Read The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants Online
Authors: Allen Coombes
×
durobrivensis
Sarg. dew-roh-briv-
en
-sis. Of Rochester (New York), from Durobriva, Roman name for Rochester, England. USA (New York).
×
grignonensis
Mouill. green-yon-
en
-sis. Of Grignon, France, where it was found.
C. mexicana
×
C
. sp. Cult.
laevigata
(Poir.) DC. lee-vi-
gah
-tuh. Midland hawthorn. Lat. smooth (the leaves). Eur.
×
lavalleei
Hérincq ex Lavallée. lah-
val
-ay-ee. After Alphonse Lavallée (1836–1881), founder of the Arboretum Segrez, France, where it was raised.
C. crus-galli
×
C. mexicana.
Cult.
‘Carrièrei’
. ka-ree-
e
-ree-ee. After French botanist Élie-Abel Carrière (1818–1896).
×
media
Bechst.
mee
-dee-uh. Lat. intermediate (between the parents).
C. laevigata
×
C. monogyna
. Eur.
mollis
(Torr. & A. Gray) Scheele.
mol
-is. Downy hawthorn. Lat. soft (the hairy leaves). SE Canada, E and C USA.
monogyna
Jacq. mon-oh-
gie
-nuh. Common hawthorn. Gk. with one ovary. Eur., W Asia, N Africa.
‘Biflora’
. bie-
flaw
-ruh. Glastonbury thorn. Lat. flowering twice.
×
mordenensis
Boom. mor-duhn-
en
-sis. Of Morden (Agriculture Canada Research Station, Morden, Manitoba, Canada), where it was raised.
C. laevigata
×
C. succulenta
. Cult.
orientalis
Pall. ex M. Bieb. o-ree-en-
tah
-lis. Oriental hawthorn. Lat. eastern. E Eur., W Asia.
persimilis
Sarg. per-
si
-mi-lis. Lat. very similar (to
C. crus-galli
). SE Canada, NE USA.
phaenopyrum
(L.f.) Medik. feen-oh-
pie
-room. Washington thorn. Gk. pear-like. E USA.
pinnatifida
Bunge. pin-at-i-
feed
-uh. Chinese hawthorn. Lat. pinnately cut (the leaves). E Russia, China, Korea. var.
major
N. E. Br.
may
-juh. Lat. large (the fruit). Cult.
tanacetifolia
(Lam.) Pers. tan-uh-seeti-
foh
-lee-uh. Tansy-leaved thorn. Lat. with leaves like
Tanacetum
. Turkey.
viridis
L.
vi
-ri-dis. Green hawthorn. Lat. green (the leaves, on both sides). E and C USA.
creeping Jenny
Lysimachia nummularia
.
dwarf
L. japonica
var.
minutissima
Crepis
L. (Asteraceae).
krep
-is. Gk. name of another plant, from Gk. slipper, possibly referring to the shape of the fruit. 200 spp. herbs. Widespread in N hemisph.
incana
Sibth. & Sm. in-
kah
-nuh. Pink dandelion. Lat. grey (the leaves). Greece.
Cretan brake
Pteris cretica
Crinodendron
Molina (Elaeocarpaceae). krin-oh-
den
-dron. Gk. lily tree. 5 spp., shrubs, trees. S Am.
hookerianum
Gay. hook-uh-ree-
ah
-noom. Lantern tree. After Sir William Jackson Hooker (1785–1865),
English botanist and first director of RBG Kew, who had a particular interest in Chilean plants. Chile.
patagua
Mol. puh-
tag
-wuh. The Chilean name. Chile.
Crinum
L. (Amaryllidaceae).
krie
-noom. From Gk. lily. 100 spp. bulbous herbs. Widespread in trop. and subtrop. regs.
americanum
L. uh-me-ri-
kah
-noom. Florida swamp lily. Of America. SE USA, Mex., Caribb.
bulbispermum
(Burm.f.) Milne-Redh. & Schweick. bulb-i-
sperm
-oom. Lat. with bulbous seeds. S Africa.
moorei
Hook.f.
mor
-ree-ee. After Scottish botanist David Moore (1808–1879), curator of the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin, where it was first grown. S Africa.
×
powellii
Baker.
powl
-ee-ee. After C. Baden Powell, who raised it ca. 1885.
C. bulbispermum
×
C. moorei
. Cult.
Crocosmia
Planch. (Iridaceae). kroh-
koz
-mee-uh. Montbretia. From Gk. saffron scent, referring to the fragrant flowers. 8 spp. herbs. Trop. and S Africa.
×
crocosmiiflora
(Lemoine) N. E. Br. kroh-koz-mee-i-
flaw
-ruh. Lat. with flowers like
Crocosmia
(it was originally described as a species of
Montbretia
).
C. aurea
×
C. pottsii
. S Africa.
×
crocosmioides
(Leichtlin ex J. N. Gerard) Goldblatt. kroh-koz-mee-
oy
-deez. Lat. like
Crocosmia
(it was originally described as a species of
Antholyza
).
C. aurea
×
C. paniculata
. Cult.
masoniorum
(L. Bolus) N. E. Br. mayson-ee-
or
-room. After Marianne Harriet Mason (1845–1932) and her brother Canon George Edward Mason (d. 1928), who collected it and introduced it to cultivation. S Africa.
paniculata
(Klatt) Goldblatt. pan-ikew-
lah
-tuh. Lat. in panicles (the flowers). S Africa.
pottsii
(Baker) N. E. Br.
pot
-see-ee. After George Honington Potts (1830–1907), who distributed it from his Scottish garden. The type specimen was taken from plants cultivated from his introduction. S Africa.
Crocus
L. (Iridaceae).
kroh
-koos. From Gk. saffron. 80 spp. cormous herbs. Eur., N Africa, W and C Asia to China.
angustifolius
Weston. an-gus-ti-
foh
-lee-oos. Lat. narrow-leaved. E Eur., Caucasus.
banaticus
J. Gay. buh-
nat
-i-koos. Of Banat (now divided between Romania, Serbia and Hungary). E Eur.
biflorus
Mill. bie-
flaw
-roos. Lat. two-flowered. SE Eur., SW Asia.
cartwrightianus
Herb. kart-rite-ee-
ah
-noos. After its discoverer, John Cartwright, British consul-general in Constantinople (Istanbul) in the early 19th cent. Greece, Crete.
chrysanthus
(Herb.) Herb. kris-
anth
-oos. Gk. golden-flowered. SE Eur., Turkey.
etruscus
Parl. ee-
troos
-koos. Lat. of Etruria (now roughly equivalent to Tuscany). N Italy.
flavus
Weston.
flah
-voos. Lat. yellow (the flowers). SE Eur., W Turkey.
goulimyi
Turrill. gue-
lim
-ee-ee. After Greek lawyer and amateur botanist
Constantine N. Goulimy (1886–1963), who collected the type specimen in 1954. Greece.
hadriaticus
Herb. had-ree-
at
-i-koos. Lat. of the Adriatic reg. Greece.
korolkowii
Maw & Regel. ko-rol-
kov
-ee-ee. After General Nicolai Iwanawitsch Korolkow (b. 1837), who collected the type specimen. C Asia to N Pakistan.
kotschyanus
K. Koch. kot-shee-
ah
-noos. After Carl Georg Theodor Kotschy (1813–1866), Austrian botanist. Turkey, Caucasus, Lebanon.
longiflorus
Raf. long-gi-
flaw
-roos. Lat. long-flowered. S Italy, Sicily, Malta.
luteus
Lam. =
C. flavus
pulchellus
Herb. pool-
kel
-oos. Lat. beautiful. SE Eur., Turkey.
sativus
L. sa-
tee
-voos. Saffron. Lat. cultivated. E Medit.
serotinus
Salisb. se-
rot
-i-noos, se-ro-
teen
-oos. Lat. late (flowering). Portugal, Spain, Morocco.
sieberi
J. Gay.
zee
-buh-ree. After Prague-born botanist and plant collector Franz Wilhelm Sieber (1789–1844), who collected the type specimen on Crete in 1825. SE Eur.
speciosus
M. Bieb. spee-see-
oh
-soos. Lat. showy. SW Asia.
tommasinianus
Herb. tom-uh-sin-ee-
ah
-noos. After Muzio Giuseppe Spirito de Tommasini (1794–1879), Italian botanist. SE Eur.
vernus
(L.) Hill.
ver
-noos. Lat. of spring (flowering). Eur.
versicolor
Ker Gawl. ver-
si
-ko-lor. Lat. variably coloured (the flowers). S France, N Italy.
crocus, autumn
Colchicum
crossvine
Bignonia capreolata
croton
Codiaeum variegatum
crown imperial
Fritillaria imperialis
crown of thorns
Euphorbia milii
cruel plant
Araujia sericifera
Cryptogramma
R. Br. (Pteridaceae). krip-toh-
gram
-uh. Gk. hidden line, the line of spore-bearing sori at the frond edge are hidden under the revolute margin. 10 spp. ferns. N hemisph., S Am.
crispa
(L.) R. Br.
kris
-puh. Parsley fern. Lat. curled, wavy (the frond margin). Eur., W Asia.
Cryptomeria
D. Don (Cupressaceae). krip-toh-
me
-ree-uh. Gk. hidden parts, referring to the reproductive structures. 1 sp., conifer. Japan.
japonica
D. Don. juh-
pon
-i-kuh. Japanese cedar. Of Japan.
cuckoo flower
Cardamine pratensis
cuckoo pint
Arum maculatum
cucumber
Cucumus sativus
cucumber tree
Magnolia acuminata
Cucumis
L. (Cucurbitaceae). kew-
kew
-mis. Lat. name for cucumber. 50 spp. herbs. Trop. Africa, trop. Asia.
melo
L.
mee
-loh. Melon. Lat. name of an apple-shaped melon. Cult.
Cantalupensis Group
. kan-tuh-lue-
pen
-sis. Cantaloupe. Of Cantalupo, near Rome.
Inodorus Group
. in-oh-
dor
-roos. Honeydew melon. Lat. without scent.
Reticulatus Group
. re-tik-ew-
lah
-toos. Musk melon. Lat. netveined (the fruit).
sativus
L. sa-
tee
-voos. Cucumber, gherkin. Lat. cultivated. Cult.
Cucurbita
L. (Cucurbitaceae). kew-
kur
-bit-uh. Lat. name for a gourd used as a drinking vessel. 14 spp. herbs. Trop. and subtrop. Am.
argyrosperma
C. Huber. ar-gi-roh-
sperm
-uh. Silver-seed gourd. Gk. with silvery seeds. Mex., C Am.
maxima
Duchesne.
max
-i-muh. Pumpkin, squash. Lat. largest. Argentina, Uruguay.
moschata
Duchesne. mos-
kah
-tuh. Calabaza, pumpkin, squash. Lat. musk-scented (the fruit). Cult.
pepo
L.
pee
-poh. Courgette, marrow, pumpkin, zucchini. Lat. name for a kind of melon. Cult.
Culver’s root
Veronicastrum virginicum