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Latin for gardeners : over 3,000 plant names explained and explored / Lorraine Harrison.

by Harrison, Lorraine.

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The University of Chicago Press, 2012.

Latin language -- Etymology -- Names -- Dictionaries.

Latin language -- Technical Latin -- Dictionaries.

Plants -- Nomenclature -- Dictionaries -- Latin.

Plants -- History.

9780226009193 (hc.)

224 pages : color illustrations ; 24 cm

Includes bibliographical references.

How to use this book -- The history of botanical Latin -- Botanical Latin for beginners -- Latin plant names -- A: from abbreviatus to azureus -- B: from babylonica to byzantinus -- C: from cacaliifolia to cytisoides -- D: from dactylifera to dyerianum -- E: from ebenus to eyriesii -- F: from facetus to futilis -- G: from gaditanus to gymnocarpus -- H: from haastii to hystrix -- I: from ibericus to ixocarpus -- J: from jacobaeus to juniperinus -- K: from kalmiiflorus to kurdicus -- L: from labiatus to lysimachioides -- M: from macedonicus to myrtifolius -- N: from nanellus to nymphoides -- O: from obconicus to oxyphyllus -- P: from pachycarpa to pyriformis -- Q: from quadrangularis to quinquevulnerum -- R: from racemiflorus to rutilans -- S: from sabatius to szechuanica -- T: from tabularis to typhina -- U: from ulicina to uvaria -- V: from vacciniifolia to vulgata -- W: from wagneri to wulfenii -- X: from xanthina to xantholeuca -- Y: from yakushimanum to yunnanense -- Z: from zabeliana to zumi -- Plant profiles. Acanthus ; Achillea; Alyssum ; Digitalis ; Eryngium ; Eucalyptus ; Foeniculum ; Geranium ; Helianthus ; Jasminum ; Lycopersicon ; Parthenocissus ; Passiflora ; Plumbago ; Pulmonaria ; Quercus ; Sempervivum ; Streptocarpus ; Tropaeolum ; Vaccinium -- Plant hunters. Alexander von Humboldt ; Sir Joseph Banks ; Meriwether Lewis and William Clark ; Francis Masson and Carl Per Thunberg ; John Bartram ; David Douglas ; Carl Linnaeus ; Jane Colden and Lilian Suzette Gibbs ; Joseph Hooker ; André Michaux -- Plant themes -- Where plants come from -- The shape of plants -- The color of plants -- The qualities of plants -- The fragrance and taste of plants -- Numbers and plants -- Animals and plants.

A useful A-to-Z dictionary for everyone who puzzles over botanical identifications. Since Latin became the standard language for plant naming in the eighteenth century, it has been intrinsically linked with botany. And while mastery of the classical language may not be a prerequisite for tending perennials, all gardeners stand to benefit from learning a bit of Latin and its conventions in the field. Without it, they might buy a Hellebores foetidus and be unprepared for its fetid smell, or a Potentilla reptans with the expectation that it will stand straight as a sentinel rather than creep along the ground. This colorful, fully illustrated book details the history of naming plants, provides an overview of Latin naming conventions, and offers guidelines for pronunciation. Readers will learn to identify Latin terms that indicate the provenance of a given plant and provide clues to its color, shape, fragrance, taste, behavior, functions, and more. Allows novices and green thumbs alike to better appreciate the seemingly esoteric names behind the plants they work with, and to expertly converse with fellow enthusiasts. Soon they will realize that having a basic understanding of Latin before trips to the nursery or botanic garden is like possessing some knowledge of French before traveling to Paris; it enriches the whole experience.

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