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ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS OF LATIN NAMES OF SPECIES

ENGLISH EQUIVALENTS OF LATIN NAMES OF SPECIES

The technical or botanical name of a plant is a combination of two words,—the generic word, common to the entire group or genus; the specific or particular word, designating the given species: as ''Briza maxima'', the large briza, ''B. minor'', the small briza, and ''B. media'', the intermediate briza. The second or species-word usually is an adjective descriptive of some feature of the plant, although it is sometimes geographical, as ''Abies sibirica''; the Siberian abies, or commemorative, as ''A. Fraseri'', Fraser's abies. Although the species-word is not always designative and is sometimes even inapplicable, nevertheless the student is aided if he knows what the word means in English translation; and the following list is inserted to supply this knowledge for characteristic Latin or Latinized descriptive adjectives (in some cases nouns in the genitive or in apposition) applied to the species of plants. These words are likely to be used in differing meanings in different genera and as applied by different authors; in many cases, they do not follow the usages of classical Latin: therefore a list of this kind cannot be exact or give all the meanings in which the words may be applied as specific names. The generic names (the first word in the combination) need not be listed here, for they are not adjectives of description but made-up substantives; and, moreover, their origins are explained at the entries in the text.

Plants may have one or more common names, which are like nicknames, but they only have one botanical name (which is also called a Latin name, scientific name or technical name). The botanical name of a plant consists of two words, the genus name (generic word, common to the entire group or genus), followed by the the species name (specific or particular word, designating the given species).  The species name is often somehow descriptive of the plant, or where it was found, or derived from someone's name.  So for example, ''Briza maxima'' is the large briza, ''B. minor'' the small briza, and ''B. media'' the intermediate briza. ''Abies sibirica''; the Siberian abies, is a geographic example, while ''A. Fraseri'', Fraser's abies, is commemorative.  

 

Although the species-word is not always designative and is sometimes even inapplicable, nevertheless the student is aided if he knows what the word means in English translation; and the following list is inserted to supply this knowledge for characteristic Latin or Latinized descriptive adjectives (in some cases nouns in the genitive or in apposition) applied to the species of plants. These words are likely to be used in differing meanings in different genera and as applied by different authors; in many cases, they do not follow the usages of classical Latin: therefore a list of this kind cannot be exact or give all the meanings in which the words may be applied as specific names. The generic names (the first word in the combination) need not be listed here, for they are not adjectives of description but made-up substantives; and, moreover, their origins are explained at the entries in the text.

The species-adjective is made to agree with its genus in gender: thus the Latin adjective ''aureus'' (golden) takes the regular masculine termination in ''Calochortus aureus'', because Calochortus is masculine; the feminine termination in Albuca aurea; the neuter in ''Acrostichum aureum''; in Sorbus it is feminine (''S. aurea'') even though the generic name is masculine in form, because most trees are feminine whatever the termination of the name. In the following list, for convenience most of the adjectives are printed in the masculine form. The leading exceptions are those that terminate in ''-fer'' and ''-ger'', meaning "bearuig," these being given in the feminine form.

The species-adjective is made to agree with its genus in gender: thus the Latin adjective ''aureus'' (golden) takes the regular masculine termination in ''Calochortus aureus'', because Calochortus is masculine; the feminine termination in Albuca aurea; the neuter in ''Acrostichum aureum''; in Sorbus it is feminine (''S. aurea'') even though the generic name is masculine in form, because most trees are feminine whatever the termination of the name. In the following list, for convenience most of the adjectives are printed in the masculine form. The leading exceptions are those that terminate in ''-fer'' and ''-ger'', meaning "bearuig," these being given in the feminine form.

The above examples illustrate prevailing terminations of species-words. Other adjectives have other forms, as ''niger''; ''nigra'', ''nigrum'' (black); ''asper'', ''aspera'', ''asperum'' (rough); ''acaulis'', ''acaule'' (stemless); the termination ''-ensis'' (belonging to, citizen of), as in ''canadensis'', ''canadense'' (not ''-um''). Commemorative personal species-names may be in the genitive or in the form of an adjective; as ''Stanhopea Lindleyi''. Lindley's stanhopea; ''Selenipedium Lindleyanum'', Lindleyan selenipedium. If the person's name ends in a hard consonant, the termination (under the recent Vienna code) is in double ii, as ''Canna Lambertii''. If for a woman, the termination is feminine, as Acacia Wayae. Substantive names in apposition hold their own termination, and the word in such cases should begin with a capital letter, if it is a proper name or an old generic name, as ''Hibiscus Sabdariffa'', ''Artemisia Absinthium'', ''Begonia Rex''. Such words are usually old generic names or prominent vernacular substantives, and they commonly record some historical connection of the plant.

The above examples illustrate prevailing terminations of species-words. Other adjectives have other forms, as ''niger''; ''nigra'', ''nigrum'' (black); ''asper'', ''aspera'', ''asperum'' (rough); ''acaulis'', ''acaule'' (stemless); the termination ''-ensis'' (belonging to, citizen of), as in ''canadensis'', ''canadense'' (not ''-um''). Commemorative personal species-names may be in the genitive or in the form of an adjective; as ''Stanhopea Lindleyi''. Lindley's stanhopea; ''Selenipedium Lindleyanum'', Lindleyan selenipedium. If the person's name ends in a hard consonant, the termination (under the recent Vienna code) is in double ii, as ''Canna Lambertii''. If for a woman, the termination is feminine, as Acacia Wayae. Substantive names in apposition hold their own termination, and the word in such cases should begin with a capital letter, if it is a proper name or an old generic name, as ''Hibiscus Sabdariffa'', ''Artemisia Absinthium'', ''Begonia Rex''. Such words are usually old generic names or prominent vernacular substantives, and they commonly record some historical connection of the plant.

Very many names are compounded from generic or subgeneric names, representing similarity or likeness to. These the reader will be able to recognize at once, and they need not be entered in this list. Examples are: ''achilleaefolius'', achillea-leaved; ''achilleoides'', achillea-like; ''acrostichoides'', acrostichum-like; ''bellidiflorus'', bellis-flowered; ''lamiifolius'', lamium-leaved; ''xiphioides'', xiphium-like; ''tremuliformis'', tremula-formed or -shaped; ''cacaliopsis'', cacalia-like; ''atriplicis'', atriplex-like; ''scillaris'', scilla-like.

Very many names are compounded from generic or subgeneric names, representing similarity or likeness to. These the reader will be able to recognize at once, and they need not be entered in this list. Examples are: ''achilleaefolius'', achillea-leaved; ''achilleoides'', achillea-like; ''acrostichoides'', acrostichum-like; ''bellidiflorus'', bellis-flowered; ''lamiifolius'', lamium-leaved; ''xiphioides'', xiphium-like; ''tremuliformis'', tremula-formed or -shaped; ''cacaliopsis'', cacalia-like; ''atriplicis'', atriplex-like; ''scillaris'', scilla-like.

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