450 A TEXT-BOOK OF BOTANY. 



Lathyrus. Vetchling. Everlasting pea. Ancient name of a plant of 



Theophrastus. 



Lauraceae. Laurel family. From Lat. laurus, laurel tree. 

 Lavandula. Lavender. From Lat. lavo, to wash; alluding to the use 



made of its distilled water. 

 Lawsonia. Henna plant. Named for Dr. John Lawson, who lived in the 



eighteenth century. 



Ledum. Labrador tea. Ancient Greek name of an Oriental shrub. 

 Leguminosae. Pulse family. From Lat. legumen, pulse. 

 Lemnaceae. Duckweed family. From Gr. Atum, a water plant. 

 Lens. Lentil. The ancient Latin name. 

 Lentiscus. Classical Latin name for the mastic-tree. 

 Lentus-a-um. Pliant, flexible. 



Leonurus. Motherwort. From Gr. Muv, a lion, + ovpa, a tail. 

 Lepidium. Peppergrass. Classical name of a cress. Also meaning a little 



scale; in allusion to the fruit. 

 Leptandra. Culver's root. From Gr. ^TITOC, slender, + ai%j, avdp6s j 



man; referring to the slender stamens. 

 Leucadendron. From Gr. Aewcdf, white, + Se.vdpov, a tree. 

 Levisticum. Lovage. Name said to be a corruption of ligusticum. 

 Ligusticum. Lovage. The ancient Latin name. Derived from Liguria, 



an Italian province where the plant abounded. 

 Ligustrum. Privet. The ancient Latin name. 

 Liliaceae. Lily family. From Lat. lilium (Gr. heipiov), a lily. 

 Limonium. Sea lavender. The ancient Greek name; probably from 



heipuv. a meadow. 



Limonium. Lemon. Ital. limone, from Arabic laimun. 

 Linaceae. Flax family. From Lat. linum (Gr. Tiivov), flax, linen, thread. 

 Lippia. Fog-fruit. Named for Agostino Lippi, Italian naturalist. 

 Liquidambar. Sweet gum tree. From Lat. liquidus, fluid, -f- Arabic ambar, 



amber; alluding to the color and fragrance of the exudation. 

 Liriodendron. Tulip tree. From Gr. faipiov, lily, flower, + 66vdpov t a tree. 

 Lithospermum. Cromwell. Puccoon. The ancient Greek name. From 



Woe, stone, + ffTrtppa, seed ; alluding to the hard nutlets. 

 Lobeliaceae. Lobelia family. From lobelia. Named after Matthias de 



1'Obel, an early Flemish botanist. 

 Loganiaceae. Logania family. Named after J. Logan, a distinguished 



botanist. 

 Lonicera. Honeysuckle. Named for Adam Lonitzer, German botanist, who 



died in 1586. 

 Loranthaceae. Mistletoe family. From Gr. l&pov, a thong, -{- avttoe, 



a flower. 



Lotus. Bird's-foot trefoil. An ancient Greek plant name. 

 Lunaria. Moonwort. From Lat. luna, the moon; alluding to the silvery 



septum of the fruit. 



