The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (62 page)

Nierembergia
Ruiz & Pav. (Solanaceae). near-ruhm-
berg
-ee-uh. After Juan Eusebio Nieremberg (1595–1658), Spanish priest and naturalist. 20 spp., ann. and perenn. herbs, sub-shrubs. Mex. to S Am.

linariifolia
Graham. lin-ah-ree-i-
foh
-lee-uh. Cup flower. Lat. with leaves like
Linaria
. S Am.

Nigella
L. (Ranunculaceae). ni-
jel
-uh. Diminutive of Lat. black, referring to the seeds. 20 spp. ann. herbs. Eur., N Africa, W and C Asia.

damascena
L. dam-uh-
seen
-uh. Love-in-a-mist. Lat. of Damascus. Eur., W Asia.

hispanica
L. his-
pan
-i-kuh. Fennel flower. Lat. of Spain. SW Eur., N Africa.

sativa
L. sa-
tee
-vuh. Black cumin. Lat. cultivated. W Asia.

ninebark
Physocarpus opulifolius
.
Pacific
P. capitatus

Nipponanthemum
Kitam. (Asteraceae). ni-pon-
anth
-uh-moom. From Nippon (Japanese for Japan), and Gk. flower. 1 sp., subshrub. Japan.

nipponicum
(Maxim.) Kitam. ni-
pon
-i-koom. Of Japan.

Nolina recurvata
(Lem.) Hemsl. =
Beaucarnea recurvata

Nothofagus
Blume (Nothofagaceae). noth-oh-
fay
-goos. Southern beeches. Gk. false
Fagus
. 34 spp., trees, shrubs. New Guinea to Australia, NZ, S Am.

alpina
(Poepp. & Endl.) Oerst. al-
pie
-nuh. Lat. alpine. Chile, Argentina.

antarctica
(G. Forst.) Oerst. an-
tark
-ti-kuh. Antarctic beech. Of Antarctic regs. Chile.

dombeyi
(Mirbel) Blume.
dom
-bee-ee. After French botanist Joseph Dombey (1742–1794), who collected the type specimen in Chile. Chile, Argentina.

obliqua
(Mirbel) Blume. o-
bleek
-wuh. Roble beech. Lat. oblique (the leaf base). Chile, Argentina.

procera
(Poepp. & Endl.) Oerst. =
N. alpina

Notholithocarpus
Manos, Cannon & S. H. Oh (Fagaceae). noth-oh-lith-oh-
kar
-poos. Gk. false
Lithocarpus
. 1 sp., evergreen tree or shrub. Calif., Oregon.

densiflorus
Manos, Cannon & S. H. Oh. dens-i-
flaw
-roos. Tanbark oak. Lat. densely flowered.

Notospartium carmichaeliae
Hook.f. =
Carmichaelia carmichaeliae

glabrescens
Petrie =
Carmichaelia glabrescens

Nymphaea
L. (Nymphaeaceae).
nimf
-ee-uh. Waterlilies. From Gk. nymph. 40 spp. aquatic herbs. Widespread.

alba
L.
al
-buh. European waterlily. Lat. white (the flowers). Eur., N Africa, W Asia.

odorata
Aiton. oh-do-
rah
-tuh. Fragrant waterlily. Lat. fragrant (the flowers). Americas.

Nyssa
L. (Cornaceae).
nis
-uh. Name of a water nymph in Gk. myth. The first species named,
N. aquatica
, grows in swamps. 8 spp. trees. SE Canada, USA, Mex., E Asia.

sinensis
Oliv. sin-
en
-sis. Lat. of China. China, Myanmar.

sylvatica
Marshall. sil-
vat
-i-kuh. Sour gum, tupelo. Lat. of woods. SE Canada to Mex.

oak
Quercus
.
Algerian
Q. canariensis
.
black
Q. velutina
.
bur
Q. macro-carpa
.
chestnut
Q. montana
.
chestnut-leaved
Q. castaneifolia
.
cork
Q. suber
.
Daimio
Q. dentata
.
English
Q. robur
.
Gambel
Q. gambelii
.
holm
Q. ilex
.
Hungarian
Q. frainetto
.
Jerusalem
Dysphania botrys
.
live
Quercus virginiana
.
loquat
Q. rysophylla
.
Nuttall’s
Q. texana
.
Oregon
Q. garryana
.
overcup
Q. lyrata
.
pin
Q. palustris
.
red
Q. rubra
.
sawtooth
Q. acutissima
.
scarlet
Q. coccinea
.
sessile
Q. petraea
.
shingle
Q. imbricaria
.
southern red
Q. falcata
.
swamp red
Q. shumardii
.
swamp Spanish
Q. pagoda
.
swamp white
Q. bicolor
.
tanbark
Notholithocarpus densiflorus
.
turkey
Quercus cerris
.
valley
Q. lobata
.
water
Q. nigra
.
white
Q. alba
.
willow
Q. phellos
.
yellow chestnut
Q. muehlenbergii

oats
Avena sativa

obedient plant
Physostegia virginiana

ocean spray
Holodiscus discolor

Ocimum
L. (Lamiaceae).
o
-ki-moom. Gk. name used by Theophrastus for an aromatic herb. 100 spp., herbs, shrubs. Widespread in warm and trop. regs.

americanum
L. uh-me-ri-
kah
-noom. African basil, American basil. Of America, where it was thought to be native, though introduced. Africa, trop. Asia.

basilicum
L. buh-
sil
-i-koom. Basil. From Gk. royal, of kings. Trop. Asia.

tenuiflorum
L. ten-ew-i-
flaw
-room. Lat. with slender flowers. Trop. Asia to N Australia.

Oemleria
Rchb. (Rosaceae). urm-
le
-ree-uh. After German naturalist Augustus Gottlieb Oemler (1773–1852), who lived in Georgia, USA, and sent American plants to Reichenbach. 1 sp., deciduous shrub. SW Canada, W USA.

cerasiformis
(Torr. & A. Gray ex Hook. & Arn.) J. W. Landon. ke-ruh-si-
form
-is. Osoberry. Lat. cherry-shaped (the fruit).

Oenothera
L. (Onagraceae). ee-
noth
-uh-ruh. Gk. name for another plant, possibly
Nerium oleander
, from Gk. donkey catcher. 145 spp., ann., bienn. and perenn. herbs, subshrubs. N and S Am. and other regions from hybrid origin.

biennis
L. bie-
en
-is. Evening primrose. Lat. biennial. Canada, USA.

fruticosa
L. frue-ti-
koh
-suh. Sundrops. Lat. shrubby. E N Am. subsp.
glauca
(Michx.) Straley.
glaw
-kuh. Lat. bluish white (the leaves).

glazioviana
Micheli. glaz-ee-ov-ee-
ah
-nuh. After French botanist Auguste François Marie Glaziou (1828–1906), who collected the type specimen in Brazil in 1868. Cult.

lindheimeri
(Engelm. & A. Gray) W. L. Wagner & Hoch. lind-
hie
-muh-ree.
After German-Texan botanist Ferdinand Jacob Lindheimer (1801–1879), who collected the type specimen in Texas in 1842. S USA.

macrocarpa
Nutt. mak-roh-
kar
-puh. Gk. large-fruited. C USA, N Mex.

serrulata
Nutt. se-rue-
lah
-tuh. Lat. finely toothed (the leaves). Canada, USA, N Mex.

speciosa
Nutt. spee-see-
oh
-suh. White evening primrose. Lat. showy (the flowers). E and C USA, N Mex.

stricta
Ledeb. ex Link.
strik
-tuh. Lat. upright (the stems). Argentina, Chile.

suffrutescens
(Ser.) W. L. Wagner & Hoch. suh-frue-
tes
-uhnz. Lat. subshrubby. W Canada, W and C USA, Mex.

okra
Abelmoschus esculentus
.
musk
A. moschatus

old man’s beard
Clematis vitalba

old man’s whiskers
Geum triflorum

Olea
L. (Oleaceae).
oh
-lee-uh. Lat. name of the olive. 33 spp., evergreen shrubs, trees. Medit. to China and SE Asia, Africa.

europaea
L. ew-roh-
pee
-uh. Olive. Of Europe. Medit. to China, S Africa.

oleander
Nerium oleander

Olearia
Moench (Asteraceae). o-lee-
ah
-ree-uh, oh-
leer
-ree-uh. Daisy bushes. After Adam Ölschläger (Lat.
Olearius
) (1603–1671), German scholar. 190 spp., shrubs, trees. Australia, New Guinea, NZ.

avicenniifolia
(Raoul) Hook.f. av-isen-ee-i-
foh
-lee-uh. With leaves like
Avicennia
(mangrove). NZ.

cheesemanii
Cockayne & Allan. cheez-
man
-ee-ee. After English-born NZ botanist Thomas Frederick Cheeseman (1846–1923), who collected the type specimen in 1897. NZ.

macrodonta
Baker. mak-roh-
don
-tuh. Gk. with large teeth (the leaves). NZ.

nummularifolia
(Hook.f.) Hook.f. num-ew-lah-ri-
foh
-lee-uh. Lat. with coin-shaped leaves. NZ.

phlogopappa
(Labill.) DC. flog-oh-
pap
-uh. Gk. with a
Phlox
- or flame-like pappus (the hairs attached to the seeds). SE Australia.

×
scilloniensis
Dorrien-Smith. sil-ohnee-
en
-sis. Of the Isles of Scilly, UK, where it was raised.
O. lirata
×
O. phlogopappa
. Cult.

stellulata
DC. stel-ew-
lah
-tuh. Lat. with small stars (the flowers). Tasmania.

traversii
(F. Muell.) Hook.f. =
O. traversiorum

traversiorum
(F. Muell.) Hook.f. tra-vurs-ee-
or
-room. After Irish-born NZ lawyer and naturalist William Thomas Locke Travers (1819–1903) and his son, Henry Hammersley Travers (1844–1928). Chatham Is. (NZ).

virgata
(Hook.f.) Hook.f. vir-
gah
-tuh. Lat. twiggy. NZ.

‘Waikariensis’
. wie-kah-ree-
en
-sis. Of Waikari, NZ.

Oligoneuron album
(Nutt.) G. L. Nesom =
Solidago ptarmicoides

olive
Olea europaea

Omphalodes
Mill. (Boraginaceae). omf-uh-
loh
-deez. Gk. navel-like,
referring to the seeds. 30 spp. ann., bienn. and perenn. herbs. Eur., W Asia, N Africa, Mex.

cappadocica
(Willd.) DC. kap-uh-
doh
-si-kuh. Lat. of Cappadocia (now part of Turkey). NE Turkey, Georgia.

verna
Moench.
ver
-nuh. Blue-eyed Mary. Lat. of spring (flowering). C and SE Eur.

onion
Allium cepa
.
tree
A
. ×
proliferum
.
tumbleweed
A. schubertii
.
Welsh
A. fistulosum