408 The New York State College of Forestry 



Balm of Gilead — f r. the L. balsamum (see halsamea) through the Fr. basme 



and the M. E. balm & Gilead (?) The common name of Populus 



candicans. 

 Balsam — fr. the L. balsamum (see halsamea and balm). The common name 



of Abies balsamea. 

 balsamea — L. (the balsam tree) fr, the (semetic [Heb.] balsam) through 



the Gr. (id'kaafiov and the L. balsamum,. Referring to the resinous charac- 

 ter of the bark of some oriental species. Here referring to the resinous 



pockets in the bark of Abies balsamea. 

 balsamifera — L. (balsam-bearing) fr. balsamum, resin, and ferre, to bear, 



referring to the resinous character of Populus balsamifera. 

 Banksiana — L. L. for the surname, Banks. 

 Bass — fr. the A. S. baest and E. bast. Of unknown origin * the Germanic. 



The common name of TiUa. 

 Bay — f r. the L. bacca, a berry, through the Fr. baie. The common name of 



sjjecies of Laurus owdng to the fruit, and of Salix pentandra owing to the 



laurel-like leaves. 

 Bebbiana — L. L. for the surname, Bebb. A name given to Salix rostrata. 

 Beech — fr. the I. G. bhagos, a. tree with edible fruit; through the A. S. bece, 



and the M. E. beech, * the Gr. <p>/y6c and the L. Fagus, which see. The 



common name of Fagus. 

 Betula — L. for the common Latin name of the birch tree, a word allied to 



the Skt. bhurja. to shine, referring to the shiny character of the bark. 

 bicolor — L. (two-colored) fr. bis-, twice or two, and color, color; referring 



to the green upper and whitened lower surfaces of the leaves of Quercus 



bicolor. 

 bignonioides — L». L. (Bignonia-like) fr. Bignonla, a tree named for Abbe- 



Bignon, and o'ides, like. A specific name given to Catalpa Catalpa, and 



referring to similarity of the flowers to those of Bignonla. 

 Bilstead — origin(?). The common name of Liqwidambar Styraciflua. 

 Birch — f r. the Skt. bhuria, f r. bhrja — to shine, through the A. S. birce and 



the M. E. birche * to the Aryan series. See Betula, the common name of 



Betula. 

 blanda — L. (smooth); referring to the smooth, silky leaves of Salix alba. 

 borealis — L. (pertaining to the north) fr. the Gr. po/'ia^ God of the north 



winds; referring to the northern habitat of Quercus borealis {rubra, var. 



ambigua) . 

 Box elder — Box fr. the Gr. TriCof, through the L. buxus, the box wood, Buxus 



sempervirens and the A. S. box, and elder which see. The common name 



(if Acer Negundo owing to the hardwood (?) and elder-like leaves. 

 Broussonetia — • L. L. for the surname, Brussonet. A generic name given in 



honor of the naturalist, Auguste Brussonet. 

 Butternut — Butter f r. the Gr. /Joi'f, ox and rhpoq, cheese, through the L. butryurn 



and Nut fr. the A. S. hnutu through the M. E. nut, * the Teutonic group. 



The common name of Ju-glnns cinerea owing to the oily fruit. 

 canadensis — - L. L. referring to the geographical habitat of several species. 

 canina — L. (a dog's skin), referring to the peculiar ridged bark of Celtis 



ocoidentalis. 

 caroliniana — K L. (Carolina), referring to the geographical habitat of 



several species. 

 Carpinus — L. The common Latin name for the hornbeam. 

 Carya — L. L. fr. the Gr. Kap'ra (form of ko/jz/voj', the skull); referring to the 



skull-like fruit of the genus. 

 Castanea — L. (the chestnut) fr. the Gr. Kdaravov, perhaps named for a city 



in Pontus. Kaaruvia, a word, perhaps related to the Armenian, kaakeni, 



the chestnut tree. The common name comes from this through the 



Fr. chastigna. 

 Catalpa — L. L. from the Cherokee common name catawba. The tree was 



discovered by Catesby in 1728. 

 cathartica- — L. (a purgative) fr. the Gr. KaBapu, to cleanse, through KadpriKbi, 



referring to the cathartic properties of Rhamnus cathartica. 

 Cedar — fr. the Gr. niSpur through the L. Cedrus and the A. S. cedar. The 



common name of several of the Cupressineae. 



