Read The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants Online
Authors: Allen Coombes
ailantifolia
Carrière. ie-lan-ti-
foh
-leeuh. Japanese walnut. Lat. with leaves like
Ailanthus
. Japan. var.
cordiformis
(Makino) Rehder. kor-di-
form
-is. Lat. heart-shaped (the nuts).
cinerea
L. sin-
e
-ree-uh. Butternut. Lat. grey (the bark). E Canada, E and C USA.
hindsii
Jeps. ex R. E. Sm.
hiendz
-ee-ee. After its discoverer Richard Brinsley Hinds (1812–1847), English naval surgeon and naturalist on HMS
Sulphur
, who collected the first (but not the type) specimen in 1837. Calif.
nigra
L.
nie
-gruh. Black walnut. Lat. black (the bark). SE Canada, E and C USA.
regia
L.
ree
-jee-uh. Common walnut. Lat. royal. SE Eur. to China.
jumpseed
Persicaria virginiana
Juncus
L. (Juncaceae).
jung
-koos. Rush. Lat. name for a rush, from Lat. to join or bind (the stems were used for binding). 300 spp. herbs. Widespread.
balticus
Willd.
ball
-ti-koos. Baltic rush. Lat. of the Baltic reg. Eur., N Am.
decipiens
(Buchenau) Nakai. de-
sip
-ee-uhnz. Lat. misleading. E Asia.
dudleyi
Wiegand.
dud
-lee-ee. Dudley’s rush. After American botanist William Russell Dudley (1849–1911), who first described it. N Am.
effusus
L. ee-
few
-soos. Soft rush. Lat. loose (the inflorescence). Eur., Africa, Asia, N and S Am.
ensifolius
Wikstr. en-si-
foh
-lee-oos. Lat. with sword-shaped leaves. N Am., Japan, Kuriles.
tenuis
Willd.
ten
-ew-is. Slender rush. Lat. slender (the stems). N and S Am.
torreyi
Coville.
tor
-ee-ee. After American botanist John Torrey (1796–1873), who first described it under another name. N Am.
juniper
Juniperus
.
Chinese
J. chinensis
.
common
J. communis
.
creeping
J. horizontalis, J. procumbens
.
Irish
J. communis
‘Hibernica’.
Rocky Mountain
J. scopulorum
.
shore
J. rigida
subsp.
conferta
.
Utah
J. osteosperma
Juniperus
L. (Cupressaceae). jue-
nip
-uh-roos. Junipers. The Lat. name, from Lat. producing youth (as they are evergreen). 50 spp., trees, shrubs. Widespread.
chinensis
L. chin-
en
-sis. Chinese juniper. Of China. China, Korea, Japan. var.
sargentii
A. Henry. sar-
jent
-ee-ee. After American botanist Charles Sprague Sargent (1841–1927), first director of the Arnold Arboretum, who collected the type specimen and introduced it to cultivation in 1892. NE Asia.
communis
L.
kom
-ew-nis. Common juniper. Lat. common or growing in colonies. Eur., N Africa, Asia, Canada, USA.
‘Hibernica’
. hie-
bern
-ikuh. Irish juniper. Lat. of Ireland.
conferta
Parl. =
J. rigida
subsp.
conferta
horizontalis
Moench. ho-ri-zon-
tah
-lis. Creeping juniper. Lat. horizontal (the branches). Canada, N USA.
×
media
Melle =
J
. ×
pfitzeriana
osteosperma
(Torr.) Little. ost-ee-oh-
sperm
-uh. Utah juniper. Gk. with bony seeds. SW and C USA.
×
pfitzeriana
(Späth) P. A. Schmidt. fitz-uh-ree-
ah
-nuh. After Wilhelm Pfitzer, propagator with the Späth nursery, where it was first raised.
J. chinensis
×
J. sabina
. Cult.
‘Armstrongii’
. arm-
strong
-ee-ee. After the Armstrong Nursery, Calif., which first distributed it.
procumbens
(Endl.) Miq. proh-
kum
-buhnz. Creeping juniper. Lat. creeping. Japan, Korea.
rigida
Sieb. & Zucc.
ri
-ji-duh. Lat. rigid (the leaves). NE Asia. subsp.
conferta
(Parl.) Kitam. kon-
fer
-tuh. Shore juniper. Lat. closely pressed together (the leaves).
sabina
L. suh-
bee
-nuh. Savin. The Lat. name. Eur., N Africa, W Asia.
‘Tamariscifolia’
. tam-uh-risk-i-
foh
-lee-uh. Lat. with leaves like
Tamarix
.
sargentii
(A. Henry) Takeda ex Koidz. =
J. chinensis
var.
sargentii
scopulorum
Sarg. skop-ew-
lor
-room. Rocky Mountain juniper. Lat. of cliffs, rocky places. W Canada, W USA, N Mex.
squamata
Buch.-Ham. ex G. Don. skwo-
mah
-tuh. Lat. scaly (the bark). Himal., China, N Myanmar.
virginiana
L. vir-jin-ee-
ah
-nuh. Pencil cedar. Of Virginia. SE Canada, E and C USA.
Justicia
L. (Acanthaceae). just-
is
-eeuh. After James Justice (1698–1763), Scottish horticulturist. 600 spp., herbs, shrubs. Tropics.
brandegeeana
Wassh. & L. B. Sm. bran-di-gee-
ah
-nuh. Shrimp plant. After American botanist Townshend Stith Brandegee (1843–1925), who first described it (as
Beloperone guttata
). Mex., C Am.
carnea
Lindl.
kar
-nee-uh. Brazilian plume. Lat. flesh-pink (the flowers). Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay.
floribunda
(K. Koch) Wassh. flo-ri-
bun
-duh. Lat. profusely flowering. Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina.
Krizzinii
Wassh. =
J. floribunda
kaki
Diospyros kaki
Kalanchoe
Adans. (Crassulaceae). kalan-
koh
-ee. From the Chinese name of one species. 140 spp., ann. and perenn. herbs, succulent shrubs, climbers. S and E Africa, Asia.
beharensis
Drake. bee-har-
ren
-sis. Of Behara. Madagascar.
blossfeldiana
Poelln. blos-feld-ee-
ah
-nuh. After nurseryman and seed merchant Robert Blossfeld of Potsdam, Germany, who introduced it to cultivation ca. 1930. Madagascar.
daigremontiana
Raym.-Hamet & H. Perrier. day-gri-mont-ee-
ah
-nuh. Devil’s backbone. After M. & Mme Daigremont. Madagascar.
delagoensis
Eckl. & Zeyh. de-lah-go-
en
-sis. Of Delagoa (now Maputo) Bay, Mozambique. Madagascar.
fedtschenkoi
Raym.-Hamet & H. Perrier. fet-
shen
-koh-ee. After Boris Fedtschenko (1873–1947), Russian botanist. Madagascar.
pinnata
(Lam.) Pers. pin-
ah
-tuh. Air plant. Lat. pinnate (some of the leaves). Madagascar.
tomentosa
Baker. to-men-
toh
-suh. Lat. hairy (the leaves). Madagascar.
tubiflora
(Harv.) Raym.-Hamet =
K. delagoensis
kale
Brassica oleracea
Acephala Group.
sea
Crambe maritima
Kalmia
L. (Ericaceae).
kal
-mee-uh. After Pehr Kalm (1716–1779), Swedish botanist and student of Linnaeus, who collected in North America. 10 spp. evergreen shrubs. N Am., Cuba.
angustifolia
L. an-gus-ti-
foh
-lee-uh. Sheep laurel. Lat. narrow-leaved. E N Am.
latifolia
L. lat-i-
foh
-lee-uh. Calico bush, mountain laurel. Lat. broad-leaved. E USA.
Kalopanax
Miq. (Araliaceae). kal-oh-
pan
-ax. From Gk. beautiful, and the related
Panax
. 1 sp., deciduous tree. NE Asia.
septemlobus
(Thunb.) Koidz. sep-tem-
loh
-boos. Lat. seven-lobed (the leaves).
kangaroo vine
Cissus antarctica
katsura tree
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
Kentucky coffee tree
Gymnocladus dioica
kerosene bush
Ozothamnus ledifolius
Kerria
DC. (Rosaceae).
ke
-ree-uh. After William Kerr (d. 1814), Scottish gardener and plant collector, who introduced the double form (‘Pleniflora’) to Kew in 1804. 1 sp., deciduous shrub. China, Japan.
japonica
(L.) DC. juh-
pon
-i-kuh. Of Japan.
kingnut
Carya laciniosa
Kirengeshoma
Yatabe (Hydrangeaceae). ki-reng-i-
shoh
-muh. From the Japanese name. 2 spp. perenn. herbs. China, Korea, Japan.
palmata
Yatabe. pahl-
mah
-tuh. Lat. palmate (the leaves). E China, Japan.
kiwi fruit
Actinidia deliciosa
Kleinia articulata
(L.f.) Haw. =
Senecio articulatus
knapweed
Centaurea
.
black
C. nigra
.
giant
C. macrocephala
.
greater
C. scabiosa
.
lesser
C. nigra
Knautia
L. (Dipsacaceae).
nawt
-eeuh. After brothers Christian (1656–1716) and Christoph (1638–1694) Knaut, German physicians and botanists. 60 spp. perenn. herbs. Eur., Medit.
macedonica
Griseb. mas-i-
don
-i-kuh. Lat. of Macedonia (reg. of SE Eur. distinct from the modern country). SE Eur.
Kniphofia
Moench (Xanthorrhoeaceae). nie-
foh
-fee-uh. Red-hot poker. After Johann Hieronymus Kniphof (1704–1763), German physician. 65 spp. perenn. herbs. Arabia to S Africa.
caulescens
Baker. kawl-
es
-uhnz. Lat. developing a stem. S Africa.
northiae
Baker.
north
-ee-ie. After English botanical artist Marianne North (1830–1890), who painted the type illustration of it in S Africa and introduced it to Kew in 1883. S Africa.
rooperi
(T. Moore) Lem.
rue
-puh-ree. After Capt. Edward Rooper (1818–1854), who sent it to England. S Africa.
triangularis
Kunth. trie-ang-ew-
lah
-ris. Lat. triangular (the leaves in cross section). S Africa.
uvaria
(L.) Oken. ew-
vah
-ree-uh. Lat. like grapes (the flowers). S Africa.
Kochia scoparia
(L.) Schrad. =
Bassia scoparia
Koelreuteria
Laxm. (Sapindaceae). kol-roy-
teer
-ree-uh. After Joseph Gottlieb Kölreuter (1733–1806), German botanist. 3 spp. deciduous trees. China, Taiwan, Japan.
paniculata
Laxm. pan-ik-ew-
lah
-tuh. Golden rain tree, pride of India. Lat. in panicles (the flowers). China.
kohlrabi
Brassica oleracea
Gongylodes Group