Decoding Botanical Names

Decoding Botanical Names

Have you ever seen a plant name like Syringa vulgaris and thought to yourself "now what the heck does that mean?"

You're not alone!

In the greenhouse we often refer to plants by their common names instead of their complicated botanical names for the sake of simplicity. However, learning the scientific names of our favorite plants and the meanings behind them can be fun and beneficial for gardeners of all skill levels.

Sure, it's a lot easier to say "coneflower" than to say "Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'", but the latter gives more information about the flower and can help you more easily pick the perfect plant for you space.

Breaking it Down

A plant's scientific or botanical name is typically composed of 2-3 words used to classify the plant into its species, genus, and family. It will often also include an epithet (a descriptive word expressing a quality of the plant).

As we move from family to genus to species (and sometimes even cultivated variety), we are narrowing in on a specific plant from a larger group of similar plants.

Most scientific names are written in latin or greek (hence why they tend to look a little complicated).

 

Let's take a look at a plant's botanical name, using an example from earlier:

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus'

Echinacea is the genus. The genus should always begin with a capital letter. Echinacea is commonly known as 'coneflower'.

purpurea is the epithet which means 'purple'.

'Magnus' is the cultivated variety. The cultivated variety will appear in single quotation marks and be capitalized. (Magnus just so happens to also mean 'great' in Latin)

Putting it all together Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' describes the Great Purple Coneflower.

Cool, right!?

Special Cases

You may also run across a few other symbols or abbreviations in the botanical names.

Ex. Cornus florida var. rubra (Pink Flowering Dogwood)

Here, 'var.' indicates that the plant is a of a naturally occurring variety and is followed by the variety name in italics.

 

Ex. Origanum spp. (Oreganos)

Here, 'spp.' indicates that the name is referring to several species within the genus. You may find this in guides making recommendations of plants to place in certain areas. Many varieties of the plant will do, so they use the name that includes many varieties.

 

Ex. Senecio x. peregrinus

Here, 'x.' indicates that the plant is a "hybrid plant", a cross between two species.

Become a Genus Genius

Genus - Common Name

Acer Maple
Achillea Yarrow
Aquilegia Columbine
Asclepias Butterfly Weed
Convallaria Lily of the Valley
Dicentra Bleeding Heart
Echinacea Coneflower
Hemerocallis Daylily
Heuchera Coral Bells
Lavendula Lavender
Leucanthemum Daisy
Monarda Bee Balm
Paeonia Peony
Pennisetum Fountain Grass
Rudbeckia
Black-eyed Susan
Syringa Lilac

Common Epithets

Colors of Flowers or Foliage

  • alba, albus — white
  • arg, argenteus — silvery
  • ater — black
  • aurantiaca — orange
  • aureus — golden
  • aure, aurea, aureum — gold
  • azurea, azureus — azure, sky blue
  • caesius — blue gray
  • caerula — deep blue
  • candidus — pure white, shiny
  • canus — ashy gray, hoary
  • carneus — flesh colored
  • citrinus — yellow
  • coeruleus — dark blue
  • coccineus — scarlet
  • concolor — one color
  • croceus — yellow
  • cruentus — bloody
  • discolor — two or separate colors
  • flava, flavum — yellow
  • glaucus — covered with gray bloom
  • griseum — gray
  • incanus — gray, hoary
  • lutea, luteus — reddish yellow
  • miniata — of a reddish color
  • nigra — black
  • purpurea, purpureus — purple
  • rosea — rose-colored
  • rubens, ruber — red, ruddy
  • rubra, rubrum — red
  • rufus — ruddy
  • sanguinea — blood-red
  • viridis — green

Plant Shape

  • arborescens — treelike
  • elata — tall
  • elegans — elegant, slender, willowy
  • recta, erecta — upright, erect
  • fruticosa — shrublike
  • grand, grandi = big
  • humilis — low-growing
  • nana — dwarf, miniature
  • pendula -drooping, pendulous
  • prostrat, prostratum, procumbens — prostrate
  • pumilia — low-growing, dwarf
  • repens, reptans — creeping
  • scandens — climbing

Origin of Species

  • aethiopium — Africa
  • alpin — alpine regions
  • andi — Andes
  • antill — West Indies
  • australis — southern
  • barbadensis — native to Barbados
  • borealis — northern
  • campestris — of the field or plains
  • canadensis — from Canada or America
  • canariensis — from the Canary Islands
  • capensis — from the Cape of Good Hope
  • chilensis — from Chile
  • chinensis — from China
  • europa — from Europe
  • hortensis — of the garden
  • insularis — of the island
  • japonica — japonicum — from Japan
  • littoralis — of the seashore
  • maritima — from near the sea
  • montana, montanus — from the mountains
  • palustris — from marshes or wetlands
  • riparius — of river banks
  • rivalis, rivularis — of brooks
  • saxatilis — inhabiting rocks
  • virginiana — from Virginia

Leaf Form

  • acerifolius — maplelike leaves
  • abr — delicate leaved
  • angustifolius — narrow leaves
  • aquifolius — spiney leaves
  • buxifolius — leaves like boxwood
  • ilicifolius — hollylike leaves
  • lanceolata — lance-shaped
  • lauriflolius — laurel-like leaves
  • longifolia — long-leaved
  • macrophylla — large-leaved
  • microphylla — small-leaved
  • parvifolia — small-leaved
  • parvifolius — small leaves
  • palmate, palmatum — hand-shaped leaves
  • populifolius — poplarlike leaves
  • rotundifolia — round-leaved
  • salicifolius — willowlike leaves

Plant or Flower Scents

  • arom — odor
  • dulce — sweet
  • fragrans — fragrant
  • fragrantissima — very fragrant
  • mosch — musk odor
  • odorata — scented

Plant Peculiarities

  • acaulis — stemless
  • amabile, amabilis — beautiful
  • blanda — pleasent
  • communis — common
  • contorta — contorted growth habit
  • cordata — heart-shaped
  • crispa — finely waved, curled
  • florida, floridus — flowering
  • gracilis — graceful
  • grandiflora — large-flowered
  • hybridus — hybrid
  • incana — gray-haired
  • lactea — milky
  • laevis — smooth
  • maculata — spotted
  • majus — larger
  • maxima — largest
  • millefolium — thousand-leaved
  • minor, minus — smaller
  • minim — very small
  • minut, minutus — very small
  • mollis — soft and/or hairy
  • mon — one (one leaf, one flower)
  • multiflora — many-flowered
  • nitida, nitidum — shining
  • officinalis — used as
  • perenne, perennis — perennial
  • pictum — painted
  • pulchella — pretty
  • punctata — spotted
  • semperflorens — everblooming
  • sempervirens — evergreen
  • speciosa — showy
  • spectabilis — spectacular
  • spinosissimus — spiniest
  • spinosus — spiny
  • superbum — superb
  • tomentosa, tomentosum — hairy
  • umbellata — having flowers in umbels
  • variegata — variegated
  • villosa, villosum — softly hairy
  • vulgaris — common
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