Read The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants Online
Authors: Allen Coombes
hookeri
(Torr.) Nichols. =
Prosartes hookeri
smithii
(Hook.) Piper =
Prosartes smithii
uniflorum
Baker. ew-ni-
flaw
-room. Lat. one-flowered (the inflorescence, sometimes). China, Korea.
dittany, Cretan
Origanum dictamnus
.
false
Dictamnus albus
dock
Rumex
.
bloody
R. sanguineus
.
prairie
Silphium terebinthinaceum
dockmackie
Viburnum acerifolium
Dodecatheon jeffreyi
hort. ex Van Houtte =
Primula jeffreyi
meadia
L. =
Primula meadia
pulchellum
(Raf.) Merr. =
Primula pauciflora
Dodonaea
Mill. (Sapindaceae). doh-do-
nee
-uh. After Flemish botanist Rembert Dodoens (Lat.
Dodonaeus
) (1517–1585). 65 spp., shrubs, trees. Widespread in trop. and warm regs., mainly Australia.
viscosa
Jacq. vis-
koh
-suh. Hop bush. Lat. sticky (the foliage).
Doellingeria
Nees (Asteraceae). dur-lin-
ge
-ree-uh. For Ignaz Döllinger (1770–1842), German professor of anatomy and botany. 3 spp. herbs. Canada, USA.
umbellata
(Mill.) Nees. um-buhl-
ah
-tuh. Parasol whitetop, flat top white aster. Lat. in umbels (the flowers are in umbel-like corymbs).
dog’s tooth violet
Erythronium dens-canis
doghobble, coastal
Leucothoe axillaris
.
mountain
L. fontanesiana
dogwood
Cornus
.
Chinese
C. kousa
.
common
C. sanguinea
.
flowering
C. florida
.
grey
C. racemosa
.
Japanese
C. kousa
.
Pacific
C. nuttallii
.
pagoda
C. alternifolia
.
red osier
C. sericea
.
Siberian
C. alba
.
silky
C. amomum
Doronicum
L. (Asteraceae). do-
ron
-i-koom. From an Arabic name. 26 spp. herbs. Eur. and N Africa to China.
×
excelsum
(N. E. Br.) Stace. ex-
sel
-soom. Lat. tall.
D. columnae
×
D. pardalianches
×
D. plantagineum
. Cult.
orientale
Hoffm. o-ree-en-
tah
-lee. Lat. eastern. SE Eur., W Asia.
pardalianches
L. par-dal-ee-
an
-keez. Leopard’s bane. Gk. strangling leopards; originally used by Dioscorides for a poisonous plant, possibly this. Eur.
Douglasia vitaliana
(L.) Hook.f. ex Pax =
Androsace vitaliana
dove tree
Davidia involucrata
Dracaena
Vand. ex L. (Asparagaceae). druh-
see
-nuh. From Gk. dragon (a red resin from the bark of
D. draco
is known as dragon’s blood). 100 spp., shrubs, trees. Widespread, trop. and subtrop. regs.
braunii
Engl.
brown
-ee-ee. Lucky bamboo. After German botanist Johannes Braun (1859–1893), who sent plants to the Berlin Botanic Garden in 1888. W Africa.
‘Sanderiana’
. zahn-duh-ree-
ah
-nuh. After German-born nurseryman Henry Frederick Conrad Sander (1847–1920), who established a prominent orchid nursery in St. Albans, England.
fragrans
(L.) Ker Gawl.
fray
-gruhnz. Lat. fragrant (the flowers). Trop. Africa.
marginata
Lam. =
D. reflexa
var.
angustifolia
reflexa
Lam. ree-
flex
-uh. Lat. reflexed (the inflorescence). W Indian Ocean Is. var.
angustifolia
Baker. an-gus-ti-
foh
-lee-uh. Lat. narrow-leaved.
sanderiana
Sander =
D. braunii
‘Sanderiana’
Dracunculus
Mill. (Araceae). druh-
kunk
-ew-loos. Gk. a little dragon, from the shape of the spathe. 2 spp. herbs. Canary Is., Madeira, S Eur., SW Turkey.
vulgaris
Schott. vul-
gar
-ris. Dragon arum. Lat. common. S Eur. to W Turkey.
dragon arum
Dracunculus vulgaris
Dregea
E. Mey. (Apocynaceae).
dree
-gee-uh. After German botanist Johann Franz Drège (1794–1891), who collected the type species,
D. floribunda
. 12 spp. climbers. S Asia, Africa.
sinensis
Hemsl. sin-
en
-sis. Lat. of China. China.
Drimys
J. R. & G. Forst. (Winteraceae).
drim
-is. Gk. pungent, from the taste of the bark. 6 spp., shrubs, trees. Mex. to S Am.
andina
(Reiche) R. A. Rodr. & Quez. an-
dee
-nuh. Of the Andes. Chile, Argentina.
lanceolata
(Poir.) Baill. =
Tasmannia lanceolata
winteri
J. R. & G. Forst.
win
-tuh-ree. Winter’s bark. After Admiral Sir William Wynter (1519–1589), who sailed with Francis Drake and in S Am. used the bark to spice food and combat scurvy. var.
andina
Reiche =
D. andina
dropwort
Filipendula vulgaris
Dryas
L. (Rosaceae).
drie
-uhs. After Dryas of Gk. myth., a nymph of oak woods (from Gk. oak, referring to the shape of the leaves). 3 spp. sub-shrubs. Arctic and alpine N hemisph.
octopetala
L. ok-toh-
pet
-uh-luh. Mountain avens. Lat. with eight petals. Eur., Asia, N Am.
×
suendermannii
Keller ex Sünd. suen-duh-
man
-ee-ee. After Franz Sündermann (1864–1946), in whose alpine plant nursery in Germany it was raised.
D. drummondii
×
D. octopetala
. Cult.
Dryopteris
Adans. (Dryopteridaceae). drie-
op
-te-ris. Wood fern. Gk. oak fern, from the habitat. 150 spp. ferns. Widespread.
affinis
(Lowe) Fraser-Jenk.
af
-i-nis. Scaly male fern. Lat. related to (another species). Eur., Turkey.
×
australis
(Wherry) Small. os-
trah
-lis. Lat. southern.
D. celsa
×
D. ludoviciana
. SE USA.
carthusiana
(Vill.) H. P. Fuchs. kar-thew-zee-
ah
-nuh. Narrow buckler fern. Lat. of Grande Chartreuse (Cartusia), near Grenoble, France, where it was collected. Canada, USA, Eur., Turkey.
championii
(Benth.) C. Chr. ex King. champ-ee-
on
-ee-ee. After English botanist John George Champion (1815–1854), who collected in China. China, Korea, Japan.
cycadina
(Franch. & Sav.) C. Chr. sie-kad-
ee
-nuh. Shaggy wood fern. Like a cycad. China, Taiwan, Japan.
dilatata
(Hoffm.) A. Gray. di-luh-
tah
-tuh. Broad buckler fern. Lat. spreading (the fronds). Eur., W Asia.
erythrosora
(D. C. Eaton) Kuntze. e-rith-roh-
sor
-ruh. Japanese shield fern. Gk. with red sori. China,
Taiwan, Korea, Japan, Philippines.
‘Prolifica’
. proh-
li
-fi-kuh. Lat. prolific (it produces bulbils on the fronds).
filix-mas
(L.) Schott.
fi
-lix-
mas
. Male fern. Lat. male fern. Canada, USA, Eur., W and C Asia.
‘Barnesii’
.
barnz
-ee-ee. After Mr J. M. Barnes, who discovered it in Lancashire, UK.
goldieana
(Hook. ex Goldie) A. Gray. gold-ee-
ah
-nuh. Goldie’s fern. After Scottish botanist John Goldie (1793–1886), who collected the type specimen in Montreal in 1823. E N Am.
marginalis
(L.) A. Gray. mar-jin-
ah
-lis. Marginal wood fern. Lat. of the margin (the sori are borne on the margin of the fronds). E Canada, E and C USA, Greenland.
remota
(A. Braun ex Döll) Druce. ree-
moh
-tuh. Lat. scattered (the distribution). Eur., W Asia.
sieboldii
(T. Moore) Kuntze. see-
bold
-ee-ee. After Philip Franz von Siebold (1796–1866), who studied the flora and fauna of Japan. China, Taiwan, Japan.
tokyoensis
(Matsum. ex Makino) C. Chr. toh-kee-oh-
en
-sis. Of Tokyo. China, Korea, Japan.
wallichiana
(Spreng.) Hyl. wol-ik-ee-
ah
-nuh. After Nathaniel Wallich (1786–1854), Danish botanist and surgeon with the East India Company, who collected plants in India and Nepal. E Asia, Mex., C and S Am.
Duke of Argyll’s tea tree
Lycium barbarum
dumb cane
Dieffenbachia
dusty miller
Artemisia stelleriana, Jacobaea maritima, Silene coronaria
Dutchman’s breeches
Dicentra cucullaria
Dutchman’s pipe
Aristolochia macro-phylla
dyer’s greenweed
Genista tinctoria
Dysosma
Woodson (Berberidaceae). dis-
oz
-muh. Gk. a disagreeable odor, after observations made by British botanist Henry Fletcher Hance (1827–1886). 7 spp. perenn. herbs. China, Vietnam.
delavayi
(Franch) Hu. del-uh-
vay
-ee. After French missionary Jean Marie Delavay (1834–1895), who collected the type specimen in Yunnan in 1894. SW China.
versipellis
(Hance) M. Cheng ex T. S. Ying. ver-
si
-pel-is. Lat. variable, skin (it has been used to treat skin complaints). China.
Dysphania
R. Br. (Amaranthaceae). dis-
fahn
-ee-uh. From Gk. obscure (the inconspicuous flowers). 32 spp. herbs. Widespread, warm temp. to trop. regs.
ambrosioides
(L.) Mosyakin & Clemants. am-broh-zee-
oy
-deez. Mexican tea. Like
Ambrosia
. N and S Am.
Ebotrys
(L.) Mosyakin & Clemants.
bot
-ris. Jerusalem oak. Gk. like a bunch of grapes (the inflorescence). N Am., Eur., Asia.
Eccremocarpus
Ruiz & Pav. (Bignoniaceae). ek-ree-moh-
kar
-poos. Gk. hanging fruit, referring to the pendulous fruit. 3 spp. climbers. Chile, Peru.
scaber
Ruiz & Pav.
skay
-ber. Lat. rough (the leaves). Chile.
Echeveria
DC. (Crassulaceae). e-ki-
veer
-ree-uh. After Atanasio Echeverría y Godoy, 18th-cent. Mexican botanical artist. 150 spp. succulents. Mex. to S Am.
agavoides
Lem. a-gah-
voy
-deez. Like
Agave
. Mex.
elegans
Rose.
el
-i-ganz. Lat. elegant. Mex.
secunda
Booth. se-
kun
-duh. Lat. borne on one side (flowers on the inflorescence). Mex. var.
glauca
(Baker) Otto.
glaw
-kuh. Lat. bluish white (the leaves).