The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (73 page)

redmaids
Calandrinia
.
fringed
C. ciliata

redwood, California
Sequoia sempervirens
.
coast
S. sempervirens
.
giant
Sequoiadendron giganteum

reed, common
Phragmites australis.
giant
Arundo donax

reedmace
Typha

Rehmannia
Libosch. ex Fisch. & C. A. Mey. (Orobanchaceae). ray-
man
-ee-uh. After Joseph Rehmann (1799–1831), physician of St. Petersburg. 6 spp. perenn. herbs. China.

elata
N. E. Br. ex Prain. ee-
lah
-tuh. Chinese foxglove. Lat. tall.

Reineckea
Kunth (Asparagaceae). rie-
nek
-ee-uh. After H. J. Reinecke (1798–1871), German grower of tropical plants. 1 sp., perenn. herb. China, Japan.

carnea
(Andrews) Kunth.
kar
-nee-uh. Lat. flesh-pink (the flowers).

rex begonia vine
Cissus discolor

Rhamnus
L. (Rhamnaceae).
ram
-noos. Gk. name of a spiny shrub. 100 spp., shrubs, trees. N and S Am., Eur., Africa, Asia.

alaternus
L. al-uh-
tern
-oos. Italian buckthorn. The Lat. name. S Eur., N Africa, SW Asia.

cathartica
L. kuh-
thart
-i-kuh. Buckthorn. Gk. purging (it has been used as a laxative). Eur., N Africa, W and C Asia.

frangula
L. =
Frangula alnus

purshiana
DC. =
Frangula purshiana

Rhaphiolepis
Lindl. (Rosaceae). rafee-oh-
lep
-is. Gk. needle scale, referring to the slender flower bracts. 15 spp., evergreen shrubs, trees. E Asia.

×
delacourii
André. del-uh-
kur
-ree-ee. After Delacour, French gardener who raised it near Cannes in the late 19th cent.
R. indica
×
R. umbellata
. Cult.

indica
(L.) Lindl. ex Ker Gawl.
in
-dikuh. Indian hawthorn. Lat. of India or the Indies. China, Taiwan, SE Asia.

umbellata
(Thunb.) Makino. um-buhl-
ah
-tuh. Lat. in umbels (the flowers appear to be). E China, Taiwan, Japan.

Rhapis
L.f. ex Aiton (Arecaceae).
rah
-pis. Lady palms. Gk. rod, referring to the rod-like stems. 8 spp. palms. S China, Japan, SE Asia.

excelsa
(Thunb.) A. Henry. ex-
sel
-suh. Lat. tall. S China, Japan.

humilis
Blume.
hew
-mi-lis. Lat. low (growing). S China, S Japan.

Rhazya orientalis
(Decne.) A. DC. =
Amsonia orientalis

Rheum
L. (Polygonaceae).
ree
-oom. From the Gk. name. 60 spp. perenn. herbs. Eur., Asia.

×
hybridum
Murray.
hib
-ri-doom. Garden rhubarb. Lat. hybrid.
R. palmatum
×
R. rhaponticum
. Cult.

palmatum
L. pahl-
mah
-toom. Ornamental rhubarb. Lat. palmate (the leaves). China.

Rhodanthe
Lindl. (Asteraceae). roh-
danth
-ee. Gk. rose flower. 45 spp. ann. herbs. Australia.

chlorocephala
(Turcz.) Paul G. Wilson. klo-roh-
kef
-uh-luh. Gk. green-headed, referring to the green involucral bracts. SW Australia. subsp.
rosea
(Hook.) Paul G. Wilson.
roh
-zee-uh. Pink and white everlasting. Lat. pink (the bracts).

Rhodanthemum
(Vogt) B. H. Wilcox et al. (Asteraceae). roh-
danth
-emoom. Gk. rose flower. 15 spp., perenn. herbs, subshrubs. SW Eur., N Africa.

hosmariense
(Ball) B. H. Wilcox et al. hos-mah-ree-
en
-see. Of the Beni Hosmar Mts. (near Tétouan, where the type specimen was collected). Morocco.

Rhodiola
L. (Crassulaceae). roh-dee-
oh
-luh. From Gk. rose, referring to the fragrant roots of
R. rosea
. 90 spp. perenn. herbs. Alpine regs. of N hemisph.

pachyclados
(Aitch. & Hemsl.) H. Ohba. pak-ee-
klay
-dos. Gk. with thick shoots. Afghanistan, Pakistan.

rosea
L.
roh
-zee-uh. Roseroot. Lat. rose (from the fragrant roots). Eur., Asia, N Am.

Rhodochiton
Zucc. ex Otto & Dietr. (Plantaginaceae). roh-doh-
kie
-ton. Gk. rose, or red, and cloak, referring to the large red calyx. 3 spp. semi-woody climbers. Mex., C Am.

atrosanguineum
(Zucc.) Rothm. at-roh-san-
gwin
-ee-oom. Lat. dark red (the calyx). Mex.

Rhododendron
L. (Ericaceae). roh-doh-
den
-dron. Gk. name for
Nerium oleander
, from Gk. rose tree. 1000 spp., shrubs, trees. N Am., Eur., Asia, Australia.

arborescens
(Pursh) Torr. ar-bor-
res
-uhnz. Lat. becoming tree-like. E USA.

arboreum
Sm. ar-
bor
-ree-oom. Lat. tree-like. Himal., China.

atlanticum
(Ashe) Rehder. at-
lant
-i-koom. Of the Atlantic (states). E USA.

canescens
(Michx.) Sweet. ka-
nes
-uhnz. Lat. greyish (the foliage). E USA.

‘Cilpinense’
. sil-pin-
en
-see. From the names of the parents,
R. ciliatum
×
R. moupinense
.

cinnabarinum
Hook.f. sin-uh-buh-
reen
-oom. Lat. cinnabar red (the flowers). Himal., Tibet.

falconeri
Hook.f. fal-
koh
-nuh-ree. After Scottish geologist and botanist Hugh Falconer (1808–1865), who travelled with author J. D. Hooker to India. Himal.

groenlandicum
(Oeder) Kron & Judd. grurn-
land
-i-koom. Labrador tea. Of Greenland. Canada, Greenland, N USA.

impeditum
Balf.f. & W. W. Sm. im-ped-
ee
-toom. Lat. intricate, tangled (the habit). China (Sichuan, Yunnan).

lutescens
Franch. lue-
tes
-uhnz. Lat. yellowish (the flowers). China (Sichuan).

maccabeanum
G. Watt ex Balf.f. muh-kay-bee-
ah
-noom. After Robert Blair McCabe (ca. 1854–1897), deputy commissioner in Manipur, who organised the expedition on which the first specimens were collected. NE India.

macrophyllum
D. Don ex G. Don. mak-
rof
-i-loom. California rosebay. Gk. large-leaved. SW Canada, W USA.

maximum
L.
max
-i-moom. Lat. large. SE Canada, E USA.

mucronulatum
Turcz. mew-kron-ew-
lah
-toom. Lat. ending in a small point (the leaves). NE Asia.

occidentale
(Torr. & A. Gray) A. Gray. ok-si-den-
tah
-lee. Lat. western. Calif., Oregon.

periclymenoides
(Michx.) Shinners. pe-ree-klim-uhn-
oy
-deez. Lat. like
Periclymenum
(honeysuckle), referring to the flowers. E USA.

ponticum
L.
pon
-ti-koom. Lat. of Pontus (now NE Turkey). Portugal, Spain, Bulgaria, W Asia.

‘Praecox’
.
prie
-kox. Lat. early (the flowers).

prinophyllum
(Small) Millais. pree-
nof
-i-loom. Lat. with leaves like
Prinos
(deciduous species of
Ilex
). SE Canada, E USA.

prunifolium
(Small) Millais. prue-ni-
foh
-lee-oom. Lat. with leaves like
Prunus
. SE USA.

schlippenbachii
Maxim. shlip-uhn-
bahk
-ee-ee. After Russian baron and naval officer Alexander Egorovich von Schlippenbach (b. 1828), who discovered it in Manchuria in 1854. E Russia, Korea.

sinogrande
Balf.f. & W. W. Sm. sienoh-
grand
-ee. The Chinese
R. grande
. W China, N Myanmar.

vaseyi
A. Gray.
vay
-zee-ee. After English-born American botanist George Vasey (1822–1893), who discovered it in 1878. SE USA (North Carolina).

viscosum
(L.) Torr. vis-
koh
-soom. Swamp honeysuckle. Lat. sticky (the corolla glands). E USA.

williamsianum
Rehder & E. H. Wilson. wil-yamz-ee-
ah
-noom. After John Charles (J. C.) Williams (1861–1939) of Caerhays Castle, Cornwall, “the first amateur to appreciate the value of the Rhododendrons of western China.” China (Sichuan).

yakushimanum
Nakai. ya-kue-shi-
mah
-noom. Of Yahushima Is. Japan (Yakushima).

yedoense
Maxim. yed-oh-
en
-see. Of Yedo (old name for Tokyo). Korea, Japan. var.
poukhanense
(H. Lév.) Nakai. pue-kan-
en
-see. Of Mount Bukhansan (Poukhan), S Korea. Korea.

yunnanense
Franch. yue-nan-
en
-see. Of Yunnan. SW China, NW Myanmar.

Rhodohypoxis
Nel (Hypoxidaceae). roh-doh-hie-
pox
-is. Gk. rose, and the related
Hypoxis
, referring to the flower colour. 6 spp. perenn. herbs. S Africa.

baurii
(Baker) Nel.
bow
-ree-ee. After German pharmacist and missionary Leopold Richard Baur (1825–1889), who collected the type specimen in 1885.

milloides
Hilliard & B. L. Burtt. mil-
oy
-deez. Lat. like
Milla
.

Rhodotypos
Sieb. & Zucc. (Rosaceae). roh-doh-
tie
-pos. Gk. rose type, from the rose-like flowers. 1 sp., deciduous shrub. China, Japan, Korea.

scandens
(Thunb.) Makino.
skan
-duhnz. Lat. climbing.

×
Rhodoxys
B. Mathew (Hypoxidaceae). roh-
dox
-is. From the names of the parents (
Hypoxis
×
Rhodohypoxis
). Cult.

hybrida
B. Mathew.
hib
-ri-duh. Lat. hybrid.

rhubarb, garden
Rheum
×
hybridum
.
ornamental
R. palmatum

Rhus
L. (Anacardiaceae).
roos
. Gk. name for
R. coriaria
. 250 spp., trees, shrubs, climbers. Widespread in temp. and subtrop. regs.

aromatica
Aiton. a-ro-
mat
-i-kuh. Fragrant sumach. Lat. aromatic (the foliage). Canada, USA, N Mex.

copallinum
L. ko-puh-
leen
-oom. Shining sumach. Like gum copal (Nahuatl word for resin), from the resemblance of the resin to that produced by a different tree. SE Canada, E USA, Cuba.

glabra
L.
glab
-ruh. Smooth sumach. Lat. glabrous (the shoots). Canada, USA, N Mex.

×
pulvinata
Greene. pool-vin-
ah
-tuh. Lat. cushion-like (the fruit).
R. glabra
×
R. typhina
. Canada, USA.

trilobata
Nutt. ex Torr. & A. Gray. trie-loh-
bah
-tuh. Skunkbush. Lat. three-lobed (the leaves). SW Canada, W USA, Mex.