Read The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants Online
Authors: Allen Coombes
bee balm
Monarda
.
lemon
M. citriodora
.
spotted
M. punctata
beech
Fagus
.
American
F. grandifolia
.
Antarctic
Nothofagus antarctica
.
blue
Carpinus caroliniana
.
European
Fagus sylvatica
.
roble
Nothofagus obliqua
.
southern
Nothofagus
beefsteak plant
Acalypha wilkesiana, Iresine herbstii
beetleweed
Galax urceolata
beetroot
Beta vulgaris
beggarticks
Desmodium
.
Arizona
Bidens aurea
.
devil’s
B. frondosa
.
nodding
B. cernua
Begonia
L. (Begoniaceae). bee-
goh
-nee-uh. After Michel Bégon (1638–1710), French official and plant collector. 1400 spp., herbs, subshrubs. Tropics and subtropics.
boliviensis
A. DC. bo-liv-ee-
en
-sis. Of Bolivia. Bolivia, NW Argentina.
dregei
Otto & Dietr.
dreg
-ee-ee. After Johann Franz Drège (1794–1881), German plant collector. The type specimen was taken from plants at Berlin Botanic Garden grown from his introduction. S Africa.
evansiana
Andrews =
B. grandis
foliosa
Kunth. foh-lee-
oh
-suh. Lat. leafy. NW S Am. var.
miniata
(A. DC.) L. B. Sm. & Schub. =
B. fuchsioides
fuchsioides
Hook. fue-shee-
oy
-deez. Like
Fuchsia
. Colombia, Venezuela.
grandis
Dryand.
gran
-dis. Lat. large. S China.
×
hiemalis
Fotsch. heem-
ah
-lis. Lat. of winter.
B. socotrana
×
B
. ×
tuberhybrida
. Cult.
luxurians
Scheidw. lux-
ewr
-ree-anz. Lat. extravagant, profuse. SE Brazil.
masoniana
Irmsch. ex Ziesenh. may-son-ee-
ah
-nuh. Iron cross begonia. After English plant collector Maurice Mason, who introduced it from Singapore in 1952. S China, Malaysia.
palmata
D. Don. pahl-
mah
-tuh. Lat. palmate (the leaves). Himal. to SE Asia.
Rex-cultorum Group
. rex-kul-
tor
-room. Lat.
B. rex
of cultivation, mainly hybrids. Cult.
Semperflorens-cultorum Group
. sem-per-
flaw
-ruhnz. Lat.
B. semperflorens
of cultivation, mainly hybrids. Cult.
serratipetala
Irmsch. se-rah-tee-
pet
-uh-luh. Lat. with toothed petals. New Guinea.
solananthera
A. DC. sol-uhn-
an
-theruh. Lat. with
Solanum
-like anthers. SE Brazil.
sutherlandii
Hook.f. su-tHuh-
land
-ee-ee. After Peter Cormack Sutherland (1822–1900), Scottish doctor who collected the type specimen in 1861. S Africa.
×
tuberhybrida
Voss. tew-buh-
hib
-rid-uh. Lat. tuberous hybrid.
B. boliviensis
×
B. pearcei
×
B. veitchii
. Cult.
Belamcanda chinensis
(L.) DC. =
Iris domestica
Bellevalia
Lapeyr. (Asparagaceae). bel-
val
-ee-uh. After French physician and botanist Pierre Richer de Belleval (1564–1632), who founded the
Jardin des Plantes in Montpellier in 1593. 64 spp. bulbous herbs. Medit. to C Asia.
paradoxa
(Fisch. & C. A. Mey.) Boiss. pa-ruh-
dox
-uh. Lat. unusual. W Asia.
romana
(L.) Sweet. roh-
mah
-nuh. Roman hyacinth. Lat. Roman. S Eur., N Egypt.
bellflower
Campanula
.
Adriatic
C. garganica
.
Aleutian
C. chamissonis
.
American
C. americana
.
bearded
C. barbata
.
chimney
C. pyramidalis
.
clustered
C. glomerata
.
creeping
C. rapunculoides
.
Dalmatian
C. portenschlagiana
.
giant
C. latifolia
.
Italian
C. isophylla
.
Korean
C. takesimana
.
milky
C. lactiflora
.
nettle-leaved
C. trachelium
.
peach-leaved
C. persicifolia
.
spotted
C. punctata
.
trailing
C. poscharskyana
.
tussock
C. carpatica
Bellis
L. (Asteraceae).
bel
-is. The Lat. name, from Lat. pretty. 8 spp. herbs. Eur., Medit., W Asia.
perennis
L. pe-
ren
-is. Daisy. Lat. perennial. Eur., W Asia.
bells of Ireland
Moluccella laevis
bellwort
Uvularia
Beloperone guttata
Brandegee =
Justicia brandegeeana
Benincasa
Savi (Cucurbitaceae). ben-in-
kas
-uh. After Giuseppe Benincasa, 16th-cent. Flemish botanist. 1 sp., herb. SE Asia.
hispida
(Thunb.) Cogn.
his
-pid-uh. Wax gourd. Lat. with rough hairs.
Berberidopsis
Hook.f. (Berberidopsi-daceae). ber-be-ri-
dop
-sis. Lat. resembling
Berberis
. 2 spp. woody climbers. Chile, Australia.
corallina
Hook.f. ko-ruh-
leen
-uh. Coral plant. Lat. coral-red (the flowers). Chile.
Berberis
L. (Berberidaceae).
ber
-buhris. Barberry. From the Arabic name. 500 spp. shrubs. N hemisph., S Am.
buxifolia
Lam. =
B. microphylla
calliantha
Mulligan. kal-ee-
anth
-uh. Gk. beautiful flower. Tibet.
candidula
C. K. Schneid. kan-
did
-ewluh. Lat. bright white (the leaf under-side). China.
×
carminea
Ahrendt. kar-
min
-ee-uh. Medieval Lat. carmine (the fruit).
B. aggregata
×
B. wilsoniae
. Cult.
darwinii
Hook. dar-
win
-ee-ee. After English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882), who collected the type specimen in 1835 during the voyage of the
Beagle
. Chile.
dictyophylla
Franch. dik-tee-oh-
fil
-uh. Netleaf barberry. Gk. net-leaved. W China.
×
frikartii
C. K. Schneid. ex Van de Laar. fri-
kar
-tee-ee. After Swiss nurseryman Carl Ludwig Frikart (1879–1964), who raised it.
B. candidula
×
B. verruculosa
. Cult.
gagnepainii
C. K. Schneid. gan-yuh-
pan
-ee-ee. After François Gagnepain (1866–1952), French botanist. China. var.
lanceifolia
Ahrendt. lahn-see-i-
foh
-lee-uh. Lat. with lance-shaped leaves.
×
gladwynensis
E. Anders. glad-win-
en
-sis. Of Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, where it was raised.
B. gagnepainii
×
B. verruculosa.
Cult.
×
hybridogagnepainii
Suringar. hib-ri-doh-gan-yuh-
pan
-ee-ee. Hybrid of
B. gagnepainii. B. candidula
×
B. gagnepainii
. Cult.
×
interposita
Ahrendt. in-ter-
poz
-i-tuh. Lat. put between (the parents).
B. hookeri
×
B. verruculosa
. Cult.
julianae
C. K. Schneid. jue-lee-
ah
-nee. After Juliana, wife of author Camillo Schneider. China.
linearifolia
Phil. =
B. trigona
×
lologensis
Sandwith. lo-log-
en
-sis. Of Lago (lake) Lolog, where the type specimen was collected in 1927.
B. darwinii
×
B. trigona
. Argentina.
×
media
Groot.
mee
-dee-uh. Lat. intermediate (between the parents).
B
. ×
chenaultii
×
B. thunbergii
. Cult.
‘Mentorensis’
. men-to-
ren
-sis. Of Mentor, Ohio, where it was raised.
B. julianae
×
B. thunbergii
.
microphylla
G. Forst. mik-
rof
-i-luh. Gk. small-leaved. Chile, Argentina.
×
ottawensis
C. K. Schneid. ot-uh-
wen
-sis. Of Ottawa, where it was raised.
B. thunbergii
×
B. vulgaris
. Cult.
×
stenophylla
Lindl. sten-
of
-i-luh. Gk. narrow-leaved.
B. darwinii
×
B. empetrifolia
. Cult.
thunbergii
DC. thun-
berg
-ee-ee. After Swedish botanist and physician Carl Peter Thunberg (1743–1828), who collected in Japan and S Africa. Japan.
trigona
Kunze ex Poepp. & Endl. tri-
goh
-nuh. Gk. three-angled (the shoots). Chile, Argentina.
valdiviana
Phil. val-div-ee-
ah
-nuh. Of Valdivia. Chile.
verruculosa
Hemsl. & E. H. Wilson. ve-rue-kew-
loh
-suh. Lat. warty (the shoots). China.
vulgaris
L. vul-
gar
-ris. Common barberry. Lat. common. Eur., N Africa, W Asia.
wilsoniae
Hemsl. wil-
son
-ee-ie. After Ellen Wilson (ca. 1872–1930), whose husband, E. H. Wilson, collected the type specimen in 1903. W China.
Bergenia
Moench (Saxifragaceae). ber-
gen
-ee-uh. After Karl August von Bergen (1704–1759), German botanist. 10 spp. perenn. herbs. E Asia.
ciliata
(Haw.) Sternb. sil-ee-
ah
-tuh. Lat. edged with fine hairs (the leaves). Himal.
cordifolia
(Haw.) Sternb. =
B. crassifolia
crassifolia
Fritsch. kras-i-
foh
-lee-uh. Lat. with thick leaves. NE Asia.
delavayi
(Franch.) Engl. =
B. purpurascens
purpurascens
(Hook.f. & Thomson) Engl. pur-pew-
ras
-uhnz. Lat. becoming purple (the leaves). Himal., W China.
×
schmidtii
(Regel) Silva Tar.
shmit
-ee-ee. After Carl Schmidt of the Haage & Schmidt nursery, Erfurt, Germany, whence it was described.
B. ciliata
×
B. crassifolia
. Cult.
stracheyi
(Hook.f. & Thomson) Engl.
stray
-kee-ee. After Lt.-Gen. Sir Richard Strachey (1817–1908), English army officer in India, who, with J. E. Winterbottom, collected the type specimen. Himal.
Bessera
Schult.f. (Asparagaceae).
bes
-uh-ruh. After Wilbald von Besser (1784–1842), Austrian botanist. 3 spp. herbs. Mex.