

roseum
L.
roh
-zee-um. Lat. pink (the flowers). S Eur., N Africa, SW Asia.

sativum
L. sa-
tee
-voom. Garlic. Lat. cultivated. Cult.

schoenoprasum
L. skeen-oh-
prah
-soom. Chives. Gk. rush leek. N hemisph.

schubertii
Zucc. shue-
burt
-ee-ee. Tumbleweed onion. After German physician and plant collector Gotthilf Heinrich von Schubert (1780–1860). SW Asia, Libya.

senescens
L. sen-
e
-suhnz. Lat. becoming white or dying off. N Asia. subsp.
glaucum
(Regel) Dostál.
glaw
-koom. Lat. bluish white (the foliage). subsp.
montanum
(Schrank) Holub. =
A. lusitanicum

siculum
Ucria.
sik
-ew-loom. Lat. of Sicily. France, Italy. subsp.
dioscoridis
(Sm.) K. Richt. dee-os-ko-
ree
-dis. After Gk. physician Pedanius Dioscorides (ca. 40–90). Romania, Bulgaria, NW Turkey.

sikkimense
Baker. si-kim-
en
-see. Of Sikkim. Himal., W China.

sphaerocephalon
L. sfair-roh-
kef
-uhlon. Round-headed garlic. Gk. with a spherical head. Eur., N Africa, W Asia.

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

triquetrum
L. trie-
kweet
-room. Three-cornered leek. Lat. three-angled (the scapes). S Eur.

tuberosum
Rottler ex Spreng. tew-buh-
roh
-soom. Chinese chives. Lat. bearing tubers. SE Asia.

unifolium
Kellogg. ew-ni-
foh
-lee-oom. Lat. with one leaf. W USA.

ursinum
L. ur-
see
-noom. Lat. of bears (which eat it). Eur., W Asia.

allspice, California
Calycanthus occidentalis.
Carolina
C. floridus

almond
Prunus dulcis
.
dwarf Russian
P. tenella

Alnus
Mill. (Betulaceae).
al
-noos. Alders. Lat. for the alder. 35 spp., trees, shrubs. N hemisph., N Andes.

cordata
(Loisel.) Duby. kor-
dah
-tuh. Italian alder. Lat. heart-shaped (the leaves). S Italy, Corsica.

glutinosa
(L.) Gaertn. glue-ti-
noh
-suh. European alder. Lat. sticky (the young shoots and leaves). Eur., W Asia.

incana
(L.) Moench. in-
kah
-nuh. Grey alder. Lat. grey (the leaf undersides).
Eur., W Asia. subsp.
tenuifolia
(Nutt.) Breitung. ten-ew-i-
foh
-lee-uh. Thinleaf alder. Lat. with slender leaves. W N Am.

japonica
(Thunb.) Steud. juh-
pon
-ikuh. Japanese alder. Of Japan. NE Asia.

rhombifolia
Nutt. rom-bi-
foh
-lee-uh. White alder. Lat. with rhombic (diamond-shaped) leaves. W USA.

rubra
Bong.
rue
-bruh. Red alder. Lat. red (the wood). W N Am.

serrulata
(Aiton) Willd. se-rue-
lah
-tuh. Hazel alder. Lat. finely toothed (the leaves). E N Am.

sinuata
(Regel) Rydb. =
A. viridis
subsp.
sinuata

tenuifolia
Nutt. =
A. incana
subsp.
tenuifolia

viridis
(Chaix) DC.
vi
-ri-dis. Green alder. Lat. green. Eur. subsp.
sinuata
(Regel) Á. Löve & D. Löve. sin-ew-
ah
-tuh. Sitka alder. Lat. wavy (the leaves). W N Am., E Asia.

Alocasia
(Schott) G. Don (Araceae). al-oh-
kay
-see-uh. Gk. not,
Colocasia
(a related genus). 65 spp. herbs. China, SE Asia to Australia.

‘Amazonica’
. am-uh-
zon
-i-kuh. Of the Amazon Nursery, Florida.
A. longiloba
×
A. sanderiana
.

macrorrhizos
(L.) G. Don. mak-roh-
ree
-zos. Gk. with large roots. China, SE Asia.

Aloe
L. (Xanthorrhoeaceae).
a
-loh-ee. From Arabic
alloeh
(bitter) from the substance found in the leaves. 400 spp. succulents. Mainly Africa.

arborescens
Mill. ar-bor-
res
-enz. Lat. becoming tree-like. S Africa.

aristata
Haw. a-ris-
tah
-tuh. Lat. with a bristle tip (the leaves). S Africa.

brevifolia
Mill. brev-i-
foh
-lee-uh. Lat. short-leaved. S Africa.

ferox
Mill.
fe
-rox. Lat. spiny. S Africa.

hemmingii
Reynolds & Bally. he-
ming
-ee-ee. After Christopher Francis Hemming, English ecologist in E Africa. N Somalia.

humilis
(L.) Mill.
hew
-mi-lis. Lat. low (growing). S Africa.

juvenna
P. Brandham & S. Carter. jue
ven
-uh. From a misreading of a label on a cultivated plant, which stated that it was “possibly a juvenile form.” Kenya.

striatula
Haw. stree-
at
-ew-luh. Lat. with fine stripes (the leaf bases). S Africa.

variegata
L. va-ree-uh-
gah
-tuh. Lat. variegated (the leaves). Southern Africa.

vera
(L.) Burm.f.
veer
-ruh. Lat. true. SW Arabia.

Aloysia
Juss. (Verbenaceae). a-loh-
is
-ee-uh. After Maria Luisa of Parma (1751–1819), wife of King Charles IV of Spain. 37 spp. shrubs. S USA to S Am.

citrodora
Palau. sit-roh-
dor
-ruh. Lemon verbena. Lat. lemon-scented. Chile, Argentina.

triphylla
(L’Hér.) Britt. =
A. citrodora

Alpinia
Roxb. (Zingiberaceae). al-
pin
-ee-uh. Ginger lily. After Italian physician and botanist Prospero Alpini (1553–1617). 200 spp. herbs. Trop. Asia.

japonica
(Thunb.) Miq. juh-
pon
-i-kuh. Of Japan. S China, Taiwan, Japan.

purpurata
(Vieill.) K. Schum. purpew-
rah
-tuh. Lat. dressed in purple (the inflorescence). Pacific Is.

zerumbet
(Pers.) B. L. Burtt & R. M. Sm. ze-
room
-bet. Shell ginger. From the name of an Indian spice. SE Asia.

Alstroemeria
L. (Alstroemeriaceae). ahl-strurm-
e
-ree-uh. After Swedish baron Clas (Claus) Alströmer (1736–1794), who sent seed from plants grown in Spain to his friend Linnaeus. 125 spp. perenn. herbs. S Am.

aurea
Graham.
aw
-ree-uh. Lat. golden (the flowers). Chile, Argentina.

brasiliensis
Spreng. bra-zil-ee-
en
-sis. Of Brazil. Brazil.

hookeri
Sweet.
hook
-uh-ree. After Sir William Jackson Hooker (1785–1865), English botanist and first director of RBG Kew, who illustrated it as
A. rosea
. Chile.

ligtu
L.
lig
-tue. From
liutu
, the native name in Chile. S Am.

psittacina
Lehm. =
A. pulchella

pulchella
L.f. pool-
kel
-uh. Lat. beautiful. Brazil, Argentina.

Alternanthera
Forssk. (Amaranthaceae). awl-turn-an-
the
-ruh. Chaff flower, joyweed. Lat. alternate, anthers (are sterile). 80 spp. herbs. Tropics and subtropics.