AN-AZ
In the following names, the stressed vowel is the one preceding the stress mark. It is not always
easy to ascertain where such stress should be placed, especially in the case of epithets derived
from personal names. I have tried to follow the principle of maintaining the stress of the original
name as outlined in the Jepson Manual, and have abandoned it only when it was just too awk-
ward. In the case of some names, I have listed them
twice, reflecting
eithersome disagreement or
conflict in the rules of pronunciation, some uncertainty on my part as to the correct pronunciation,
or that simply sometimes there is no single correct pronunciation. . In other instances, the way I
record it is just that which sounds right to my ear.
- an-: before a vowel, Greek prefix meaning "not, without, less"
e.g. anantherus, "without anthers"
- -ana: suffix given to a personal name to convert it into an adjectival
commemorative epithet to be attached to a generic name that is feminine
in gender, thus Puccinellia nuttalliana (see Nomenclature)
- anacario'ides: having a resembling to genus Anacardium (ref.
Cupaniopsis anacardioides)
- anagalli'dea: like Anagallis (ref. Lindernia dubia var. anagallidea)
- anagallidifo'lium: with leaves like genus Anagallis (ref. Epilobium
anagallidifolium)
- Anagal'lis: from two Greek words, ana,
"again," and agallein, "to delight in," since the flowers open
each time the sun strikes them and we can enjoy them anew each day (ref.
genus Anagallis)
- anagal'lis-aqua'tica: water Anagallis
(ref. Veronica
anagallis-aquatica)
- anagallo'ides: like the genus Anagallis
(ref. Hypericum
anagalloides)
- Ana'phalis: from the Greek name of a similar plant (ref. genus
Anaphalis)
- anagyro'ides: resembling genus Anagyris (ref. Laburnum anagyroides)
- an'ceps: two-edged; also sometimes meaning doubtful, uncertain (ref.
Allium anceps)
- Anchu'sa: from the Latin name anchusa for a plant used as a
cosmetic or as an emollient to soothe and soften the skin (ref. genus
Anchusa)
- Ancistrocar'phus: from the Greek for "fishhook chaff" (ref.
genus Ancistrocarphus)
- anderson'ii: after Dr. Charles Lewis Anderson
(1827-1910), physician and naturalist of western Nevada and California.
The following is excerpted from Larry Blakely's essay on Anderson in
his website Who's
In A Name: "Anderson practiced medicine in Carson City during
the years 1862-1867. His considerable abilities were soon recognized
in the young city and Territory (soon to become a State), so much so
that in the short time he was there he rose to the post of State Surgeon
General, became Superintendent of Schools of Ormsby County, helped organize
a library and establish a church, served as an officer in the Nevada
Historical and Scientific Society when it was formed, and was involved
in several other civic activities. His practice was a marvel of simplicity
compared to the practice of modern medicine. He kept an office in a
drugstore (with apparently no receptionist or nurse) for which he paid
$10 per month; he charged $5 per patient visit, plus $5 per mile when
he had to travel out of town. Anderson was born in Virginia, but his
family moved to Indiana when he was 10. He worked his way through medical
school in Indiana, then moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota to set up his
first practice (where he also served as Superintendent of Schools of
Hennepin County). An enterprising Minnesota friend preceded him to Nevada,
and at the friend's urging, Anderson decided to head out west. He settled
his wife and 2 young daughters in Beloit, Wisconsin, then traveled across
the plains and mountains by wagon train and stage coach. He wrote voluminously
to his wife while traveling, and after settling in Carson City. His
letters, which were fortunately preserved, give a vivid accounting of
those times. A year later he was joined by his wife and daughters, who
bravely followed his path across the country. Amazingly, in spite of
all of his other endeavors, he found the time to pursue his lifelong
interest in botany. He was one of the very first botanists to collect
extensively in Nevada (the redoubtable Pathfinder - and botanist - John
C. Fremont was first, in 1844). Although others collected in Nevada
during the 1860s, he was among the first to reside in the state. He
collected 34 of the 51 types collected in that decade, his type collections
being made during the years 1863 - 1866. Anderson made most of his plant
collections in the vicinity of Carson City, but he also explored elsewhere
in Nevada, and may have collected his buttercup at Blind Spring Hill
near Benton, CA. Many of the plants he collected turned out to be new
to science when examined by Asa Gray of Harvard, to whom Anderson sent
all his Nevada specimens. Anderson wrote the first flora of Nevada,
and in its introduction observed: "the country is as rich in vegetable
novelties as it is at all times in mineral wealth." Other Nevada
and California plant species, subspecies and varieties named for Anderson
are found in these genera: Arctostaphylos, Aster, Astragalus,
Cirsium, Crepis, Delphinium, Lupinus, Lycium,
and Trifolium. Spiny menodora, so familiar in our area, was one
of the 34 new plant species he discovered during his years in Nevada.
Seeking a gentler climate and society, Anderson moved his family to
Santa Cruz, CA, in 1867, where he lived for the rest of his life. There,
in addition to his medical practice, he continued his lifelong predilection
for civic service, and the study of botany. He developed an interest
in marine algae, and collected some new species which were named for
him; he also wrote botanical papers on the plants about Santa Cruz.
Ever one for a challenge, his favorite groups were the willows and the
grasses." (ref. Aster
alpigenus var. andersonii, Delphinium andersonii,
Lupinus
andersonii, Lycium
andersonii, Prunus
andersonii, Ranunculus andersonii)
- anderson'ii: after Robert Clark Anderson (1908-1973), a USFS ranger
who acted as a guide and co-collector with Ira Waddell Clokey and his
wife in the Charlestons Mts of Clark Co., Nevada. He was a graduate
of the forestry school at Utah State Agricultural College and a U.S.
Forest Service employee until about 1965, and then worked for the Utah
State Parks Department until his death (ref. Silene verecunda ssp.
andersonii)
- andi'na: of or from the Andes (ref. Camissonia andina, Muhlenbergia
andina)
- andrewsia'na/an'drewsiana: see following entry (ref. Clintonia andrewsiana)
- andrews'ii/an'drewsii: after Timothy Langdon Andrews (1819-1908).
Thanks to David Hollombe for the following: "M.D. Vermont
Medical College, 1845. Travelled to Liberia in 1849 as physician
on a ship full of ex-slaves from New Orleans; from there to Brazil and
then California. In California from November, 1849, to March,
1855, except for part of 1851 when he travelled to Samoa and Hawaii.
Edited newspapers in California, Ohio, Missouri and Iowa; taught school
in California and Tennessee. Worked as a customs inspector in California."
The following is from the Biographical Review of Henry
County, Iowa, 1906: "Dr. Andrews in the midst of a busy life
has given considerable attention to the study of botany and collected
a fine herbarium, which he gave to Ames Agricultural College in 1903.
He kept this up from time of graduation at all times and places.
One plant which he discovered in California was named in his honor by
Dr. Torrey, the celebrated botanist." (ref. Galium
andrewsii ssp. andrewsii, Galium
andrewsii ssp. intermedium)
- androgy'nus: having male and female structures on the same plant
- andromede'a: referring to Andromeda, daughter
of Ethiopian king Cepheus and Cassiope, who was chained to a rock as
an offering to a sea monster and rescued by Perseus, of unknown application?
(ref. Pterospora
andromedea)
- andromedifo'lia: having leaves like those
of Andromeda, the bog rosemary (ref. Pellaea
andromedifolia)
- Andropo'gon: from the Greek andros, "a man," and pogon,
"beard," referring to the hairs on the spikelets of some of
these grass species (ref. genus Andropogon)
- Androsa'ce: from the Greek name for some uncertain sea-plant, deriving
from the Greek andros, "a man, male," and sakos,
"a shield" (ref. genus Androsace)
- androsa'ceus: like Androsace, a small
plant of the primrose family typically growing in rock gardens called
rock jasmine (ref. Linanthus
androsaceus, Mimulus androsaceus)
- androsaemifo'lium: with leaves like
Androsaemum, a genus which takes its appellation from the old
Greek name Androsaimon used by Dioscorides for a kind of Hypericum,
which is derived from andros, "man," and haima,
"blood," in reference to its blood-red sap or juice (ref.
Apocynum
androsaemifolium)
- andro'saemum: see previous entry (ref. Hypericum androsaemum)
- Androsteph'ium: from the Greek andros, "stamen," and
stephanos, "crown," referring to the fused filaments
(ref. genus Androstephium)
- -andrus: a suffix that refers to a flower's anthers, as in diandrus,
macrandus, cryptandrus
- Anelson'ia/anelson'ii: after Aven Nelson (1859-1952), Rocky Mountain
botanist, plant collector, professor of biology at the University of
Wyoming and author of The Cryptogams of Wyoming (ref. genus Anelsonia,
and Phacelia anelsonii)
- Ane'mone: an ancient Greek name from anemos, "wind"
(ref. genus Anemone)
- anemonifo'lium: with leaves like genus Anemone (ref. Geranium
anemonifolium)
- Anemop'sis: from two Greek words anenome
and opsis, meaning "anemone-like" in reference to the resemblance
of the inflorescence to a flower in genus Anenome (ref. genus
Anemopsis)
- Ane'thum: the Greek and Latin name for dill (ref. genus Anethum)
- -aneum/-aneus: indicates resemblance or a material from which something
is made, e.g. cutaneus, referring to the skin, from cutis, "skin"
- angelen'sis: of Los Angeles (County?) (ref.
Gilia
angelensis)
- Angel'ica: Latin for "angelic," referring to
the medicinal properties of the plant, which are said to have been revealed
to a monk by an angel who told him it was a cure for the plague (ref.
genus Angelica)
- ang'lica/ang'licum: of England (ref. Drosera anglica, Potentilla
anglica)
- angui'neus: snake-like, serpentine (ref. Penstemon anguineus)
- angui'nus: same as previous entry
- angular'is: see angulata below
- angula'ta/angula'tus: having angles or corners, or with angular lobes
(ref. Cardamine angulata, Physalis angulata)
- angulo'sum: full of corners, many-angled (ref.
Eriogonum
angulosum)
- angusta'tum/angusta'tus: narrow or narrowed (ref. Erigeron angustatus,
Mimulus angustatus)
- angustifo'lia/angustifo'lium:
having narrow foliage (ref. Castilleja
angustifolia, Cryptantha
angustifolia, Eleagnus angustifolia, Pyracantha angustifolia,
Sphaeralcea angustifolia, Typha angustifolia, Vicia angustifolia,
Apiastrum angustifolium, Epilobium
angustifolium ssp. circumvagum, Eriodictyon angustifolium,
Galium
angustifolium ssp. angustifolium, Galium
angustifolium ssp. foliosum, Sparganium angustifolium)
- angustipet'alum: with narrow petals (ref. Trillium angustipetalum)
- angustis'simus: very narrow (ref. Lotus angustissimus)
- anili'na: I'm not sure about this because the suffix -ina is used in
a variety of ways, but I think it relates to the word aniline, "dark
blue" (ref. Triteleia ixioides ssp. anilina)
- Anisocar'pus: from the Greek anisos, "unequal," and
karpos, "fruit" (ref. genus Anisocarpos)
- Anisoco'ma: from the Greek anisos, "unequal,"
and kome, "a tuft of hair," referring to the two unlike
sets of pappus bristles (ref. genus Anisocoma)
- an'nua/an'nuum/an'nuus: annual (ref. Lunaria
annua, Poa annua, Psathyrotes
annua, Sanguisorba annua, Helianthus
annuus, Scleranthus annuus)
- annular'is: ring-shaped or arranged in a circular fashion
- annula'ta/annula'tus: marked by or surrounded
by rings as is the stem of this species (ref. Boerhavia annulata,
Anulocaulis
annulatus)
- Ano'da: According to Stearns, a Sinhalese (Ceylonese) name for a species
of Abutilon. Umberto Quattrocchi gives two alternative etymologies:
(1) "from the Greek a, "without," and odous,
odontos, "a tooth," for the leaves; and (2) from the
Greek a, "without," and the Latin nodus, "a
joint or node," since the flowering stems lack nodes (ref. genus
Anoda)
- ano'mala/ano'malus: unusual in relation to related plant species (ref.
Fraxinus anomala, Madia anomala, Bromus anomalus)
- Anreder'a: Umberto Quattrocchi says, "Possibly derived from a
personal name or derived from the Spanish word enredadera, "creeping
plant, climbing plant" (ref. genus Anredera)
- anseri'na/anseri'num: pertaining to geese, from
the Latin anser for "goose," growing on land perhaps
grazed by geese. -Ina is also a diminutive suffix, so anserina
could mean little goose or gosling (ref. Potentilla
anserina ssp. anserina, Potentilla
anserina ssp. pacifica, Eriogonum strictum var. anserinum)
- Antennar'ia: from the Latin antenna,
because of the resemblance of the male flowers to insect antennae (ref.
genus Antennaria)
- anthela'tus: having an inflorescence in the form of an anthela, that
is with lateral flowering branches exceeding the main axis (ref. Juglans
anthelatus)
- anthelmin'tica: the Greek helmins or helminthos means
"bug or worm," and an- is a negative prefix. According
to The American Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Pharmacognosy
(Finley Ellingwood, 1919), anthelmintics were agents acting upon intestinal
parasites. There are other species which bear this specific epithet
that were apparently used in the same way, such as Albizia anthelmintica
for sheep and Brayera anthelmintica (ref. Dysphania anthemintica)
- An'themis: from the Greek anthemon,
"flower," for their profuse blooming, and the Greek name for Chamaemelum
nobile, of which chamomile tea is made (ref. genus Anthemis)
- an'thos: a flower
- Anthoxan'thum: from the Greek anthos for "flower,"
and xanthos, "yellow," alluding to the color of the
ripened spikelets (ref. genus Anthoxanthum)
- Anthris'cus: from the Greek and Latin name
for another but unidentified plant (ref. genus Anthriscus)
- antido'tale: this name must derive from the same root word as antidote,
and this is supported by this plant's use in native medicines (ref.
Panicum antidotale)
- an'tiquus: ancient, antique
- antirrhin'a: one of the senses of the Greek
anti is "like," and rhina means "nose"
(ref. Silene
antirrhina)
- antirrhiniflor'a: having flowers like
those of Antirrhinum (ref. Maurandya
antirrhiniflora)
- antirrhino'ides: like Antirrhinum
(ref. Keckiella
antirrhinoides)
- Antirrhi'num: from the Greek anti,
"like," and rhinon, "nose," because the flowers do seem
to have a snout (ref. genus Antirrhinum)
- antisel'lii: after Thomas Antisell (1817-1893), physician, chemist,
and geologist. He was a member of John G. Parke's Pacific Railroad survey
of California and Arizona (1851) and participated in a scientific mission
to Japan (1871-1877) where he was decorated by the Emperor (ref. Astragalus
antisellii)
- antoni'na: after the San Antonio Hills in Monterey County where the
type locality for this taxon is (ref. Monarda antonina)
- antoni'num/antoni'nus: after Anthony Peak, east of Covelo on Mendocino/Tehama
County boundary (ref. Delphinium antoninum, Lupinus antoninus)
- anton'ius: the Jepson Manual refers to this as San Antonio milkvetch,
and it is named after Mt. San Antonio, which is better known by its
other name, Mt. Baldy (ref. Astragalus lentiginosus var. antonius)
- Anulocau'lis: from the Latin for "ring-stem,"
from the sticky internodal rings (ref. genus Anulocaulis)
- -anum: suffix given to a personal name to convert it to an adjectival
commemorative epithet to be attached to a generic name that is neuter
in gender, thus Delphinium nuttallianum (see Nomenclature)
- -anum/anus: (1) a Latin adjectival suffix indicating position, connection
or possession as in montanus or borreganus; (2) a suffix given to a
personal name to convert it to an adjectival commemorative epithet to
be attached to a generic name that is masculine in gender, thus Cerastium
fontanum, Lotus nuttallianus, Lotus purshianus, etc.
(see Nomenclature)
- an'xius: from the Latin anxius, "distressed, uneasy,"
of unknown application (ref. Astragalus anxius)
- apargio'ides: resembling the genus formerly called Apargia,
which is now Microseris (ref. Pyrrocoma apargioides)
- apari'ne: a Greek name for the plant called cleavers
(ref. Galium
aparine)
- A'pera: from the Greek aperos, "not maimed," alluding
to the vestigial florets (ref. genus Apera)
- aper'ta: open or exposed, bare, uncovered, the flowers opening wide
(ref. Ivenia aperta, Silene aperta)
- apet'ala/apet'alus: without petals (ref. Sagina
apetala, Myosurus apetalus)
- a'phaca: a Phoenician town in a part of ancient Syria which now belongs
to Lebanon where there was a famous temple to Venus which was destroyed
by the Emperor Constantine (ref. Lathyrus aphaca)
- aphanac'tis: from the Greek aphanes,
"inconspicuous," and actis, "a ray," thus a head with small
ray flowers (ref. Erigeron
aphanactis, Grindelia aphanactis, Senecio aphanactis)
- A'phanes: from the Greek aphanes, "obscure,
inconspicuous, unseen" from the somewhat hidden flowers (ref. genus
Aphanes)
- Aphanis'ma: from the Greek aphanes, "inconspicuous"
(ref. genus Aphanisma)
- aphyl'la: leafless (ref. Tamarix
aphylla)
- apia'na: pertaining to bees which this plant attracts
in great numbers (ref. Salvia
apiana)
- Apias'trum: from the Latin apium,
"celery," and aster, "wild," this was the classical name
for wild celery (ref. genus Apiastrum)
- apicula'ta/apicula'tum:
ending somewhat abruptly in a short or sharp point or apex (ref. Luma
apiculata, Eriogonum
apiculatum)
- apiifo'lium: with leaves like Apium (ref. Ligusticum apiifolium)
- Ap'ium: derived from Apium, an ancient
Latin name for celery or parsley (ref. genus Apium)
- Apocy'num: from the Greek apo, "away
from," and kyon or kunos, "dog," i.e. noxious
to dogs, in reference to its ancient use as a dog poison, hence dogbane
(ref. genus Apocynum and family Apocynaceae)
- apo'dus: footless, sessile
- Apono'geton/Aponoge'ton: from the Latin name of the healing springs at Aquae Aponi,
Italy, and geiton, "neighbor," originally applied to
a water plant found there, the name being given due to this plant's
aquatic habitat (ref. genus Aponogeton)
- appelia'num: after German botanist-biologist Oliver Appel (fl. 1996),
authority on the Brassicaceae, and collector of plants in China
(ref. Lepidium appelianum)
- appendicula'ta: having appendages, such as a crown, crest or hairs
(ref. Brodiaea appendiculata)
- applana'tus: flattened
- applegat'e: named after Elmer Applegate (1867-1949),
a student of the flora of Oregon (ref. Castilleja
applegatei ssp. martinii)
- appres'sa: pressed close to or lying flat against (ref. Muhlenbergia
appressa)
- approxima'ta: from the Latin approximatus, "approached
or approximate" (ref. Cuscuta approximata)
- ap'rica/ap'ricum: sun-loving, growing in the open and exposed to the
sun (ref. Saxifraga aprica, Eriogonum apricum)
- Apten'ia: from the Greek apten, "wingless"
(ref. genus Aptenia)
- ap'terus: wingless
- aqua'tica/aqua'ticum: found in the water, relating
to water (ref. Crassula aquatica, Phalaris
aquatica, Veronica
anagallis-aquatica, Rorippa
nasturtium-aquaticum)
- aqua'tilis: growing in or near water (ref.
Ranunculus
aquatilis var. capillaceus)
- aquifo'lium: the classical name for holly,
now under the genus Ilex, but applied to the holly family as
Aquifoliaceae (ref. Ilex aquifolium, also Berberis
aquifolium var. repens)
- Aquile'gia: from the Latin aquila,
"an eagle," referring to the shape of the petals which is said to be
like an eagle's claw (ref. genus Aquilegia)
- aquili'num: from aquila, "eagle," and
the suffix ium, "characteristic of," hence indicating
a connection or resemblance (ref. Pteridium
aquilinum var. pubescens)
- ara'bica/ara'bicus: Arabian (ref. Medicago arabica, Schismus
arabicus)
- Arabidop'sis: from the Greek for "resembling
Arabis" (ref. genus Arabidopsis)
- Ar'abis: a Greek word used for "mustard" or "cress,"
and the Greek word for Arabia, perhaps referring to the ability of these
plants to grow in rocky or sandy soils (?) (ref. genus Arabis)
- arachno'ides: covered with long, straggly, cobwebby hairs like a spider's
web
- arachnoi'dea/arachnoi'deum: resembling a spider (ref. Lessingia arachnoidea)
- aralen'sis: of or from the Aral Mountains (ref. Tamarix aralensis)
- Ara'lia: Latinization of an old French-Canadian
or American-Indian name aralie (ref. genus Aralia)
- Arau'jia: named for António de Araújo de Azevedo, Conde
de Barca (1752-1817), a Portuguese botanical collector and a patron
of botany, the name given to this member of the milkweed family. The
following is from the Universal pronouncing dictionary of biography
and mythology by Joseph Thomas: "Araujo d' Azevedo, (Antonio)
Count of Barca, a Portuguese minister of state, born at Ponte de Lima
in 1754. He became proficient in the Greek, Latin, French, and English
languages, and was distinguished for his literary and scientific attainments.
After he had resided some years as minister at the Hague, he was sent
to Paris in 1797 to negotiate a peace, and in the same year signed a
treaty. The cabinet of Lisbon delayed the ratification of this treaty
so long that the French Directory annulled it. A report having gained
currency that Araujo expected to procure the assent of the directors
by bribery, they resolved to prove their innocence by an act of rigour
and confined him in prison for several months. He became secretary of
state, or minister of foreign affairs, in 1804, and was the principal
minister after 1806, but showed his incapacity to guide the state in
critical times. A French army entered Lisbon in November 1807, the house
of Braganza ceased to reign, and Araujo retired to Brazil, where he
was minister of marine (?) in 1814. He had been chief minister for a
few months, when he died at Rio Janeiro in 1817. He translated the"Elegy"
and other poems of Gray into Portuguese verse." (ref. genus Araujia)
- arbor'ea/arbor'eum/arbor'eus:
derived from Latin for "tree" and alluding to a tree-like habit of growth
(ref. Ceanothus
arboreus, Isomeris
arborea, Lavatera arborea, Aeonium arboreum,
Lupinus
arboreus)
- arbores'cens: woody or tree-like, becoming
like a tree (ref. Caragana arborescens, Ericameria [formerly
Haplopappus] arborescens, Colutea
arborescens, Eriogonum
arborescens, Psorothamnus
[formerly
Dalea] arborescens var. minutifolius, Psorothamnus
arborescens var. simplicifolius)
- arbus'cula: resembling a small tree (ref. Artemisia arbuscula)
- arbus'tus: like a small tree (ref. Lupinus
arbustus)
- arbutifo'lia: having leaves like Arbutus
unedo, the Spanish madrone (ref. Heteromeles
arbutifolia)
- Arbu'tus: a Latin name for this tree (ref. genus
Arbutus)
- Arceutho'bium: from the Greek arkeuthos,
"juniper," and bios, "life," presumably because of its resemblance
to the juniper and not because it has juniper for a host (ref. genus
Arceuthobium)
- arc'ta: (1) from the Latin arctus, "narrow, straight;"
or (2) Greek arktos, "a bear" possibly referring to
the northern constellations or to the north in general (ref. Carex
arcta)
- arct'ica: of or from the Arctic, or having an arctic or alpine way
of life (ref. Poa arctica, Salix arctica, Trientalis
arctica)
- arctio'ides: like genus Arctium (ref. Nama arctioides)
- Arct'ium: from the Greek arction, the name of a plant taken
from arctos, "bear," because of the rough involucre
(ref. genus Arctium)
- Arctome'con: from the Greek arktos, "a bear," and
mecon, "poppy," because of the hairiness (ref. genus
Arctomecon)
- arctopo'ides: like genus Arctopus (ref. Sanicula arctopoides)
- Arctothe'ca: from the Greek arctos, "bear," and theca,
"cup or container," of uncertain application (ref. genus Arctotheca)
- Arctostaph'ylos: from two Greek words
arktos, "bear," and staphule, "a bunch of grapes," referring
to the common name of the first-known species, and also perhaps alluding
to bears feeding on the grape-like fruits (ref. genus Arctostaphylos)
- Arcto'tis: from the Greek arktos, "bear," and otis,
"ear," referring to the pappus scales (ref. genus Arctotis)
- arcua'ta/arcua'tus: arched or bent like a bow
(ref. Arabis sparsiflora var. arcuata, Clarkia arcuata)
- arcuifo'lia: with leaves arched or curving (ref. Arenaria macradenia
var. arcuifolia)
- Arena'ria: from the Latin arena, "sand,"
referring to the sandy habitats of many species (ref. genus Arenaria,
also Ammophila arenaria, Camissonia arenaria)
- arenar'ium/arenar'ius: growing in sandy places (ref. Pholisma arenarium,
Bromus arenarius)
- arenas'trum: resembling genus Arenaria
(ref. Polygonum arenastrum)
- arenico'la: a dweller on sand (ref. Alternanthera
arenicola, Linanthus arenicola)
- areola'tus: pitted or marked
- aretio'ides: like genus Aretia (ref. Nama aretioides)
- Arge'mone: from the Greek argemos,
"a white spot (cataract) on the eye," which this plant was once supposed
to cure. David Hollombe adds the following: "The Greek Argemone
is Papaver argemone. Linnaeus 'recycled' the name for the American
genus. I have read stories of our Argemone being used medicinally in
place of P. argemone in India, resulting in glaucoma because
of the differing alkaloids in the two plants." (ref. genus
Argemone)
- argen'se: named after the Argus Mountains in the vicinity of the Panamint
Range on the west side of Death Valley (ref. Eriogonum heermannii
var. argense)
- argenta'ta/argenta'tus: silvery (ref. Thermopsis macrophylla var.
argentata, Erigeron argentatus)
- argen'tea/argen'teus:
see argentatus above (ref. Antennaria argentea, Atriplex
argentea var. hillmanii, Crassula
argentea, Raillardella argentea, Shepherdia
argentea, Lupinus
argenteus)
- argilla'ceus: whitish (ref. Lathyrus sulphureus var. argillaceus)
- argillo'sum/argillo'sus: from the Greek argilos or argillos,
"white clay, potter's earth," the Jepson common name for this
taxon is 'clay-loving buckwheat' (ref. Eriogonum argillosum,
Calochortus argillosus)
- argophyl'lus: silver-leaved (ref. Lotus
argophyllus var. argophyllus)
- ar'gus: referring to the mythical many-eyed creature Argus who supposedly
was a 100-eyed or 1000-eyed monster who was slain by Hermes and his
eyes placed on the tail feathers of the peacock. Dr. Jim Reveal, the
author of this taxon, sent me the following note: "As for the var.
argus, the flowers are clustered into solitary involucres (rather
than in compound umbels as in other varieties), and yet an individual
plant may have numerous inflorescence branches terminated by a solitary
involucre. While this is a stretch, for no individual plant has exactly
a hundred of these branches, the combination of a single involucre on
a stem ("eye") and several of these per plant, was the rationale
for the name." (ref. Eriogonum umbellatum var. argus)
- argu'ta/argu'tum: sharp-toothed,
referring to the toothed leaves (ref. Brickellia
arguta, Dryopteris
arguta, Sanicula
arguta, Tauschia
arguta, Hieracium
argutum)
- argutifo'lia: with sharp-pointed leaves
- argyrae'a/argyrae'us: silvery (ref. Tetradymia
argyraea, Lotus
argyraeus var. argyraeus, Lotus argyraeus var. multicaulis)
- Argyran'themum: from the Greek argyros, "silver,"
and anthemon, "flower" (ref. genus Argyranthemum)
- argyro-: in compound words signifying "silvery"
- Argyrochos'ma: from the Greek argyros,
"silver," and chosma, "mound, as in earth thrown
up," referring to the powdery substance on the surface of the leaves
in some species (ref. genus Argyrochosma)
- argyroco'leon: possibly from argyro, "silvery," and koleos,
"a sheath" (ref. Polygonum argyrocoleon)
- argyroco'ma: silver-haired (ref. Ivesia
argyrocoma)
- ar'ida/ar'idum/ar'idus: growing
in dry places (ref. Calystegia
macrostegia ssp. arida, Hemizonia
arida, Machaeranthera
arida, Monardella nana ssp. arida, Palafoxia
arida [formerly linearis], Achnatherum
aridum, Astragalus aridus, Mimulus aridus, also
genus Arida)
- -aris: a variant of the Latin adjectival suffix -alis meaning "belonging
or pertaining to" which is used after word stems ending in 'l'
such as fascicularis, pilularis or axillaris
- arista'ta/arista'tum/arista'tus: with a long, bristle-like tip, bearded
(ref. Gaillardia aristata, Eriochloa aristata, Melica
aristata, Plantago aristata, Anthoxanthum aristatum,
Myosurus aristatus)
- Aris'tida: from the Latin arista for
"awn," the bristle-like appendage at the tip or dorsal surface
of a grass floret's lemma (ref. genus Aristida)
- Aristocap'sa: from the Latin arista, "awn," and capsa,
"a box," for the awned involucre (ref. genus Aristocapsa)
- aristido'ides: like genus Aristida (ref.
Bouteloua
aristidoides)
- Aristolo'chia: from the Greek aristos, "the best, most
excellent," and locheia or lochia, "childbirth,"
sometimes called birthwort, it was supposedly used to ease parturition
(ref. genus Aristolochia)
- aristo'sus: bearded, furnished with awns
- aristula'ta/aristula'tum: having a small bristle-like
appendage, a short beard or awn (ref. Lipocarpha aristulata,
Eryngium
aristulatum)
- -arium/-arius: (1) a Latin substantival suffix used to refer to a
place where something is done or a container, as in "herbarium";
(2) a Latin adjectival suffix similar to -aris and indicating connection
or possession, as in arenarium, "pertaining to sand," from
arena, "sand"; coronarium, "pertaining to crowns,"
from corona, "crown"; scoparius, "pertaining to
brooms or twigs," from scopa, "broom")
- arizon'ica/arizon'icum/arizon'icus:
of or from Arizona (ref. Carlowrightia arizonica, Chamaesyce
arizonica, Dudleya arizonica, Filago arizonica, Ipomopsis arizonica,
Lupinus
arizonicus, Plagiobothrys
arizonicus)
- arma'ta/arma'tum: spiny or thorny, literally "armed"
(ref. Senna
[formerly Cassia] armata, Eryngium armatum)
- Armer'ia: Latinized from the old French name
armoires for a cluster-headed dianthus, this is also the Latin
name for the Dianthus (ref. genus Armeria, also Silene armeria)
- armillar'is: encircled as with a bracelet or collar
- Armora'cia: from the classical Latin name armoracia for the
horseradish (ref. genus Armoracia)
- armouria'num: after Allison Vincent Armour (1863-1941), wealthy amateur
botanist who organized and funded expeditions for the U.S.D.A. He was
the subject of David Fairchild's Exploring for Plants: From Notes
of the Allison Vincent Armour Expeditions for the United States Department
of Agriculture, 1925, 1926 and 1927 (1930) and Thomas Barbour's
Allison Armour and the Utowana: An appreciation of Allison Vincent
Armour and of the services which he rendered to the sciences of archaeology,
botany, and zoology (1945). He had inherited a fortune from his
Scottish-born father George Armour, graduated from Yale in 1884, studied
international navigation and qualified as a master mariner and commander
of his own steam yacht Utowana, married in 1885, became a widower
in 1890 and spent the next 35 years mostly sailing around the world
on his yacht. He made eight around the world trips in the interests
of scientific research with groups of botanists, plant pathologists,
entomologists, archeologists and explorers. At one time or another among
his passengers were Kaiser Wilhelm II, the Vanderbilt family and Theodore
Roosevelt. He also served on the International Olympic Committee from
1900 to 1917 (ref. Gossypium armourianum)
- Ar'nica: means "lamb's skin," in reference to
the soft, hairy leaves (ref. genus Arnica)
- aromat'icus: fragrant
- aronico'ides: like genus Aronicum (ref. Senecio aronicoides)
- Arrhena'therum: from the Greek arrhen, "male, masculine,"
and ather, "a bristle," alluding to the awned staminate floret
(ref. genus Arrhenatherum)
- arrhi'za: without roots (ref. Wolffia arrhiza)
- arsen'ei: after Arsène Gustave Joseph Brouard (1867-1938). Brother
Arsene Brouard was a French monk and botanist who taught biology, physics,
chemistry, Spanish, and French at St. Paul's College in Covington, Louisiana
from 1919 to 1925. Brouard, born Arsene Gustave Joseph Brouard near
Orleans, France, took his first vows in 1898 and studied botany in his
native land. He was assigned to a college in Puebla, Mexico in 1906
before going to Morelia three years later. While in Mexico, he systematically
collected, identified, cataloged, and preserved the country's fauna.
Brouard discovered several new species before being forced out of Mexico
in 1914 during the revolution. He arrived in the United States and taught
at schools in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Ellicott City, Maryland,
before arriving in Covington. While at St. Paul's College he collected
approximately nine hundred plants, of which sixty species were unknown
in Louisiana, and three were unknown in the United States. In 1926 he
left for Las Vegas, New Mexico because of his failing health. He continued
to teach and collect fauna before his death in 1938 (from a website
of LSU Library)
(ref. Muhlenbergia arsenei)
- ar'ta: from the Latin artus, "narrow" (ref. Ericameria
nauseosa var. arta)
- Artemis'ia: referring to the Greek goddess
Artemis who so benefited from a plant of this family that she gave
it her own name. This was also the old Latin name given to the mugwort
or wormwoods. An alternative possibility for the derivation of this
name is that it comes from Queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus in Asia
Minor (Turkey), sister and wife of King Mausolus, who ruled after his
death from 352 to 350 B.C.E. and built during her short reign one of
the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus,
which she unfortunately did not live to see the completion of (ref.
genus Artemisia)
- artemisiar'um: the genus name Artemisia plus -arum, a
form of the Latin adjectival suffix -ar meaning "like, pertaining
to, or of the nature of" (ref. Loeflingia squarrosa var. artemisiarum)
- artemisiifo'lia: having leaves that resemble
those of Artemisia (ref. Chaenactis
artemisiifolia)
- artemisio'ides: like Artemisia (ref. Senna artemesioides)
- articula'tum/articula'tus: jointed, as in plants such as bamboos and
horsetails (ref. Juncus articulatus)
- Ar'um: from an ancient Greek name, aron," meaning a "climbing
or winding plant" and used for a poisonous plant related to the
American jack-in-the-pulpit or Indian turnip (Arisaema triphyllum)
(ref. genus Arum)
- -arum: (1) a suffix given to a personal name to convert it to a substantival
commemorative epithet, when the epithet refers to two or more women
(see Nomenclature); (2) presumably a
form of the Latin adjectival suffix -ar meaning "like, pertaining
to, or of the nature of" and possibly or not applying to the names
amarum, sanctarum and brecciarum
- arundina'cea/arundina'ceum: resembling a reed
(ref. Festuca
arundinacea, Phalaris arundinacea, Dulichium arundinaceum)
- Arun'do: a Latin name for a reed grass (ref.
genus Arundo)
- Arun'cus: according to Umberto Quattrocchi, "from Latin aruncus,
"the beard of the goat," a classical name used by Pliny for
herbs commonly known as 'goat's beard'" (ref. genus Aruncus)
- arven'se/arven'sis: of
the fields (ref. Cirsium arvense, Equisetum
arvense, Anagallis
arvensis, Anthemis
arvensis, Convolvulus
arvensis, Lycopsis arvensis, Mentha
arvensis, Sherardia
arvensis, Sonchus arvensis, Spergula arvensis,
Torilis arvensis, Veronica
arvensis, Viola arvensis)
- asarifo'lia: with leaves like Asarum
or wild ginger (ref. Pyrola
asarifolia ssp. asarifolia)
- Asar'um: from Asaron, the Greek name for this genus used by
Dioscorides (ref. genus Asarum)
- ascen'dens: with the flowers or leaves turning
upwards or rising gradually (ref. Aster
ascendens)
- -ascens: a Latin adjectival suffix which is used in compound words
to indicate the process of becoming something or acquiring some characteristic
(e.g. purpurascens, "becoming purple"; cinerascens, "becoming
ashy-colored" (ref. Calamagrostis purpurascens, Cymopterus
purpurascens, Selaginella cinerascens)
- Asclep'ias: named for the Greek God of healing
Asklepios (ref. genus Asclepias)
- ashland'ica: for Mount Ashland (formerly called Ashland Butte) on the
main ridge of the Siskiyou Mountains due south of Ashland, Oregon (ref.
Potentilla glandulosa ssp. ashlandica)
- asiat'ica: from Asia (ref. Zostera asiatica)
- asparago'ides: resembling Asparagus
(ref. Asparagus
asparagoides)
- Aspar'agus: an ancient Greek name (ref. genus
Asparagus)
- aspera'ta: roughened
- as'per/as'pera: rough (ref. Sonchus
asper, Ephedra aspera)
- aspericau'lis: rough-stemmed
- asperifo'lia/asperifo'lius: rough-leaved (ref. Muhlenbergia asperifolia)
- Asperu'go: derived from asper, "rough," and used for
a plant with rough or prickly leaves (ref. genus Asperugo)
- asperu'la/asperul'um: somewhat rough, diminutive of asper (ref. Asclepias
asperula, Galium mexicanum var. asperulum)
- as'pera/as'perum: see asper (ref. Bebbia
juncea var. aspera)
- Asphodel'us: an ancient Greek name (ref. genus
Asphodelus)
- Aspido'tis: from the Greek meaning 'shield-bearer'
for the shield-like false indusia (ref. genus Aspidotis)
- aspleniifo'lius: with leaves like genus
Asplenium (ref. Lyonothamnus
floribundus ssp. aspleniifolius)
- Asplen'ium: from the Greek a, "without," and spleen,
"spleen" (ref. genus Asplenium)
- asprel'la: with rough scales (ref. Selaginella asprella, Sidalcea
malviflora ssp. asprella)
- assim'ilis: similar to
- assurgentiflor'a: with flowers in ascending
clusters (ref. Lavatera
assurgentiflora)
- asteph'anus: without a crown, lacking ray flowers, from Greek stephos,
"a crown" (ref. Senecio astephanus)
- As'ter: from the Greek aster, "a star,"
describing the radiate heads of the flowers (ref. genus Aster)
- -aster: a Latin substantival suffix indicating inferiority or incomplete
resemblance, often used in naming wild equivalents of cultivated plants
(e.g. oleaster, "wild olive," from olea, "olive")
- astero'ides: resembling the aster (ref. Machaeranthera asteroides var. lagunensis)
- asterophor'a: I'm not sure of this but it almost certainly derives
from aster, "a star," and probably either from the
Greek phora, motion or movement," or phoros, "a
bearing." Judging by other names that have this suffix such as
adenophora, "gland-bearing," neurophora, "nerve-
or vein-bearing," and bryophora, "moss- or lichen-bearing,"
I would guess that it means something like "star-bearing or bearing
some kind of star-like structure" (ref. Draba asterophora)
- Astrag'alus: from the Greek astragalos
meaning "ankle bone" and an early name applied to some plants in this
family because of the shape of the seeds (ref. genus Astragalus)
- Astrol'epis: from the Greek astron, "a star," and
lepis, "scale," making reference to the scales on the
blade surface (ref. genus Astrolepis)
- -astrum: a Latin diminutive suffix with derogatory implications suggesting
some degree of superficial resemblance
- asymmet'ricus: asymmetrical (ref. Astragalus asymmetricus)
- -ata/-atum/-atus: an adjectival suffix for nouns indicating possession
or resemblance
- a'ter: coal black
- athero'des: from the Greek ather, "a beard or awn of a
grain of wheat," and the -odes suffix indicating resemblance
(ref. Carex atherodes)
- athrosta'chya: with spikes crowded together (ref. Carex athrostachya)
- Athy'sanus: from the Greek a, "without,"
and thusanos, "fringe," and referring to the wingless
fruit (ref. genus Athysanus)
- Athyr'ium: from Greek a, "without,"
and either (1) thurium, "shield" or (2) thura,
"a door," from the enclosed sori (ref. genus Athyrium)
- -aticum/-aticus: a Latin adjectival suffix indicating place of growth
(e.g. sylvaticus from silva, "wood")
- -atile/-atilis: same as -aticum (e.g. saxatile or saxatilis, "dwelling
among rocks, from saxum, "a stone"; aquatilis, "living
in or near water," from aqua, "water")
- atlan'tica: atlantic, of the Atlantic
- atomar'ia/atomar'ius: speckled or spotted (ref. Nemophila menziesii var. atomaria)
- atractylo'ides: unknown to me at this time,
except that an internet search turned up an herbal extract named Atractylus
derived from a plant in a genus in the sunflower family that is variously
spelled either Atractylodis or Atractylodes, and since
the '-oides' ending usually means "having a resemblance to",
it's possible this name means "like Atractylodes or Atractylus".
The problem with this is that the name Atractylodes itself
probably means "like Atractylis," which is another
genus in the sunflower family, the '-odes' ending being an alternative
spelling of '-oides.' So it seems more likely to me that atractyloides
means "like genus Atractylis" (ref. Navarettia
atractyloides)
- atra'ta/atra'tus: darkened or blackened (ref. Scrophularia atrata,
Astragalus atratus)
- Atrichos'eris: from the Greek athrix,
"without hair," and seris, a cichoriaceous genus (ref. genus
Atrichoseris)
- At'riplex: an ancient Latin name for this plant
(ref. genus Atriplex)
- atriplicifo'lium: with leaves like Atriplex (ref. Cycloloma
atriplicifolium)
- atro-: a prefix conveying the sense of "blackish or very dark,"
as in atrocaeruleus, "dark blue," atrococcin'eus, "dark
scarlet," and atropurpureus, "dark purple"
- atrocar'pus: having very dark fruit
- atropurpur'ea: dark purple (ref. Deschampsia
atropurpurea, Poa
atropurpurea, Scabiosa atropurpurea)
- atroru'bens: dark red (ref. Allium
atrorubens var. atrorubens, Trifolium longipes var. atrorubens)
- atrosper'ma: dark-seeded (ref. Spergularia atrosperma)
- atrovi'rens: very dark green (ref. Chenopodium
atrovirens)
- attenua'ta/attenua'tus:
narrowed to a point (ref. Dudleya
attenuata ssp. orcuttii, Nicotiana
attenuata, Pinus
attenuata, Orthocarpus attenuatus)
- atto'lens: upraised (ref. Pedicularis attolens)
- -atum/-atus: a Latin adjectival suffix added to noun stems indicating
possession or likeness (e.g. maculatum, "spotted, variegated,"
from macula, "spot"; fimbriatus, "fibrous, fringed,
bordered with hairs," from fimbria, "fibers or threads";
lanceolatus, "lance-like," from lancea, "a small
light spear"; fenestratus, "provided with windows," from
fenestra, "window")
- Aub'rieta/Aubrie'ta: named for the French artist Claude Aubriet (1651-1743),
painter of flowers and animals (ref. genus Aubrieta)
- aucupar'ia: from the Latin aucupor, "to go bird-catching,"
from auceps or aviceps, a "bird-catcher," in
turn from avis, "bird," and capere, "to
catch" (ref. Sorbus aucuparia)
- augus'ta: stately, noble, august (ref. Phalaris augusta)
- auranti'aca/auranti'acus: orange, orange-yellow
or orange-red (ref. Agoseris aurantiaca, Camissonia claviformis ssp. aurantiaca, Mimulus
aurantiacus)
- aura'tum: with golden rays
- aur'ea/aur'eum/aur'eus:
golden (ref. Carex aurea, Justicia
aurea, Lamarckia
aurea, Pentachaeta
aurea, Viola aurea, Ribes
aureum, Linanthus
aureus)
- aureo'la/aureo'lus: golden (ref. Draba aureola)
- auricula'ta/auricula'tum: having ear-like structures
(ref. Plumbago
auriculata, Eriogonum nudum var. auriculatum)
- auri'ta/auri'tum: eared,
having an ear, referring to the clasping, eared base of the leaves (ref.
Abronia
villosa var. aurita, Pholistoma
auritum)
- aus'tinae: named after Rebecca Merritt Smith Leonard Austin (1832-1919),
a self-taught botanist who greatly impressed John Gill Lemon. She
grew up in Kentucky with limited opportunities to pursue her interests
in the natural sciences, taught school to earn tuition to an academy
in Illinois, and after her first husband (Alva Leonard) died she travelled
with her second husband (James Thomas Austin) to California in the aftermath
of the Gold Rush. Her passion for collecting plants led her to
study in detail a plant that had been discovered thirty years earlier
but never given the attention it deserved, and she was eventually credited
by Asa Gray with having made the principal observations on one of the
West's odder plants, the pitcher plant Darlingtonia californica
or cobra plant. Note: The ending 'ae' after the name Austin indicates
that the person in question is a woman (ref. Arabis breweri var.
austiniae, Astragalus austiniae, Cephalanthera austiniae,
Erigeron austiniae, Plagiobothrys austinae, Polygonum
douglasii ssp. austiniae)
- aus'tiniae/austin'iae: after Rebecca Austin (see previous entry) and her daughter
Cornelia (or Carola) Josephine Austin Bruce (1865-1931), generally called
Josie, who first collected the taxon which was originally called Scutellaria
austinae but which has since been subsumed into S. siphocampyloides
- aus'tinii/austin'ii: after Stafford Wallace Austin (1861-1931),
prolific collector of plants mostly in Inyo Co. and the desert mountains
to the east. He was born and grew up in Hawaii and moved with
his family to the Bay area at the age of 20, completing his college
education there and receiving a degree from UC Berkeley. He met
his future wife, Mary Hunter from Illinois, in 1890, marrying her in
1891 and moving first to San Francisco and then to Lone Pine in the
Owens Valley in 1892. While in San Francisco, he and his brother
had made plans to develop irrigation systems in the Owens Valley, but
he almost immediately ran into problems and his business failed. That
year also their only daughter Ruth was born, unfortunately mentally
retarded (She was put in foster homes and died in a mental institution
in 1918). He taught for a period then was appointed Superintendent
of Schools for Inyo Co. in 1898. Several years later he became
the Register in the Desert Land Office in Independence, but that office
closed within a fairly short time. It was perhaps because of his
failures, because of the tragedy of their daughter, or because of the
personalities of the two people, that they apparently had a stormy marriage,
and she left him within a few years, eventually divorcing in 1914. She
wanted to be a writer, and went on to become an important member of
the artists' colonies of both Carmel, California and Santa Fe, New Mexico,
writing many fiction and non-fiction works. Stafford collected
many thousands of species, and some were probably in the California
Academy of Sciences building when it was destroyed in the 1906 earthquake
(ref. Penstemon
floridus var. austinii)
- austra'lis: southern (ref. Cotula australis,
Chamaebatia australis, Hemizonia australis, Saltugilia australis, Iris hartwegii ssp. australis, Monardella australis, Phragmites
australis, Polypogon australis)
- austria'ca: Austrian (ref. Rorippa austriaca)
- austri'na/austri'nus: southern (ref. Astragalus nuttallianus var.
austrinus)
- austrocalifor'nicus: of or from southern California (ref. Juncus
effusus ssp. austrocalifornicus)
- austrolitoral'is: southern coastal (ref. Phacelia ramosissima var.
austrolitoralis)
- austromonta'na/austromontan'um/austromontan'us:
of the southern mountains (ref. Phacelia
austromontana, Phlox austromontana, Scutellaria
bolanderi ssp. austromontana, Eriastrum
densifolium var. austromontanum, Eriogonum
kennedyi var. austromontanum, Trichostema
austromontanum ssp. austromontanum, Trichostema austromontanum ssp. compactum, Lupinus
excubitus var. austromontanus)
- aus'tro-occidenta'lis: southwestern (ref. Gilia austro-occidentalis)
- automix'a: this name normally indicates a species which reproduces
by self-pollination (ref. Clarkia concinna ssp. automixa)
- autumna'le/autumna'lis: from the Latin autumnus and the adjectival
suffix -alis meaning "pertaining to," thus, "of
or pertaining to the autumn, usually flowering then" (ref. Helenium
autumnale)
- Aven'a: Latin for oats (ref. genus Avena)
- avena'cea: oat-like (ref. Agrostis avenacea)
- Avicen'nia: after Avicenna (Abu Ali Al-Husayn Ibn 'Abd Allah Ibn Sina)
(980-1037), a Persian scientist and philosopher, and considered one
of the greatest of the medieval Islamic physicians. Umberto Quattrocchi
says: "Scientist, contributed to the fields of Aristotelian philosophy
and medicine. Among his many works are the Kitab ash-shifa ("Book
of Healing", a vast philosophical and scientific encyclopedia,
and the Canon of Medicine, which is among the most famous books
in the history of medicine..." He was born at Kharmaithen, in the
province of Bokhara [Central Asia, what is now Uzebekistan and what
was then part of the Islamic Caliphate] and died at Hamadan in Northern
Persia. The following is from the Catholic Encyclopedia: "From
the autobiographical sketch which has come down to us we learn that
he was a very precocious youth; at the age of ten he knew the Koran
by heart; before he was sixteen he had mastered what was to be learned
of physics, mathematics, logic, and metaphysics; at the age of sixteen
he began the study and practice of medicine; and before he had completed
his twenty-first year he wrote his famous "Canon" of medical
science, which for several centuries, after his time, remained the principal
authority in medical schools both in Europe and in Asia. He served successively
several Persian potentates as physician and adviser, travelling with
them from place to place, and despite the habits of conviviality for
which he was well known, devoted much time to literary labours, as is
testified by the hundred volumes which he wrote. Our authority for the
foregoing facts is the "Life of Avicenna," based on his autobiography,
written by his disciple Jorjani (Sorsanus), and published in the early
Latin editions of his works. Besides the medical "Canon,"
he wrote voluminous commentaries on Arisotle's works and two great encyclopedias
entitled "Al Schefa", or "Al Chifa" (i.e. healing)
and "Al Nadja" (i.e. deliverance). The "Canon" and
portions of the encyclopedias were translated into Latin as early as
the twelfth century, by Gerard of Cremona, Dominicus Gundissalinus,
and John Avendeath; they were published at Venice, 1493-95. The complete
Arabic texts are said to be are said to be in the manuscript in the
Bodleian Library. An Arabic text of the "Canon" and the "Nadja"
was published in Rome, 1593." (ref. genus Avicennia)
- avicula're: relating to small birds (ref. Polygonum aviculare,
Solanum aviculare)
- avi'ta: from avus, "grandfather,"
thus "of a grandfather, having a grandfather, ancestral" (ref.
Oenothera
californica ssp. avita)
- av'ium/av'ius: from the Latin avium, "a desert, a place
of wildness," and avius, "deserted, solitary, out of
the way, remote, trackless, untrodden," from the root via,
"way," and the prefix 'a-' for "without."
Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names also gives "of the birds"
for avium presumably from the root avis, "bird," but
I think the former etymology is probably more correct (ref. Eriogonum
prattenianum var. avium, Calochortus clavatus var. avius)
- -ax: an uncommon Latin adjectival suffix imparting the sense of "inclined
to" or "apt to" (e.g. tenax, "inclined to be tenacious
or tough," from tenere, "to hold"; fugax, "apt
to flee, withering or falling quickly," from fugere, "to
flee")
- axillar'is: axillary, positioned in the leaf
axils (ref. Iva axillaris, Tetradymia
axillaris)
- Axono'pus: from the Greek axon or axonos, "axis,
stem, axle," and pous or podos, "a foot,"
and according to Umberto Quattrocchi, "referring to the stolons
or to the digitate inflorescences" (ref. genus Axonopus)
- Ayen'ia: named for Louis de Noailles (1713-1793),
the Duc d'Ayen (a title bestowed on the eldest son of the Noailles family)
from the time of his birth in 1713 to 1766 at which time he succeeded
his father Adrienne-Maurice as Duc de Noailles. Despite an undistinguished
military career, he was made a marshall of France in 1775. He refused
to abandon France during the Revolution and possibly only escaped the
guillotine because he died in 1793 before the Terror had reached its
height. At that point his son, Jean-Louis-Paul-François, became
the Duc de Noailles. The Noailles family had a close relationship with
French King Louis XV and it was likely at the suggestion of Louis (Duc
d'Ayen 1713-1766, and Duc de Noailles 1766-1793) that the botanic garden
of the Trianon was greatly enlarged. There had been gardens at the Trianon
during the reign of Louis XIV with thousands of potted flowers and many
greenhouses, and when Louis XV took up residence there, he created at
the behest of his mistress Madame de Pompadour a menagerie to the east
of the gardens. Madame de Pompadour also encouraged Louis's interest
in horticulture and in 1750 he appointed Claude II Richard (1705-84),
who Linnaeus described as “the ablest gardener in Europe”,
the position of “jardinier-fleuriste du roi” and asked him
to create a larger botanical garden near the menagerie. Louis XV subsequently
appointed Bernard de Jussieu who had been at the Jardin des Plantes
in Paris to take over and the gardens became a center for botanical
research and were arranged according to the classification principles
of Linnaeus. After Louis XV died, Louis XVI gave the Trianon to his
wife, Marie Antoinette, and the gardens were extensively replanted in
the style of a formal English garden. A side note about the Noailles family is that one of the daughters of Jean de Noailles, Adrienne Françoise de Noailles, was the wife of the famous Revolutionary War figure the Marquis de Lafayette (ref. genus Ayenia)
- azed'arach: according to Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names,
this is a contracted form of a Persian vernacular name, azaddhirakt,
for the noble tree, Melia azedarach (ref. Melia azedarach)
- Azol'la: from the Greek azo, to dry, and ollumi or olluo,
"to kill, destroy," in reference to the manner in which these
plants die in dry conditions (ref. genus Azolla)
- azur'ea/azur'eus: sky-blue, azure (ref. Anchusa azurea, Penstemon
azureus)
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