The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (41 page)

Ferocactus
Britton & Rose (Cactaceae). fe-roh-
kak
-toos. Lat. fierce, cactus, from Gk. name for
Cynara cardunculus
. 25 spp. cacti. S USA, Mex.

cylindraceus
(Engelm.) Orcutt. si-lin-
dray
-see-oos. California barrel cactus. Lat. cylindrical (the shape). SW USA, NW Mex.

emoryi
(Engelm.) Orcutt. e-
mo
-ree-ee. After William Hemsley Emory (1811–1887), American soldier and explorer. SW USA, NW Mex.

glaucescens
(DC.) Britton & Rose. glaw-
kes
-uhnz. Lat. bluish white (the colour). Mex.

haematacanthus
(Salm-Dyck) Bravo ex Backeb. & F. M. Knuth. hee-matuh-
kan
-thoos. Gk. with red spines. Mex.

hamatacanthus
(Muehlenpf.) Britton & Rose. ham-at-uh-
kan
-thoos. Texas barrel cactus. Gk. with hooked spines. SC USA, N Mex.

latispinus
(Haw.) Britton & Rose. lat-i-
spee
-noos. Devil’s tongue cactus. Lat. with broad spines. Mex.

pilosus
(Galeotti ex Salm-Dyck) Werderm. pi-
loh
-soos. Lat. hairy (some of the spines are reduced to hairs). Mex.

pringlei
(J. M. Coult.) Britton & Rose =
F. pilosus

wislizeni
(Engelm.) Britton & Rose. wiz-li-
zen
-ee. Arizona barrel cactus. After German doctor and explorer Friedrich Adolph Wislizenus (1810–1889), who collected the type specimen. SW USA, N Mex.

Ferula
L. (Apiaceae).
fe
-rue-luh. The Lat. name used by Pliny. 130 spp. herbs. Medit. to C Asia.

communis
L.
kom
-ew-nis. Giant fennel. Lat. common. Medit. subsp.
glauca
(L.) Rouy & E. G. Camus.
glaw
-kuh. Lat. bluish white (the foliage).

tingitana
L. ting-i-
tah
-nuh. Lat. of Tangier (Lat.
Tingis
). SW Eur., N Africa, SW Asia.

fescue
Festuca
.
blue
F. glauca
.
Idaho
F. idahoensis
.
red
F. rubra
.
sheep’s
F. ovina
.
tufted
F. amethystina

Festuca
L. (Poaceae). fes-
tue
-kuh. Fescue. Lat. straw or the stem of a grass. 500 spp. grasses. Widespread.

amethystina
L. am-uh-this-
tee
-nuh. Tufted fescue. Lat. amethystcoloured (the foliage). C Eur.

eskia
Ramond ex DC.
es
-kee-uh. From
esquia
, a local name in the French Pyrenees. France, Spain (Pyrenees).

glauca
Vill.
glaw
-kuh. Blue fescue. Lat. bluish white (the foliage). Eur.

idahoensis
Elmer. ie-duh-hoh-
en
-sis. Idaho fescue. Of Idaho. W Canada, W USA.

ovina
L. oh-
vee
-nuh. Sheep’s fescue. Lat. of sheep (which eat it). Eur., Asia.

rubra
L.
rue
-bruh. Red fescue. Lat. red (the inflorescence, sometimes). Eur., Asia, N Am.

feverfew
Tanacetum parthenium
.
American
Parthenium integrifolium

Ficaria
Schaeff. (Ranunculaceae). fi-
kair
-ree-uh. Lat. resembling
Ficus
(fig), referring to the tubers. 5 spp., perenn. herbs. Eur., N Africa, W and C Asia.

verna
Huds.
vern
-uh. Lesser celan-dine. Lat. of spring (flowering). Eur., N Africa, W Asia.

Ficus
L. (Moraceae).
fee
-koos. Figs. Lat. name for
F. carica
and its fruit. 750 spp., trees, shrubs, climbers. Widespread, tropics and subtropics.

benjamina
L. ben-juh-
mee
-nuh. Weeping fig. From banyan, the name given to
F. benghalensis
after the traders (
banias
) that sat in its shade. SE Asia, to Pacific Is. and N Australia.

carica
L.
ka
-ri-kuh. Common fig. Lat. of Caria (ancient reg. of SW Turkey). S Eur., N Africa, W and C Asia.

elastica
Roxb. ex Hornem. ee-
las
-tikuh. Rubber plant. Lat. elastic (the milky sap has been used to make rubber). Himal., SE Asia.

lyrata
Warb. lie-
rah
-tuh. Lyre-leaf fig. Lat. shaped like a lyre (the leaves). Trop. Africa.

pumila
L.
pew
-mi-luh. Creeping fig. Lat. dwarf. China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan.

fiddleneck
Phacelia tanacetifolia

fig
Ficus
.
common
F. carica
.
creeping
F. pumila
.
lyre-leaf
F. lyrata
.
weeping
F. benjamina

filbert
Corylus maxima

Filipendula
Mill. (Rosaceae).fi-li-
pen
-dew-luh. From Lat. thread, hanging (the tubers ‘hang’ on thread-like roots). 15 spp. herbs. N temp. regs.

camtschatica
(Pall.) Maxim. kamt-
shat
-i-kuh. Giant meadowsweet. Of Kamchatka. E Russia, Japan.

palmata
(Pall.) Maxim. pahl-
mah
-tuh. Lat. hand-like (the leaves). E Russia, N China, N Korea.

×
purpurea
Maxim. pur-
pew
-ree-uh. Lat. purple (the flowers).
F. camtschatica
×
F
. sp. Cult.

rubra
(Hill) B. L. Rob.
rue
-bruh. Queen-of-the-prairie. Lat. red (the flowers). E USA.

ulmaria
(L.) Maxim. ul-
mair
-ree-uh. Meadowsweet. Eur. to China.

vulgaris
Moench. vul-
gar
-ris. Drop-wort. Lat. common. Eur., N Africa, W Asia.

finocchio
Foeniculum vulgare
Azoricum Group

fir
Abies
.
Algerian
A. numidica
.
balsam
A. balsamea
.
balm of Gilead
A. balsamea
.
California red
A. magnifica
.
Chinese
Cunninghamia lanceolata
.
corkbark
Abies lasiocarpa
var.
arizonica
.
Douglas
Pseudotsuga menziesii
.
Fraser
Abies fraseri
.
giant
A. grandis
.
grand
A. grandis
.
Greek
A. cephalonica
.
Korean
A. koreana
.
Nikko
A. homolepis
.
noble
A. procera
.
Nordmann
A. nordmanniana
.
Pacific silver
A. amabilis
.
red silver
A. amabilis
.
silver
A. alba
.
Spanish
A. pinsapo
.
subalpine
A. lasiocarpa
.
Veitch
A. veitchii
.
white
A. concolor
fire on the mountain
Euphorbia cyathophora

firecracker flower
Dichelostemma ida-maia

firecracker plant
Cuphea ignea, Russelia equisetiformis

firethorn
Pyracantha

Fittonia
Coem. (Acanthaceae). fit-
oh
-nee-uh. After sisters Elizabeth and Sarah Mary Fitton, 19th-cent. Irish botanical authors. 2 spp. evergreen perenn. herbs. S Am.

albivenis
(Lindl. ex Veitch) Brummitt. al-bee-
ven
-is. Mosaic plant, nerve plant. Lat. white-veined (the leaves).
Argyroneura Group
. ar-giroh-
new
-ruh. Gk. with silver veins.
Verschaffeltii Group
. vair-shuh-
felt
-ee-ee. After Ambroise Verschaffelt (1825–1886), whose Belgian nursery introduced it to gardens.

argyroneura
Coem. =
F. albivenis
Argyroneura Group

verschaffeltii
(Lem.) Van Houtte =
F. albivenis
Verschaffeltii Group

fivespot
Nemophila maculata

flamingo flower
Anthurium

flannelbush
Fremontodendron
.
California
F. californicum

flax
Linum usitatissimum
.
blue
L. perenne
.
bush
Astelia nervosa
.
golden
Linum flavum
.
mountain
Phormium colensoi
.
New Zealand
P. tenax
.
perennial
Linum perenne

flax lily
Dianella
.
blue
D. caerulea
.
Tasman
D. tasmanica

fleabane, Mexican
Erigeron karvinskyanus
.
seaside
E. glaucus

flower of an hour
Hibiscus trionum

foamflower
Tiarella cordifolia

Foeniculum
Mill. (Apiaceae).fee-
nik
-ew-loom. From Lat. hay. 1 sp., herb. S Eur., N Africa, W Asia.

vulgare
Mill. vul-
gar
-ree. Fennel. Lat. common.
Azoricum Group
. uh-
zo
-ri-koom. Finocchio, Florence fennel. Of the Azores.

forget-me-not
Myosotis
.
Chatham Island
Myosotidium hortensia
.
Chinese
Cynoglossum amabile
.
Jamaican
Browallia americana
.
water
Myosotis scorpioides
.
wood
M. sylvatica

Forsythia
Vahl (Oleaceae). for-
sieth
-ee-uh. After Scottish botanist William Forsyth (1737–1804), a founder member of the Royal Horticultural Society. 11 spp. shrubs, sometimes climbing. SE Eur., E Asia.

giraldiana
Lingelsh. ji-ral-dee-
ah
-nuh. After Giuseppe Giraldi, Italian missionary and plant collector in China. China.

×
intermedia
Zabel. in-ter-
mee
-deeuh. Lat. intermediate (between the parents).
F. suspensa
×
F. viridissima
. Cult.

suspensa
(Thunb.) Vahl. soos-
pen
-suh. Lat. hanging (the flowers). China.

viridissima
Lindl. vi-ri-
dis
-i-muh. Lat. greenest (the dark leaves). China, Korea.
‘Bronxensis’
. bronx-
en
-sis. Of the Bronx (it was raised at the Bronx Botanical Garden, New York, in 1939).

Fortunella japonica
(Thunb.) Swingle =
Citrus japonica

Fothergilla
L. (Hamamelidaceae). fotH-uh-
gil
-uh. After John Fother-gill (1712–1780), English physician and naturalist. 2 spp. shrubs. SE USA.

gardenii
Murray. gar-
den
-ee-ee. Dwarf witch alder. After Scottish physician and naturalist Alexander Garden (1730–1791), who worked in South Carolina and sent specimens of this and other plants to Linnaeus.