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

Authors: Allen Coombes

The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants (51 page)

BOOK: The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants

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Ipheion uniflorum
(Lindl.) Raf. =
Tristagma uniflorum

Ipomoea
L. (Convolvulaceae). ip-o-
mee
-uh. From Gk. like a worm, referring to the twining habit of many. 650 spp., herbs, shrubs, trees, climbers. Widespread, mainly tropics and subtropics.

alba
L.
al
-buh. Moonflower. Lat. white (the flowers). Tropics.

batatas
(L.) Lam. buh-
tah
-tuhs. Sweet potato. From a Caribbean name. Trop. Am.

Ipomopsis
Michx. (Polemoniaceae). ip-o-
mop
-sis. Gk. like
Ipomoea
. 30 spp. ann. and perenn. herbs. S Canada to S Am.

aggregata
(Pursh) V. E. Grant. ag-ri-
gah
-tuh. Lat. clustered (the flowers). SW Canada to N Mex.

rubra
(L.) Wherry.
rue
-bruh. Lat. red (the flowers). SE USA.

Iresine
P. Browne (Amaranthaceae). ie-ri-
see
-nee. From Gk. a wreath or staff wrapped with wool, referring to the woolly hairs on the calyx. 70 spp., ann. and perenn. herbs, shrubs. S Japan, W Africa, trop. and subtrop. Am.

herbstii
Hook.
herbst
-ee-ee. Beefsteak plant. After Hermann Carl Gottlieb Herbst (ca. 1830–1904), director of the Botanic Gardens, Rio de Janeiro, and of the Kew Nursery, Richmond, who introduced it to cultivation in Britain. Brazil.

Iris
L. (Iridaceae).
ie
-ris. Gk. goddess of the rainbow, referring to the colourful flowers. 270 spp. rhizomatous or bulbous perenn. herbs. N hemisph.

chrysographes
Dykes. krie-so-
graf
-eez. Gk. with golden lines (on the perianth segments). China, N Myanmar.

confusa
Sealy. kon-
few
-suh. Lat. confused (with
I. wattii
). SW China.

domestica
Goldblatt & Mabb. dom-
es
-ti-kuh. Leopard lily. Lat. of the home (it is commonly cultivated in China). Himal., China, SE Asia.

ensata
Thunb. en-
sah
-tuh. Japanese water iris. Lat. sword-like (the leaves). C and E Asia.

foetidissima
L. fee-ti-
dis
-i-muh. Gladdon iris. Lat. most fetid (the flowers). Eur., N Africa.

forrestii
Dykes. fo-
res
-tee-ee. After Scottish botanist George Forrest (1873–1932), who collected the type specimen in Yunnan in 1906. SW China, N Myanmar.

germanica
L. ger-
man
-i-kuh. Lat. German. Cult.
‘Florentina’
. flo-ren-
tee
-nuh. Lat. of Florence (Lat.
Florentia
).

graminea
L. gram-
in
-ee-uh. Lat. grass-like (the leaves). Eur., Caucasus.

laevigata
Fisch. lee-vi-
gah
-tuh. Lat. smooth (the leaves). E Asia.

pallida
Lam.
pa
-li-duh. Dalmatian iris. Lat. pale (the flowers). SE Eur.

pseudacorus
L. sued-
ak
-o-roos. Yellow flag. Gk. false
Acorus
. Eur., N Africa, W Asia.

setosa
Pall. ex Link. see-
toh
-suh. Lat. bristly (the tips of the petals). SW Canada to Alaska, E Asia.

sibirica
L. si-
bi
-ri-kuh. Lat. of Siberia. Eur., W Asia, Siberia.

tuberosa
L. tew-buh-
roh
-suh. Snake’s head iris. Lat. bearing tubers. S Eur.

unguicularis
Poir. un-gwik-ew-
lah
-ris. Algerian iris. Lat. clawed (the petals). SE Eur., N Africa, SW Asia.

versicolor
L. ver-
si
-ko-lor. Lat. variably coloured (the flowers). Canada, USA.

iris, Algerian
Iris unguicularis.
Cape
Dietes iridioides
.
Dalmatian
Iris pallida
.
fairy
Dietes grandiflora
.
Glad-don
Iris foetidissima
.
Japanese water
I. ensata
.
snake’s head
I. tuberosa

iron cross begonia
Begonia masoniana

ironweed
Vernonia

ironwood
Carpinus caroliniana, Ostrya virginiana

Isatis
L. (Brassicaceae). ie-
sah
-tis. The Gk. name. 50 spp. ann. and perenn. herbs. Medit., W and C Asia.

tinctoria
L. tink-
tor
-ree-uh. Woad. Lat. of dyers (the leaves give a blue dye). SW Asia.

Isolepis
R. Br. (Cyperaceae). ie-soh-
lep
-is. Gk. with equal scales. 69 spp. ann. and perenn. herbs. Widespread.

cernua
(Vahl) Roem. & Schult.
sern
-ew-uh. Lat. slightly drooping (the foliage). Temp. regs.

Itea
L. (Iteaceae). ie-
tee
-uh. Gk. name for willow. 29 spp., shrubs, trees. E Asia, E USA, Africa.

ilicifolia
Oliv. i-lis-i-
foh
-lee-uh. Lat. with leaves like
Ilex
. China.

virginica
L. vir-
jin
-i-kuh. Virginia sweetspire. Of Virginia. E USA.

ivory bells
Campanula alliariifolia

ivy
Hedera
.
cape
Senecio macroglossus
.
common
Hedera helix
.
devil’s
Epipremnum aureum
.
Irish
Hedera hibernica
.
Persian
H. colchica

Jack in the pulpit
Arisaema triphyllum

Jacobaea
Mill. (Asteraceae). jak-o-
bee
-uh. After St. James (Lat.
Sanctus Jacobus
), referring to the flowering of the type species,
J. vulgaris
(
Senecio jacobaea
), on his feast day (July 25). 40 spp. ann., bienn. and perenn. herbs. Eur., N Africa, Asia.

maritima
(L.) Pelser & Meijden. muh-
rit
-i-muh. Dusty miller. Lat. of the sea (it grows on coasts). S Eur., N Africa, W Turkey.

Jacob’s ladder
Polemonium caeruleum
.
royal
P. carneum

jade plant
Crassula ovata

Japanese angelica tree
Aralia elata

Japanese knotweed
Fallopia japonica
jasmine
Jasminum
.
Arabian
J. sambac.
Cape
Gardenia jasminoides.
Chilean
Mandevilla laxa
.
common
Jasminum officinale
.
Italian
J. humile
.
primrose
J. mesnyi
.
rock
Androsace
.
winter
Jasminum nudiflorum

Jasminum
L. (Oleaceae).
jaz
-minoom. Jasmines. From the Persian name. 195 spp., shrubs, climbers. Trop. and warm temp. regs. of the Old World.

beesianum
Forrest & Diels. beez-ee-
ah
-noom. After Bees Nursery, Cheshire, founded by A. K. Bulley, sponsor of George Forrest, who collected the type specimen in Yunnan and introduced it to cultivation in 1906. China, SE Tibet.

humile
L.
hew
-mi-lee. Italian jasmine. Lat. low (growing). Iran to China.

mesnyi
Hance.
mez
-nee-ee. Primrose jasmine. After General William Mesny (1842–1919), Jersey-born explorer who spent many years in China, where he collected the type specimen in 1880. S China, Vietnam.

nudiflorum
Lindl. new-di-
flaw
-room. Winter jasmine. Lat. naked flowers (it flowers when leafless). China, SE Tibet.

officinale
L. of-is-i-
nah
-lee. Common jasmine. Lat. sold as a med. herb. W Asia to China.

parkeri
Dunn.
par
-kuh-ree. After English botanist and forester Richard Neville Parker (1884–1958), who collected the type specimen in 1919 and later introduced it to gardens. W Himal.

polyanthum
Franch. pol-ee-
anth
-oom. Gk. many-flowered. S China, Myanmar.

sambac
(L.) Sol.
sam
-bak. Arabian jasmine. From an Arabian name. Himal., India.

×
stephanense
É. Lemoine. stef-uhn-
en
-see. Of St. Etienne (Lat.
Sanctus Stephanus
), France, where it was raised, although found earlier in the wild.
J. beesianum
×
J. officinale
. China, Tibet.

Jeffersonia
Barton (Berberidaceae). jef-er-
soh
-nee-uh. After Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), third US president, in recognition of his knowledge of natural history. 2 spp. perenn. herbs. NE Asia, SE Canada, E USA.

diphylla
(L.) Pers. die-
fil
-uh. Twinleaf. Gk. two-leaved (the leaves are deeply two-lobed). SE Canada, E USA.

dubia
(Maxim.) Benth. & Hook.f. ex Baker & S. Moore.
dew
-bee-uh. Lat. doubtful. NE Asia.

Jimson weed
Datura stramonium

Job’s tears
Coix lacryma-jobi

Joe Pye weed
Eutrochium
.
spotted
E. maculatum
.
sweetscented
E. purpureum

jojoba
Simmondsia chinensis

Joseph’s coat
Amaranthus tricolor

jostaberry
Ribes
×
nidigrolaria

Jovellana
Ruiz & Pav. (Calceolaria-ceae). joh-vuh-
lah
-nuh. After Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos (1744–1811), Spanish statesman and author. 4 spp. perenn. herbs and shrubs. NZ, Chile.

violacea
(Cav.) G. Don. vie-o-
lay
-seeuh. Lat. violet (the flowers). Chile.

Jovibarba
(DC.) Opiz (Crassulaceae). joh-vi-
bar
-buh. Lat. Jupiter’s beard, referring to the fringed petals. 3 spp. succulent herbs. Eur., W Asia.

allionii
(Jord. & Fourr.) D. A. Webb =
J. globifera
subsp.
allionii

globifera
(L.) J. Parn. glo-
bi
-fuh-ruh. Lat. bearing globes (the leaf rosettes). C and SE Eur. subsp.
allionii
(Jord. & Fourr.) J. Parn. al-ee-
oh
-nee-ee. After Carlo Allioni (1728–1804), Italian physician and botanist. Alps.