The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (83 page)

ericoides
(L.) G. L. Nesom. e-ri-
koy
-deez. White heath aster. Lat. heath-like. Canada, USA, N Mex.

laeve
(L.) Á. Löve & D. Löve.
lee
-vee. Smooth blue aster. Lat. smooth (the leaves). SE Canada, E and C USA.

lanceolatum
(Willd.) G. L. Nesom. lahn-see-oh-
lah
-toom. White panicle aster. Lat. lance-shaped (the leaves). Canada, USA.

lateriflorum
(L.) Á. Löve & D. Löve. la-tuh-ri-
flaw
-room. Calico aster. Lat. with flowers on one side (of the inflorescence). var.
horizontale
(Desf.) G. L. Nesom. ho-ri-zon-
tah
-lee. Lat. spreading horizontally.

novae-angliae
(L.) G. L. Nesom.
noh
-vie-
ang
-lee-ie. New England aster. Of New England. S Canada, USA.

novi-belgii
(L.) G. L. Nesom.
noh
-vee-
belg
-ee-ee. Michaelmas daisy, New York aster. Lat. of Nova Belgica (New Belgium, 16th-cent. name for a reg. of coastal NE USA including present-day New York). E N Am.

oblongifolium
(Nutt.) G. L. Nesom. ob-long-gi-
foh
-lee-oom. Aromatic aster. Lat. with oblong leaves. E and C USA, N Mex.

oolentangiense
(Riddell) G. L. Nesom. ue-luhn-tan-jee-
en
-see. Sky blue aster. Of the Olentangy River, Ohio. SE Canada, E and C USA, N Mex.

pilosum
(Willd.) G. L. Nesom. pil-
oh
-soom. Oldfield aster. Lat. hairy (the shoots). SE Canada, E USA. var.
pringlei
(A. Gray) G. L. Nesom.
pring
-uhl-ee. Pringle’s aster. After American horticulturist Cyrus Guernsey Pringle (1838–1911), who collected specimens in Vermont ca. 1880 from which it was described.

prenanthoides
(Muhl. ex Willd.) G. L. Nesom. pree-nanth-
oy
-deez. Crooked stem aster. Lat. like
Prenanthes
, a related genus. SE Canada, NE USA.

puniceum
(L.) Á. Löve & D. Löve. pew-
nis
-ee-oom. Purplestem aster. Lat. crimson (the stems). Canada, E and C USA.

sericeum
(Vent.) G. L. Nesom. suh-
rik
-ee-oom. Silky aster. Lat. silky (the leaves). SC Canada, E and C USA, W Indies.

shortii
(Lindl.) G. L. Nesom.
short
-eeee. Short’s aster. After American physician and botanist Charles Wilkins Short (1794–1863), who collected the type specimen in Kentucky in 1832. SE Canada, E USA.

tradescantii
(L.) G. L. Nesom. trades-
kant
-ee-ee. Shore aster. After English botanist and horticulturist John Tradescant (1608–1662), who introduced it from Virginia. SE Canada, NE USA.

Symphytum
L. (Boraginaceae).
sim
-fit-oom. The Gk. name, from Gk. grow together, plant (they were used to heal broken bones). 20 spp. perenn. herbs. Eur., Asia.

caucasicum
M. Bieb. kaw-
kas
-i-koom. Lat. of the Caucasus. Caucasus, Iran.

grandiflorum
A. DC. gran-di-
flaw
-room. Lat. large-flowered. Caucasus.

ibericum
Steven. i-
be
-ri-koom. Lat. of Iberia (Roman name for a reg. of the Caucasus, now in Georgia). NE Turkey, Georgia.

officinale
L. o-fis-i-
nah
-lee. Comfrey. Lat. sold as a med. herb. Eur., W and C Asia.

tuberosum
L. tew-buh-
roh
-soom. Lat. bearing tubers. Eur., Turkey.

×
uplandicum
Nyman. up-
land
-i-koom. Of Uppland (reg. of E Sweden).
S. asperum
×
S. officinale
. Cult.

Syringa
L. (Oleaceae). si-
ring
-guh. Lilacs. From Gk. pipe, referring to the hollow stems. 20 spp., shrubs, trees. SE Eur. to Japan.

emodi
Wall. ex G. Don. em-
oh
-dee. Himalayan lilac. Lat. of the Himalaya. Himal.

×
hyacinthiflora
Rehder. hie-uh-sinthi-
flaw
-ruh. Lat. with flowers like
Hyacinthus. S. oblata
×
S. vulgaris
. Cult.

×
josiflexa
I. Preston ex J. S. Pringle. joh-si-
flex
-uh. From the names of the parents,
S. josikaea
×
S. komarovii
subsp.
reflexa
. Cult.

×
laciniata
Mill. luh-sin-ee-
ah
-tuh. Lat. deeply cut (the leaves).
S. protolaciniata
×
S. vulgaris
. Cult.

meyeri
C. K. Schneid.
may
-uh-ree. After Frank Nicholas Meyer (1875–1918), Dutch-born USDA plant collector, who introduced it to the Arnold Arboretum. N China.

microphylla
Diels =
S. pubescens
subsp.
microphylla

×
persica
L.
pers
-i-kuh. Persian lilac. Lat. of Persia (Iran), where it was cultivated. Cult.

×
prestoniae
McKelvey. prest-
oh
-neeie. After English-born hybridist Isabella Preston (1881–1965), who raised it at the Government Experiment Station, Ottawa, Canada, in the 1920s.
S. komarovii
subsp.
reflexa
×
S. villosa
. Cult.

pubescens
Turcz. pew-
bes
-uhnz. Lat. hairy (the shoots and leaves). China. subsp.
microphylla
(Diels) M. C. Chang & X. L. Chen. mik-
rof
-i-luh. Gk. small-leaved.

reticulata
(Blume) H. Hara. re-tik-ew-
lah
-tuh. Lat. net-veined (the leaves). E Asia. subsp.
pekinensis
(Rupr.) P. S. Green & M. C. Chang. pee-kin-
en
-sis. Of Peking (Beijing). China.

vulgaris
L. vul-
gar
-ris. Common lilac. Lat. common. SE Eur.

Tagetes
L. (Asteraceae). tag-
ee
-teez. Marigolds. After Tages, an Etruscan deity, son of Jupiter, who sprang from the ploughed earth, as do many of the species. 40 spp., ann. and perenn. herbs, shrubs. Warm and trop. Am.

erecta
L. ee-
rek
-tuh. African marigold, French marigold. Lat. upright. USA, Mex.

lucida
Cav.
lue
-si-duh. Sweet-scented marigold. Lat. shining (the leaves). Mex., C Am.

patula
L. =
T. erecta

tamarisk
Tamarix

Tamarix
L. (Tamaricaceae).
tam
-uhrix. Tamarisks. The Lat. name. 90 spp., shrubs, trees. Eur., N Africa, Asia.

ramosissima
Ledeb. ram-oh-
sis
-i-muh. Lat. most branched. E Eur. to China.

tetrandra
Pall. ex M. Bieb. tet-
rand
-ruh. Lat. with four stamens. E Eur., W Asia.

Tanacetum
L. (Asteraceae). tan-uh-
seet
-oom. From Medieval Lat. immortality (wreaths of
T. vulgare
were placed on the dead at funerals). 160 spp. ann. and perenn. herbs. Eur., N Africa, Asia, N Am.

balsamita
L. bawl-suhm-
eet
-uh. Alecost. An old name for this plant meaning balsam (referring to the fragrance). W Asia.

cinerariifolium
(Trevir.) Sch. Bip. sin-uh-rah-ree-i-
foh
-lee-oom. Pyrethrum. Lat. with leaves like
Cineraria
. SE Eur.

coccineum
(Willd.) Grierson. kok-
sin
-ee-oom. Lat. scarlet (the flowers). W Asia.

parthenium
(L.) Sch. Bip. par-
then
-eeoom. Feverfew. Gk. name for this or similar plants, from Gk. virgin. SE Eur.

vulgare
L. vul-
gar
-ree. Tansy. Lat. common. Eur. to Japan.

tangerine
Citrus reticulata

tansy
Tanacetum vulgare

tansy-leaved thorn
Crataegus tanacetifolia

tansyaster
Machaeranthera tanacetifolia
.
Colorado
Xanthisma coloradoense

tarajo
Ilex latifolia

Tarenaya
Raf. (Cleomaceae). ta-ruh-
nie
-uh. A Brazilian name for
T. spinosa
. 33 spp. ann. herbs. S Am.

hassleriana
(Chodat) H. H. Iltis. has-luh-ree-
ah
-nuh. Spider plant. After Swiss botanist and surgeon Émile Hassler (1861–1937), who collected the type specimen in Paraguay in the late 19th cent. Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay.

taro
Colocasia esculenta

tarragon
Artemisia dracunculus

Tasmannia
R. Br. ex DC. (Winteraceae). taz-
man
-ee-uh. After Dutch explorer Abel Janszoon Tasman (1603–1659), the first European to reach Tasmania. 50 spp., trees, shrubs. SE Asia to Australia.

lanceolata
(Poir.) A. C. Sm. lahn-seeoh-
lah
-tuh. Mountain pepper. Lat. lance-shaped (the leaves). SE Australia.

Taxodium
Rich. (Cupressaceae). tax-
oh
-dee-oom. Gk. resembling
Taxus
. 2 spp. conifers. USA, Mex.

ascendens
Brongn. =
T. distichum
var.
imbricarium

distichum
(L.) Rich.
dis
-tik-oom. Bald cypress, swamp cypress. Lat. arranged in two rows (the leaves). SE USA. var.
imbricarium
(Nutt.) Croom. im-bri-
kah
-ree-oom. Pond cypress. Lat. overlapping (the leaves).

Taxus
L. (Taxaceae).
tax
-oos. Yews. Lat. name of the yew. 9 spp. evergreen trees. Eur., N Africa, N Am., Asia.

baccata
L. buh-
kah
-tuh. English yew. Lat. bearing berries. Eur., N Africa, W Asia.

cuspidata
Sieb. & Zucc. kus-pi-
dah
-tuh. Japanese yew. Lat. ending in a short point (the leaves). E Russia, NE China, Japan.

×
media
Rehder.
mee
-dee-uh. Lat. intermediate (between the parents).
T. baccata
×
T. cuspidata
. Cult.

tea plant
Camellia sinensis

tea tree
Leptospermum, L. scoparium
.
woolly
L. lanigerum

teasel
Dipsacus fullonum

Tecoma
Juss. (Bignoniaceae). te-
koh
-muh. From the Nahuatl (Mexican) name, meaning a flower resembling an earthenware vessel. 15 spp., trees, shrubs, climbers. S USA to S Am., S Africa.

capensis
(Thunb.) Lindl. kuh-
pen
-sis. Cape honeysuckle. Of the Cape. S Africa.

Tecophilaea
Bertero ex Colla (Tecophilaeaceae). tek-oh-
fil
-ee-uh. After Tecophila Billoti, 18th-cent. botanical artist and daughter of Luigi Colla, who published the name. 2 spp. cormous herbs. Chile, Peru.

cyanocrocus
Leyb. sie-an-oh-
kroh
-koos. Gk. blue
Crocus
. Chile.

Telekia
Baumg. (Asteraceae). te-
lee
-kee-uh. After Count Sámuel Teleki de Szék (1739–1822), chancellor of Transylvania. 1 sp., perenn. herb. C and E Eur., W Asia.