Read The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants Online
Authors: Allen Coombes
coriander
Coriandrum sativum
Coriandrum
L. (Apiaceae). ko-ree-
an
-droom. The Lat. name, from Gk. 3 spp. herbs. SW Asia.
sativum
L. sa-
tee
-voom. Coriander. Lat. cultivated. Cult.
Coriaria
L. (Coriariaceae). ko-ree-
air
-ree-uh. From Lat. leather (
C. myrtifolia
was used in tanning). 15 spp., herbs, shrubs, trees. Mex. to S Am., W Medit., E and SE Asia, NZ.
japonica
A. Gray. juh-
pon
-i-kuh. Of Japan. Japan.
terminalis
Hemsl. ter-mi-
nah
-lis. Lat. terminal (the inflorescence). Himal., W China. var.
xanthocarpa
Rehder & E. H. Wilson. zanth-oh-
kar
-puh. Gk. yellow-fruited.
cork tree
Phellodendron
.
Amur
P. amurense
corn
Zea mays
corn cockle
Agrostemma githago
cornel
Cornus
cornflower
Centaurea cyanus
.
perennial
C. montana
Cornus
L. (Cornaceae).
kor
-noos. Cornel, dogwood. Lat. name for
C. mas
. 60 spp., trees, shrubs, herbs. Mainly N temp. regs.
alba
L.
al
-buh. Siberian dogwood. Lat. white (the fruit). E Eur., N Asia.
‘Gouchaultii’
. gue-
sholt
-ee-ee. After French nurseryman Auguste Gouchault (1851–1936), who raised it.
‘Sibirica’
. si-
bi
-ri-kuh. Lat. of Siberia.
‘Spaethii’
.
spayth
-ee-ee. After the Späth nursery, Germany, where it was raised.
alternifolia
L.f. al-ter-ni-
foh
-lee-uh. Pagoda dogwood. Lat. with alternate leaves. SE Canada, E USA.
amomum
Mill. uh-
moh
-moom. Silky dogwood. Lat. name of an aromatic shrub. SE Canada, E USA. subsp.
obliqua
(Raf.) J. S. Wilson. o-
bleek
-wuh. Lat. oblique (possibly referring to the leaf base).
angustata
(Chun) T. R. Dudley =
C. elliptica
canadensis
L. kan-uh-
den
-sis. Bunchberry. Of Canada. N Am., E Asia.
capitata
Wall. kap-i-
tah
-tuh. Lat. in a head (the flowers). Himal., China.
controversa
Hemsl. ex Prain. kontruh-
ver
-suh. Lat. controversial (unlike most species, it has alternate leaves). E Asia.
drummondii
C. A. Mey. drum-
on
-dee-ee. After Scottish naturalist and explorer Thomas Drummond (ca. 1790–1835), who collected in Texas. SE Canada, E and C USA.
elliptica
(Pojark.) Q. Y. Yang & Boufford. el-
ip
-ti-kuh. Lat. elliptic (the leaves). China.
florida
L.
flo
-ri-duh. Flowering dog-wood. Lat. flowering. SE Canada, E and C USA, Mex.
kousa
Hance.
kue
-suh. Chinese dog-wood, Japanese dogwood. From the Japanese name. China, Korea, Japan. var.
chinensis
Osborn. chin-
en
-sis. Of China.
macrophylla
Wall. mak-
rof
-i-luh. Gk. large-leaved. Himal., E Asia.
mas
L.
mas
. Cornelian cherry. Lat. masculine. Eur., W Asia.
nuttallii
Audubon. nut-
al
-ee-ee. Pacific dogwood. After English botanist and ornithologist Thomas Nuttall (1786–1859), who collected in the USA. SW Canada, W USA.
obliqua
Raf. =
C. amomum
subsp.
obliqua
officinalis
Sieb. & Zucc. of-is-i-
nah
-lis. Lat. sold as a med. herb. China.
pumila
Koehne.
pew
-mi-luh. Lat. dwarf. Cult.
racemosa
Lam. ras-i-
moh
-suh. Grey dogwood. Lat. in racemes (the flowers). Canada, E and C USA.
sanguinea
L. san-
gwin
-ee-uh. Common dogwood. Lat. bloody (the red autumn colour). Eur., W Asia.
sericea
L. suh-
rik
-ee-uh. Red osier dogwood. Lat. silky (the leaf undersides). Canada, USA, N Mex.
‘Flaviramea’
. flav-i-
rahm
-ee-uh. Lat. with golden yellow shoots.
‘Kelseyi’
.
kel
-see-ee. Of Kelsey Highlands Nursery, Massachusetts, USA, which introduced it in 1939.
stolonifera
Michx. =
C. sericea
Corokia
A. Cunn. (Argophyllaceae). ko-
roh
-kee-uh. From the Maori name. 3 spp. shrubs. NZ.
buddlejoides
A. Cunn. bud-lee-
oy
-deez. Lat. like
Buddleja
. NZ (N.I.).
cotoneaster
Raoul. ko-toh-nee-
as
-ter. From the resemblance of the habit to a cotoneaster.
macrocarpa
Kirk. mak-roh-
kar
-puh. Gk. large-fruited. Chatham Is.
×
virgata
Turrill. vir-
gah
-tuh. Lat. twiggy.
C. buddlejoides
×
C. cotoneaster.
Cult.
Coronilla
L. (Fabaceae). ko-ro-
nil
-uh. Lat. a little crown (the arrangement of the flowers). 9 spp., herbs, shrubs. Eur., Medit.
emerus
L. =
Hippocrepis emerus
valentina
L. val-en-
tee
-nuh. Of Valencia (originally Valentia). Medit. subsp.
glauca
(L.) Batt.
glaw
-kuh. Lat. bluish white (the leaves).
‘Citrina’
. sit-
ree
-nuh. Lat. lemon-yellow (the flowers).
Correa
Andrews (Rutaceae).
ko
-reeuh. After José Francisco Correia da Serra (1750–1823), Portuguese botanist. 12 spp. shrubs. Australia.
alba
Andrews.
al
-buh. Lat. white (the flowers). SE Australia, Tasmania.
backhouseana
Hook. bak-hows-ee-
ah
-nuh. After English nurseryman and missionary James Backhouse (1794–1869), who collected the type specimen in 1833. Tasmania.
lawrenceana
Hook. lo-
rens
-ee-
ah
-nuh. After English botanist Robert William Lawrence (1807–1833), who worked in Tasmania and sent many specimens to Hooker. SE Australia, Tasmania.
‘Mannii’
.
man
-ee-ee. After Sir Frederick Wollaston Mann (1869–1958), Australian barrister and chief justice, in whose Melbourne garden it originated.
C. pulchella
×
C. reflexa
.
pulchella
Sweet. pool-
kel
-uh. Lat. beautiful. S Australia.
reflexa
(Labill.) Vent. ree-
flex
-uh. Lat. reflexed (the corolla lobes). S and E Australia.
Cortaderia
Stapf (Poaceae). kor-tuh-
de
-ree-uh. From the Argentine name, from Spanish to cut. 24 spp. grasses. S Am., NZ.
fulvida
(Buchanan) Zotov.
fool
-viduh. Lat. tawny (the inflorescence). NZ.
richardii
(Endl.) Zotov. rich-
ard
-ee-ee. After French botanist Achille Richard (1794–1852), who called it
Arundo australis
, a name that had already been used. NZ.
selloana
Schult. & Schult.f. sel-oh-
ah
-nuh. Pampas grass. After German botanist Friedrich Sellow (Sello)
(1798–1831), who collected in Brazil and Uruguay. S Am.
Corydalis
DC. (Papaveraceae). ko-
rid
-uh-lis. From Gk. crested lark, from the resemblance of the spur of the flower to a lark’s crest. 400 spp. herbs. N temp. regs.
buschii
Nakai.
boosh
-ee-ee. After Nicola
ĭ
Adolfowitsch Busch (1869–1941), Russian botanist. E Russia, Korea.
cashmeriana
Royle. kash-me-ree-
ah
-nuh. Of Kashmir. Himal., S Tibet.
cava
(L.) Schweigg. & Körte.
kah
-vuh. Lat. hollow (the root). Eur., W Asia.
cheilanthifolia
Hemsl. kie-lan-thi-
foh
-lee-uh. Lat. with leaves like
Cheilanthes
. China.
elata
Bureau & Franch. ee-
lah
-tuh. Lat. tall. W China.
flexuosa
Franch. flex-ew-
oh
-suh. Lat. curved, wavy (the spur of the flower). W China.
leucanthema
C. Y. Wu. lue-
kanth
-emuh. Gk. white-flowered (sometimes). W China.
lutea
(L.) DC. =
Pseudofumaria lutea
malkensis
Galushko. mal-
ken
-sis. Of the Malka River valley. N Caucasus.
nobilis
(L.) Pers.
noh
-bi-lis. Lat. renowned. C Asia.
ochroleuca
W. D. J. Koch =
Pseudofumaria alba
ophiocarpa
Hook.f. & Thomson. of-ee-oh-
karp
-uh. Gk. snake fruit (the fruits are slender and twisted). Himal., China, Japan.
quantmeyeriana
Fedde. kwont-mayuh-ree-
ah
-nuh. After Wilhelm Quantmeyer of Dahlem, Germany. W China.
sempervirens
(L.) Pers. sem-per-
vie
-ruhnz. Lat. evergreen. N Am.
solida
(L.) Clairv.
so
-li-duh. Lat. solid (the root). Eur., N Africa, W Asia.
Corylopsis
Sieb. & Zucc. (Hamamelidaceae). ko-ril-
op
-sis. Gk. like
Corylus
, from the similar leaves. 7 spp. shrubs. Himal., China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan.
glabrescens
Franch. & Sav. glab-
res
-uhnz. Lat. becoming glabrous. Japan, S Korea.
gotoana
Makino. goh-toh-
ah
-nuh. After Suekichi Goto, of the Imperial University of Tokyo, who collected one of the specimens from which it was described. Japan, Korea.
pauciflora
Sieb. & Zucc. paw-si-
flaw
-ruh. Lat. few-flowered (the inflorescence). Japan, Taiwan.
sinensis
Hemsl. sin-
en
-sis. Lat. of China. China. var.
calvescens
Rehder & E. H. Wilson. kal-
ves
-uhnz. Lat. becoming hairless. f.
veitchiana
(Bean) B. D. Morley & J. M. Chao. veech-ee-
ah
-nuh. After the nursery of Messrs Veitch, which introduced it.
spicata
Sieb. & Zucc. spi-
kah
-tuh. Lat. in spikes (the flowers). Japan.
veitchiana
Bean =
C. sinensis
f.
veitchiana
Corylus
L. (Betulaceae).
ko
-ril-oos. From the Gk. name, from Gk. helmet, from the shape of the husk. 16 spp., trees, shrubs. N temp. regs.
americana
Marshall. uh-me-ri-
kah
-nuh. American hazel. Of America. SC Canada, E USA.