Garden Tasks | Plant Care | Veges | Organic Gardening | Glossary | Garden Botany | Nature's Garden

Previous Page Some Botanical Terms Explained The descriptive clues in botanical names arerewarding if you translate or understand the terms themselves. Some names relate to flower colour, others to habit, and others to origin. Some of the most common terms are listed here, as well as some specially New Zealand botanical terms. A alba white albicans becoming white albiflorus white flower alpina alpine angustifolius narrow leaved apetala has no petals arachnoides spider or spider webs e.g. Sempervivium arachnoideum, the house leek has spider web like appearance arboreus or aborescens tree like appearance arenaria of sand, referring to plants from sandy places argentea or argyraea silver or silvery atro dark coloured as in 'atropurpureum' attenuata narrows to a point aurantica orange aurea or aureus gold or golden australis southern azurea azure or sky blue B banksii named for Sir Joseph Banks, botanist on Captain Cook's voyages bellidioides daisy-like appearance, referring to bellis, the daisy bicolour two coloured bidwillii named for John Bidwill, early New Zealand alpine plant enthusiast Brachyglottis short tongued, referring to the short ray florets buchananii named for John Buchanan, early New Zealand botanist C caerulea dark blue caerulecens bluish, blue tinged campanulatus bell shaped canadensis of Canada or North-eastern America canina of dogs, usually means inferior plant (the Romans were not dog-lovers!) cardinalis scarlet, cardinal red carnea deep pink cataria of cats, eg Nepeta cataria, catmint carractae of waterfalls chathamicus/chathamica of the Chatham Islands chinensis of China chlorantha green flowered cinerea ash colour, greyish coccineum scarlet columaris columnar colensoi named for William Colenso, early botanist confertiflora flowers that are crowded together cordata heart shaped crassifolius/crassifolia/crassifolium with thick leaves cunnihamii named for Allan Cunningham, early botanist D decora beautiful delayavi for Abbe Jean Marie Delavay missionary and collector dieffenbachii for Dr Ernst Dieffenbach, naturalist discolor two different colours dissecta deeply cut, usually of a leaf domestica cultivated davidii for Pere Arman David, missionary plant collector Dracanena female dragon E Echinops a hedgehog, spiky Echium vipers ( a snake) Erodium heron's bill, referring to the shape of the seedpods excelsa/excelsum/excelsus tall eximia exceptional F fibrosa fibrous flava clear yellow florida flowering -florus of flowers foetidus smelling, stinking -folius of leaves forestii for George Forest, Scottish plant collector fragrans/fragrantissima fragrant frutcosa shrubby fulvida tawny coloured H haastii for Julius von Haast, explorer hastata spear shaped hookeri for Sir William or Sir Joseph Hooker, directors of Royal Botanic Gardens Kew hortensia of gardens horizontalis flat, horizontal humilis low growing Plants have names, just like people More New Zealand plant names and explanations G Geranium crane's bill, referring to the shape of the seedpods gracilis graceful graminea grass-like I ilicifolia holly-like (from Ilex or Holly) incana grey indica of India insignis notable -issima very (as in 'bellissima') isophylla equal sized leaves ixioides ixia like J japonica of Japan jucundum attractive example K kirkii for Thomas Kirk, botanist L laetus/laetum milky latifolius/latifolia broad leaved lessonii/lessoniana for Pierre Lesson surgeon and botanist lineata striped, with lines lucida/lucens shining, bright lutea yellow lutescens becoming yellow lyallii for David Lyall, surgeon M macrantha having large flowers marcrocarpa having large fruit marcophylla having large leaves meleagris spotted like a guinea fowl as in Fritillaria meleagris melissa honey bee microphylla very small leaved monroi for Sir David Monro, plant collector montana/montanum of the mountains moschatum musky scented myosotis mouse's ear N nigra black novae-zelandiae of New Zealand O officinalis sold as a herb orientalis eastern P paniculata having flowers in panicles Pelargonium stork's bill, referring to the shape of the seedpods petriei for Donald Petrie, plant collector praecox early, of flowering procumbens prostrate procurrens spreading prolifera prolific or free flowering prostrata prostrate or lying on the ground pumila/pumilo dwarf purpurea purple (Echinea purpurea) purpurascens purplish, tinged purple R Ranunculus frog, because both like marshy, boggy ground recta upright reflexa bent backwards reptans or repens creeping richardii for Achille Richard, French botanist rigens/rigida rigid or stiff habit roseum rose colour rotundata rounded rotundifolia having round-shaped leaves rubra/rubrum red rugosa/rugosum wrinkled rupestris growing in rocks S salicina/salicifolia willow like sanguinea blood red scandens climbing serotina late flowering or late ripening serpens creeping spictata in spikes stans/stricta erect or upright supine supine or prostrate T trigida spotted like a tiger U umbellatus flowers appearing to be in umbels ursinum a bear, referring to shaggy appearance V vernus of spring viridis/virens green viridfolius green leaved versicolor multi coloured vulgaris common Z Zebrina zebra, referring to the stripes Next Page New Zealand Plant Names

* Back to Top * Home * Garden Hub * How-To * Garden Botany * Garden Design * NZ Natives * Plants * Copyright 2002 bestgardening.com Limited. All rights reserved. webmaster@bestgardening.com Last revised 09 Jan '02