NAME-LIST 



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, Eraser's abies. Although the species-word is not always designa- 

 tive 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 Latin- 

 ized 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 dp 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 follow- 

 ing 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 "bearing," 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 Lindley- 

 anum, 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 

 Wayx. 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 com- 

 monly record some historical connection of the plant. 



In all the regular entries in the Cyclopedia the pronunciation is indicated (see explanation p. xii) ; but it is 

 also indicated again in the following lists: when the emphatic syllable is indicated as ending in a vowel and with a 

 grave accent, the vowel is pronounced long, as aculifo lius, pu milus; when it ends in a consonant and is marked with 

 an acute accent, the vowel is short, as max imus, arvin sis. There are differences of practice in the pronouncing 

 of many of the names in this list, but the list represents the method in this Cyclopedia; and if it should so 

 happen that there are any inconsistencies between the list and the text, it is desired that the list shall hold. 



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: 

 achillesefolius, achillea-leaved ; achitteoides, 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. 



The glossary, beginning page 160, will be helpful in giving other botanical equivalents and in accounting 

 for other words that are sometimes applied as species-names. 



abbrevia tus: abbreviated, shortened. 



aborti vus : aborted, parts failing. 



abrup tus: abrupt, suddenly changing 

 in shape or character. 



abyssin icus: Abyssinian. 



acau Us: stemless. 



aceph alus: headless. 



acer bus : acerb, harsh or sour (taste). 



aceroi des: acer-like, maple-like. 



acerd sus: needle-shaped. 



acicula ris: needle-like. 



acidfs simus: exceedingly sour. 



ac idus: acid, sour. 



acina ecus : scimetar- or saber-shaped. 



a cris: acrid, sharp. 



aculea tus: prickly. 



acumina tus : acuminate, long-pointed, 

 tapering. 



acutan gulus: acutely or sharply 

 angled. 



acutif idus: acutely or sharply cut. 



acutifd lius: acutely leaved, sharp- 

 leaved. 



acutfl obus: acutely lobed. 



acutipet alus: petals acute or sharp 

 (pointed). 



acu tus: acute, sharp-pointed. 



admirab ilis: admirable, noteworthy. 



adna tus: adnate, joined to. 



adpres sus: pressed against. 



adscen dens: ascending. 



adsur gens: rising to an erect posi- 

 tion, ascending. 



adun cus: hooked. 



ad venus: newly arrived, adventive. 



aegypti acus: Egyptian. 



Jem ulus: emulative, imitating. 



ae neus: brazen, bronze-colored. 



aequinortia lis: pertaining to the equi- 

 nox. 



aequipet alus: equal-petaled. 



aerugind sus: rusty, rust-colored. 



cestiva lis : summer. 



aesti vus: summer. 



aethiop icus: Ethiopian, African. 



aff! nis: related (to another species). 



(148) 



africa nus: African. 



agavoi des: Agave-like. 



ageratoi des: agoratum-like. 



aggrega tus: aggregate, clustered. 



agrt rius: of the fields. 



agres tis: of 01 pertaining to the 



adds. 



aizoJ des: aizoon-like (Aizo on, an 

 evergreen or tenacious plant). 



ala tus: winged. 



albes cens: whitish, becoming white. 



al bicans: whitish. 



albicau lis: wnite-stemmed. 



al bidus: white. 



albiflo rus: white-flowered. 



al bifrons: white -fronded, white- 

 lii'rhaged. 



albispi nus: white-spined. 



albocinc tus: white-girdled, white- 

 crowned. 



albospi cus: white-spiked. 



al bus: white. 



alcic6r nis: elk-horned. 



