72 PLANT NAMES 



PiPTANTHUS, from pipto, to fall, and anthos, the 

 flowers having short duration. 



PiTTOSPORUM, pitch seed, covered with sticky 

 pulp. 



Plagianthus, from plagios, slanting, and anthos, 

 the petals having unequal sides. 



Plane, Plantago, Plantain, Platanus, from 

 platus, fiat or broad. The Plane Tree has spreading 

 branches, the Plantain has wide fiat leaves. From 

 this word platus come plate, pate, place, plaice, 

 plant, plaster, etc. But plane (a level surface), 

 plane (a tool), plain, plan, plank, explain, etc., come 

 from a quite different Greek word, plax, a flat place. 



PoDOCARPUS, from pous, a foot, and karpos, fruit, 

 having the seed on stalks. 



Polyanthus, many-flowered. 



PoLYGALA, Milkwort, abundance of milky juice. 



Polygonum and Polygonatum, Solomon's Seal, 

 though distinct genera, have the same meaning, 

 from gonu, a knee (genuflexion), many-jointed. 



PoLYPODiUM, many-footed, the division of the 

 creeping stem. 



PoLYSTiCHUM, many-rowcd, stichos, a row, from 

 the rows of spores. 



Pomegranate, from pomum, an Apple, and 

 granum, a grain — fruit full of seeds. The botanic 

 name is Punica granatum, from puniceus, red, the 

 flowers being red. 



PoPULUS, Poplar, from palpo, to quiver — 

 trembling leaves. The o is long; in populus, a 

 people, it is short. 



