The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants Read Free Page A

confident.
    The pronunciation of names derived from personal names can be problematic. If we were to pronounce the plant name in the same way as the person’s name, some names would not be understood, at least in English-speaking countries.
Magnolia
, for example, would be pronounced man-
yol
-ee-uh. In addition, when a Latin ending is added to a name it changes the stressed syllable, so in the earlier example only
wil
-son-ie (not recommended) would come close to the original pronunciation.
How to use this book
     
    The aim of this book is to give the correct name as well as its derivation and pronunciation for the most commonly grown plants in the UK and in temperate areas of North America. Most of the plants included will be grown out of doors, but also listed is a wide range of plants that are grown either indoors or with protection in many areas.
    Entries are arranged alphabetically by genus, then by species. Information given for the genus includes the name of the genus followed by the author and then, parenthetically, the family, which links the genus to related plants. The suggested pronunciation, with the stressed syllable in italics, is followed by the common name, if there is one, and the derivation of the scientific name. Finally, the number of species currently accepted, the type of plant and the distribution is given. The number of species should be regarded as approximate. Some plants are known only in cultivation. This may be because they are hybrids that arose in gardens; species now extinct in the wild; so widely grown that their native origin has become obscured; or because the plants in cultivation have changed so much from the original species by selection in cultivation over a long period that they are sufficiently distinct to be regarded as a different species.
    Entries for species include the specific epithet followed by the author, the suggested pronunciation, common name, derivation of the epithet, and the distribution (unless this is the same as that given for the genus) and the parentage (if it is a hybrid). Information for the derivation of the epithet given in parentheses is implied and is derived from knowledge of the meaning together with knowledge of the plant. Common names and synonyms (previously used names) are cross referenced.
Words commonly used as cultivar epithets
     
    While some cultivars that have epithets in Latin form are included in the text, to avoid repetition a list is included here ofthose that are most commonly used together with their pronunciation and meaning. As with the epithets of species, the ending often varies depending on the gender of the genus to which they are assigned, and they are presented here in the order masculine/feminine/neuter. Two or more words are often used in combination to form an epithet. They may be joined by a connecting vowel, for example ‘Albiflora’, meaning white-flowered, or ‘Roseopicta’, meaning variegated with pink, or retained as separate words, e.g., ‘Alba Plena’, meaning double white.
     
albus/alba/album.
al
-boos/buh/boom. Lat. white.
atro-.
at
-roh. Lat. dark (used in combination).
aureus/aurea/aureum.
aw
-ree-oos/uh/oom. Lat. golden.
compactus/compacta/compactum. kom-
pak
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. compact.
crispus/crispa/crispum.
kris
-poos/puh/poom. Lat. finely wavy.
elegans.
el
-i-ganz. Lat. elegant, slender.
fastigiatus/fastigiata/fastigiatum. fas-tig-ee-
ah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. pointed (fastigate, narrow upright).
-florus/-flora/-florum.
flaw
-roos/ruh/room. Lat. flower (used in combination).
-folius/-folia/-folium.
foh
-lee-oos/uh/oom. Lat. leaf (used in combination).
glaucus/glauca/glaucum.
glaw
-koos/kuh/koom. Lat. bluish white.
grandi-.
gran
-di-. Lat. large (used in combination).
laciniatus/laciniata/laciniatum. la-sin-ee-
ah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. deeply cut.
maculatus/maculata/maculatum. mak-ew-
lah
-toos/tuh/toom. Lat. spotted.
macrophyllus/macrophylla/macrophyllum. mak-
rof
-iloos/luh/loom. Gk.