Read The a to Z of Plant Names: A Quick Reference Guide to 4000 Garden Plants Online
Authors: Allen Coombes
middendorffiana
(Carrière) K. Koch. mid-uhn-dorf-ee-
ah
-nuh. After Alexander Theodor von Middendorff (1815–1894), Russian naturalist and explorer. E Russia, Japan.
praecox
(Lemoine) L. H. Bailey.
prie
-koks. Lat. early (flowering). E Russia, N Korea.
Wellingtonia
Sequoiadendron giganteum
white forsythia
Abeliophyllum distichum
whitebeam
Sorbus aria
.
Swedish
S. intermedia
whiteweed, flat-top
Ageratum corymbosum
willow
Salix
.
American pussy
S. discolor
.
bay
S. pentandra
.
black
S. nigra
.
coyote
S. exigua
.
crack
S. euxina
.
creeping
S. repens
.
cricket bat
S. alba
var.
caerulea
.
goat
S. caprea
.
golden
S. alba
var.
vitellina
.
golden weeping
S
. ×
sepulcralis
‘Chrysocoma’.
grey
S. cinerea
.
halberd
S. hastata
.
hoary
S. eleagnos
.
peach-leaf
S. amygdaloides
.
Peking
S. babylonica
var.
pekinensis
.
pussy
S. caprea, S. cinerea
.
scarlet
S. alba
‘Britzensis’.
silky
S. sericea
.
Swiss
S. helvetica
.
violet
S. daphnoides
.
weeping
S. babylonica
.
white
S. alba
.
woolly
S. lanata
windflower, snowdrop
Anemone sylvestris
wineberry, Japanese
Rubus phoenicolasius
winecup
Callirhoe digitata
wingnut
Pterocarya
.
Caucasian
P. fraxinifolia
.
Chinese
P. stenoptera
winter aconite
Eranthis hyemalis
Winter’s bark
Drimys winteri
winterberry
Ilex verticillata
wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
wintersweet
Chimonanthus praecox
Wisteria
Nutt. (Fabaceae). wist-
e
-reeuh. After Caspar Wistar (1761–1818), American physician and anatomist. The spelling may have been chosen deliberately to avoid the pronunciation wist-
air
-ree-uh. 5 spp. woody climbers. China, Japan, USA.
brachybotrys
Sieb. & Zucc. brak-ee-
bot
-ris. Gk. with short clusters (of flowers). Japan.
floribunda
(Willd.) DC. flo-ri-
bun
-duh. Lat. flowering profusely. Japan.
frutescens
(L.) Poir. frue-
tes
-uhnz. Lat. somewhat shrubby. SE USA. var.
macrostachya
Torr. & A. Gray. makroh-
stak
-ee-uh. Gk. with large spikes (of flowers). E and C USA.
macrostachya
(Torr. & A. Gray) Nutt. ex B. L. Rob. & Fernald =
W. frutescens
var.
macrostachya
sinensis
(Sims) DC. sin-
en
-sis. Lat. of China. China.
venusta
Rehder & E. H. Wilson =
W. brachybotrys
witch alder
Fothergilla major
.
dwarf
F. gardenii
witch hazel
Hamamelis
.
Chinese
H. mollis
.
Japanese
H. japonica
.
Ozark
H. vernalis
woad
Isatis tinctoria
wolfsbane
Aconitum lycoctonum
Wollemia
W. G. Jones, K. D. Hill & J. M. Allen (Araucariaceae).
wol-
em
-ee-uh. After Wollemi National Park, NSW, where it was discovered in 1994. 1 sp., conifer. NSW, Australia.
nobilis
W. G. Jones, K. D. Hill & J. M. Allen. Wollemi pine. After David Noble (b. 1965), English-born explorer and NSW park ranger, who discovered it.
wood vamp
Decumaria barbara
woodbine
Lonicera periclymenum
Woodsia
R. Br. (Dryopteridaceae).
woodz
-ee-uh. After Joseph Woods (1776–1864), English botanist and geologist. 30 spp. ferns. N temp. regs., trop. mts.
obtusa
(Spreng.) Torr. ob-
tew
-suh. Lat. blunt (the frond lobes). SE Canada, E and C USA.
Woodwardia
Sm. (Blechnaceae). wood-
ward
-ee-uh. After Thomas Jenkinson Woodward (1745–1820), English botanist. 14 spp. ferns. N and C Am., Eur., N Africa, E Asia.
fimbriata
Sm. fim-bree-
ah
-tuh. Giant chain fern. Lat. fringed. SW Canada, W USA, NW Mex. (B.C.).
radicans
(L.) Sm.
rad
-i-kanz. Chain fern. Lat. producing roots (the plantlets on the fronds). SW Eur., N Africa.
unigemmata
(Makino) Nakai. ew-nee-gem-
ah
-tuh. Lat. with one bud (below the frond apex). China, Japan, SE Asia.
Xwormwood, beach
Artemisia stelleriana
.
Roman
A. pontica
.
sweet
A. annua
Xanthisma
DC. (Asteraceae). zanth-
iz
-muh. Gk. yellow quality, referring to the flowers. 17 spp., ann. and perenn. herbs, shrubs. SW Canada, W USA, Mex.
coloradoense
(A. Gray) D. R. Morgan & R. L. Hartman. ko-lo-rah-doh-
en
-see. Colorado tansyaster. Of Colorado. USA (Colorado, Wyoming).
Xanthoceras
Bunge (Sapindaceae). zanth-oh-
se
-ruhs. Gk. yellow horn, referring to the yellow horn-like glands between the petals. 1 sp., deciduous shrub or tree. N China, Korea.
sorbifolium
Bunge. sorb-i-
foh
-leeoom. Lat. with leaves like
Sorbus
.
Xanthocyparis
Farjon & Hiep (Cupressaceae). zanth-oh-
sip
-uh-ris. Gk. yellow cypress (from the colour of the wood of
X. vietnamensis
). 2 spp. conifers. SW Canada, NW USA, Vietnam.
nootkatensis
(D. Don) Farjon & D. K. Harder. nuet-kuh-
ten
-sis. Nootka cypress. Of the Nootka Sound reg., British Columbia. SW Canada, NW USA.
Xanthorhiza
Marshall (Ranunculaceae). zanth-oh-
rie
-zuh. Gk. yellow root. 1 sp., shrub. E USA.
simplicissima
Marshall. sim-pli-
sis
-imuh. Yellowroot. Lat. most simple (the unbranched stems).
Xerochrysum
Tzvelev (Asteraceae). zeer-ro-
krie
-soom. Gk. dry, golden (the showy dry bracts of the flower-head). 6 spp. ann. and perenn. herbs. Australia.
bracteatum
(Vent.) Tzvelev. brak-tee-
ah
-toom. Golden everlasting. Lat. bearing bracts (the flowerhead).
Xerophyllum
Michx. (Melanthiaceae). zeer-
rof
-i-loom. 2 spp. perenn. herbs. SW Canada, E and NW USA.
Ytenax
(Pursh) Nutt.
ten
-ax. Bear grass. Lat. tough (the leaves). SW Canada, NW USA.
yarrow
Achillea
.
common
A. millefolium
.
Greek
A. ageratifolia
yaupon
Ilex vomitoria
yellow archangel
Lamium galeobdolon
yellow flag
Iris pseudacorus
yellow jessamine
Gelsemium sempervirens
yellow tuft
Alyssum murale
yellowroot
Xanthorhiza simplicissima
yellowwood
Cladrastis kentukea
.
Chinese
C. delavayi
yesterday, today and tomorrow
Brunfelsia pauciflora
yew
Taxus
.
English
T. baccata
.
Japanese
T. cuspidata
.
Prince Albert’s
Saxegothaea conspicua
Yucca
L. (Asparagaceae).
yook
-uh. Caribbean name for
Manihot esculenta
(cassava), incorrectly applied to this genus. 50 spp. evergreen herbs, often shrubby or tree-like. N and C Am.
aloifolia
L. a-loh-i-
foh
-lee-uh. Lat. with leaves like
Aloe
. SE USA, Mex., Caribb.
baccata
Torr. ba-
kah
-tuh. Lat. bearing berries (the fruit). SW USA, N Mex.
elephantipes
Regel ex Trel. =
Y. gigantea
filamentosa
L. fil-uh-men-
toh
-suh. Lat. bearing threads (the leaf margin). SE USA.
flaccida
Haw.
flak
-si-duh. Lat. drooping (the leaves). SE Canada, E USA.
gigantea
Lem. jie-
gant
-ee-uh. Lat. very large. Mex., C Am.
glauca
Nutt.
glaw
-kuh. Lat. bluish white (the leaves). SC Canada, C USA.
gloriosa
L. glor-ree-
oh
-suh. Lat. glorious. SE USA.
rostrata
Engelm. ex Trel. ros-
trah
-tuh. Lat. beaked (the fruit). Tex., N Mex.
whipplei
Torr. =
Hesperoyucca whipplei
Yushania
P. C. Keng (Poaceae). yue-
shan
-ee-uh. Of Yushan (Mount Morrison), Taiwan, where the type specimen was collected in 1905. 80 spp. bamboos. Africa, E Asia.
Zanceps
(Mitford) W. C. Lin.
an
-seps. Lat. doubtful (the country of origin). Himal.
Zabelia
(Rehder) Makino (Linnaeaceae). za-
bel
-ee-uh. After German botanist Hermann Zabel (1832–1912), the first to divide
Abelia
into sections. 6 spp. deciduous shrubs. Afghanistan to E Asia.
mosanensis
(Chung ex Nakai) Hisauti & Hara. moh-san-
en
-sis. Fragrant abelia. Lat. of Mosan, N Korea. Korea.
triflora
(R. Br. ex Wall.) Makino. trie-
flaw
-ruh. Lat. with (up to) three flowers (in each cluster). Himal., W China.
Zaluzianskya
F. W. Schmidt (Scrophulariaceae). za-lue-zee-
an
-skee-uh. After Bohemian botanist Adam Zaluziansky von Zaluzian (1558–1613). 55 spp. ann. and perenn. herbs. S Africa.
capensis
(L.) Walp. kuh-
pen
-sis. Of the Cape.
ovata
(Benth.) Walp. oh-
vah
-tuh. Lat. ovate (the leaves).