Names Of Plants: Sense and Sound - Part Two
Theo Smid
Haywood, California
Pronunciation
Before proceeding to the sounds of English, we shall consider sounds that predominate in most non-Germanic languages, the so-called "Continental" pronunciation. The vast majority of languages are characterized by comparatively open vowels: Romance (except French), Slavic (no exceptions), Malayo-Polynesian (i.e. Hawaiian), Japanese and numerous others. The most-open vowel is ah. English English tends toward it in words like dance, while American English favors the a in cat, for which the scribes, around A.D. 800, invented the letter E. At the other extreme are the French u and the German . With one exception, the vowels of classical Latin and Greek were rather open; consequently, in most languages the pronunciation of botanical names more closely approximates them. For example, the familiar name, Enrico Caruso, which contains the five vowels, sounds very like Latin, including the trilled r.
The following table follows the sequence of the English alphabet. The small letters were basically established in the script called Carolingian minuscule c.800 (named for Charlemagne, who founded an important "school" headed by the Englishman Alcuin). Roman capital letters can be seen chiseled on the Pantheon, the Arch of Constantine and many other monuments. For those who are interested, Greek letters are included.
| a | α | A | aha | |
| ae | αι | aisle | ||
| au | αυ | house | ||
| b | β | B | beta | |
| bs | βσ | apse | ||
| bt | βτ | apt | ||
| c | - | kin (always) | ||
| ch 1 | - | character | ||
| - | Χ | X | Ger. machen | |
| Scot, loch | ||||
| Russ. Mikhail | ||||
| d | δ | Δ | delta | |
| e | ε | E | met | |
| - | η | H | Fr. fte | |
| ei | ει | rein | ||
| eu | ευ | eh'oo | ||
| f | - | fit | ||
| g | γ | Γ | go (always) | |
| h | - | - | not in Greek 2 | |
| i | ι | I | hit | |
| j 3 | ||||
| k 4 | k | K | kappa | |
| l | λ | Λ | lambda | |
| m | M | mu | ||
| n | ν | N | nu | |
| o | ο | O | obey | |
| - | ω | Ω | note | |
| oe | οι | boy | ||
| p | π | Π | pi | |
| ph | φ | Φ | graphic | |
| ps | ψ | Ψ | gypsum | |
| q | - | quick | ||
| r 5 | ρ | R | trill (trilled) | |
| s | σ | Σ | sister | |
| - | Final s is different | |||
| t | τ | T | tau | |
| th 1 | θ | Θ | thin (theta) | |
| u (v) | full | |||
| υ | Y | (approx. form) | ||
| Fr. tu, sr | ||||
| Ger. Glck | ||||
| u consonant | win (no vee sound) | |||
| w 6 | ||||
| x | ξ | Ξ | lax | |
| y 7 | ||||
| z | ς | Z | daze | |
1
Latin had no aspirates. Between 150-100 B.C. ch, ph, and th were introduced to transliterate Greek words and names, but they gradually lost their aspiration.
2
The h was almost silent in Latin (i.e. holus, green vegetable, was often spelled olus) and is silent in Castillian Spanish (hacienda, ah-the-en'dah). In Greek every word beginning with a vowel was preceded by either a smooth breathing' (silent) or by a rough breathing' (represented in Latin by h). See note
5
for r.
3
J as a symbol for consonantal i, as in yes, first appeared in late manuscripts and printed books. The English sound of J did not exist.
4
Only one word in common use began with k: Kalendae, the first day of each month (whence our calendar).
5
In Greek every word beginning with ρ (r)
was preceded by the rough breathing ('ρ) e.g. 'ροδoυ, rose. Since the Latin h was virtually silent, it was placed after the r; thus we have rhododendron. Anglo-Saxon words in English follow the same custom, i.e. what...when...where...whither, except that we are supposed to pronounce them in the Greek manner.
6
The w developed from uu in late manuscripts, which early printers converted into the present letter.
7
In the time of Cicero (106-43 B.C.) most teachers were Greeks and all educated Latins were bilingual. His own secretary, Tiro, a Greek freedman, invented a system of shorthand called
notae Tironianae
. The Greek sound of u was then added to the Latin alphabet in the form of Y, similar to the Greek capital u, and
sumphnia
became
symphonia
.
Rules for the sounds of Greek and Latin are derived chiefly from commentaries on versification. In Latin the unit of length is one short syllable, equal in music to the eighth note. A long syllable is equal to two short syllables, equal in music to the quarter note. A diphthong is long.
(Names of species that end in -oides often are mispronounced because the oi is considered to be a diphthong, whereas the o is part of the stem, i.e.
buxoides
. Another problem occurs in Greek names ending in oe, such as
Callirho
and
Leucotho
.)
Rules of accent in Latin and English generally are the same, although English leaves its options open. Words of two syllables are stressed on the penult,
tan'go
, I touch. Words of more than two syllables are stressed on the penult if it is long,
ami'cus
, friend, but on the antepenult if the penult is short,
do'minus
, lord or master (cf. Eng. dom'inate).
When a short vowel is followed by a double consonant it is long by position and takes the accent. In English we make a distinction between
ph
y
'lum
and
phyl'lum
. However, English can be extremely variable because of its widespread borrowing. In the word
symphony
y has one sound, but in
gynecology
the g, y and o have two sounds. Dictionaries give three acceptable pronunciations for the a in
datum
and the plural data: as in ah,
cat
and
day
; and two for the i in
finance
: as in writ and write. In the following lists some differences between English English and American English will be noted.
Botanical English blends Latin forms and English phonetics. Pronunciations of the possessive endings, -ae and -i, are reversed.
-ae: Latin, as in eye; English, ee.
-i: Latin, ee; English, as in eye.
Adjectival endings in
-aceum, -ale, -anum, -are, -atum
have a long a , pronounced ah in Latin but ay in English, e.g.
R. alutaceum
. Adjectival endings in
-inum, -itum
have a long i, pronounced as eye in English, e.g.
R. cinnabarinum
,
R. vestitum
.
However, the cosmopolitan content of botanical literature induces an obligation for the speaker at least to try to acknowledge the native language of a person or place. An example outside the scope of this work but illustrative is
Clivia
, a name that seems to have an affinity to Latin, but bears the name of the granddaughter of Clive of India, who put "the jewel in the crown."
Attention is called to the consonant
ch
which is both common and variable. Eng. & Sp., as in Charles, e.g.
R. chapmanii
. L., G., It., k, e.g.
R. charitopes
,
R. scortechinii
(also
sch
, as in school,e.g.
R. schistocalyx
, but British speakers make some exceptions). Fr., as in Chevrolet, e.g.
R. chevalieri
. Ger., as in Bach, e.g.
R. fuchsii
. The Spanish j, pronounced as h, is common in the U.S. Southwest, e.g.
Arctostaphylos pajaroensis
.
Notes on Japanese appear in Fred C. Galle,
Azaleas
, "Transliteration and Pronunciation of Japanese," 413-415.
In
Rhododendrons of China
, translated by Judy Young and Dr. Lu-sheng Chong, the section "Guide to Pinyin Pronunciation of Chinese," 653-660, should be consulted, although all the older names used a different system. Chinese vernacular names (in translation) of species used here are from that work.
Despite the foregoing, we are living in the "Age of Common Usage".
The system of accentuation used here originated with J.C. Loudon in his
Hortus Britannicus
(1830), in which the grave (`) indicates a long stressed syllable and the acute (ˊ) marks a short stressed syllable. The method was adopted for Asa Gray's
Manual
and used by Liberty H. Bailey.
The following lists of meanings and pronunciations of species in the Heath Family will consist of nearly all species of
Rhododendron
in alphabetical order and other genera (with selected species) following.
Botanical Notation
For those not familiar with botanical notation, a few practices are explained.
The generic name or the specific epithet is followed by the name (usually abbreviated) of the author of the earliest valid citation.
L. = Linnaeus f. =
fillius
(son, of author cited).
Jones in Smith = Jones validly published in a work edited by Smith.
Jones ex Smith = Smith validly published a name given by Jones, but not validly published by Jones.
R. maculiferum
Franch. ssp.
anwheiense
(Wils.) Chamberlain =
R. anwheiense
Wilson was reduced to a subspecies by Chamberlain.
Other explanations appear in
The Rhododendron Handbook
of The Royal Horticultural Society, 1980, p. 239.
Abbreviations
Ch.= Chinese
G. = Greek
L. = Latin
Sp.= Spanish
r. = rhododendron
Rhododendron Species A
R. aberconwyi
Conway (of Henry Duncan McLaren, 2nd Baron Aberconway, 1879-1953; pres., Horticultural Society, 1931-53; creator of Bodnant Gardens)
R. abietiflium
Sleumer (L. fir-leaf)
R. acrphilum
Merrill & Quisumbing y Arguelles (G.
akros
summit +
philos
loved)
R. acumintum
Hooker f. (L. tapering to a protracted point)
R. adenogỳnum
Diels (G.
aden
gland +
gune
ovary [strictly, belonging to a woman]) intr. 1917
Adenphorum Group (G. gland +
phoros
that which is brought)
R. adenpodum
Franchet (G. gland +
pous, podos
foot, i.e. pedicel)
R. adensum
Davidian (G. & L. very glandular)
R. adinophllum
Men. (G.
adinos
close, thick +
phullon
leaf)
R. aequbile
J.J. Smith (L. uniform)
R. afghnicum
Aitchison & Hemsley (of Afghanistan)
R. agnniphum
Balfour f. & Kingdon Ward (G.
aganniphos
much snowed on) cult.1933
var.
flavorfum
(Balf. f. & Forrest) Chamberlain (L. yellow-reddish)
R. agstum
Balf. f. & W.W. Smith (G.
agastos
admirable) Ch. "charming rhododendron"
R. agathodamonis
J.J. Smith (G.
agathodaimon
the Good Genius, to whom a cup of pure wine was drunk as a toast at the end of dinner)
R. alabamnse
Rehder (of Alabama) Alabama Azalea, intr. 1883
R. albertseninum
Forr. (of M.O. Albertson of the Chinese Maritime Customs)
R. albiflrum
Hook. (L. white flower) intr. >1837
R. albrchtii
Maximowicz (of Dr. M. Albrecht, Russ. naval surg., Russ. consulate, Japan) Miyama Tsutsuji, intr. 1892
R. lbum
Blume (L. white)
R. altrnans
Sleumer (L. alternating)
R. altcolum
Sleumer (L. high-dwelling)
If.
alutceum
Balf. f. & W.W. Sm. (L. made of soft leather, i.e. fol.)
var.
ides
(Balf. f. & Forr.) Chamb. (G.
iodes
rust-colored)
var.
russotnctum
(Balf. f. & Forr.) Chamb. (L. russet-tinted)
R. ambile
Sleumer (L. lovable)
R. amaginum
(hard g) Makino (of Mt. Amagi, Japan) Amagi Tsutsuji
R. amndum
Cowan (L. must be loved)
R. ambguum
Hemsl. (L. doubtful - of questionable origin) intr. 1903; Ch. "greet visitor r."
R. mesiae
Rehd. & Wilson (of Mary S. Ames of a prominent family in No. Easton, Mass. - Union Pac. RR & mfg.) Ch. "purple-flowered r."
R. amundseninum
Handel-Mazzetti (of Roald Amundsen, 1872-1928, Norw. explorer; South Pole, 1911)
R. anagalliflrum
Wernham (with flowers like
Anagallis
, Pimpernel)
R. nnae
Franch. (of a French lady named Anna) Ch. "peach-leaved r."
Laxiflrum Group (L. loose-flower)
R. annamnse
Rehd. (of Annam, central Vietnam)
R. angultum
J.J. Sm. (L. angled or out-of-the-way)
R. anthopgon
D. Don (G.
anthos
flower +
pogon
beard) intr. 1820 Ch. "bearded-flower r."
ssp.
hypennthum
(Balf. f.) Cullen (G.
hupene
the underside of the face or the beard +
anthos
flower) Ch. "hairy-flowered r."
R. anthopogonodes
Max. (G.
anthopogon
+
idea
form, likeness) Ch. "intensely fragrant r."
R. anthospharum
Diels (G.
anthos
flower +
sphaira
a ball, i.e. rounded lobes) Ch. "globe-flowered r."
R. aperntum
Balf. f. & Ward (G.
aperantos
boundless)
R. aponum
Stein (of Mt. Apo, central Mindanao, Philippines)
R. araiophllum
Balf. f. & W.W. Sm. (G.
araios
thin +
phullon
leaf)
R. arborscens
(Pursh) Torrey (L. becoming a tree) Tree, Sweet or Smooth Azalea; first described by John Bartram, 1699-1777
R. arbreum
James E. Smith (L. tree-like) Ch. "tree-like r.''Wallich sent seeds to England in 1818-19 in tins of brown sugar; 1st tree-like r. cultivated
ssp.
cinnammeum
(Wall, ex Lindley) Tagg (L. cinnamon-like, i.e. indumentum)
Campblliae Group (of the wife of Archibald Campbell, 1805-74, who collected with J.D. Hooker in Sikkim in 1849)
var.
rseum
Lindl. (L. rose-colored)
ssp.
delavyi
(Franch.) Chamb. (of Pre Jean-Marie Delavay, 1838-95, for 10 yrs. a missionary in N.W. Yunnan; sent 200,000 specimens to the
Muse d'histoire Naturelle
, Paris, including 4,000+ spp., 1,500 of them new, most of which he had collected and pressed alone on "his" mountain, Tsemei-shan. Also
Magnolia d-, Abies d-, Osmanthus d-)
. Ch. "lantana r."
var.
peramonum
(Balf. f. & Forr.) Chamb. (L. thoroughly delightful)
ssp.
nilagricum
(Zenker) Tagg (of the Nilagiri Hills, no. India)
ssp.
zeylnicum
(Booth) Tagg (of Ceylon = Sri Lanka)
R. archboldinum
Sleumer ("after the American millionaire and explorer Archbold and his daughter Anne, who made several 'Archbold' expeditions of the Natural History Museum, New York, possible, both to the Pacific and New Guinea,", Sleumer)
R. arencolum
Sleumer (L. sand-dwelling)
R. arfakinum
Beccari (of Mt. Arfak, e. Vogelkop Penin., n.w. New Guinea)
R. argyrophllum
Franch. (G.
arguros
silver +
phullon
leaf) Ch. "silver-leaf r."
Cupulre Group (L. pertaining to a small keg)
ssp.
hypoglacum
(Hemsl.) Chamb. (G.
hupo
under +
glaukos
glaucous) Ch. "powdery-white r."
ssp.
nankingnse
(Cowan) Chamb. (of Nanking)
ssp.
omeinse
(Rehd. & Wils.) Chamb. (of sacred Mt. Omei - Emei-shan - w. Sichuan)
R. armtii
F.M. Bailey (of Wm. E. de M. Armit, Belg. 1848-New Guinea 1901, officer of Queensland mounted police in expedition to Papua in 1883; several other expeditions; resident mgr., northern division)
Ficus armiti
King
R. asprrimum
Sleumer (L. very rough)
R. asprulum
Hutchinson &Ward (L. somewhat rough)
R. sperum
J.J. Sm. (L. rough, i.e. leaves erect, stiff, coriaceous)
R. asterchnoum
Diels (G.
astero-
of a star +
chnoos
fine down, as on a peach)
R. atlnticum
(Ashe) Rehd. (at the Atlantic) Coastal or Dwarf Azalea; collected by John Clayton in 1743
f.
tomolbum
Fern. (G.
tome
a cutting +
lobos
lobe of the ear)
R. atropurpreum
Sleumer (L. deep black-purple)
R. atrvirens
Franch. (L. deep black-green)
R. augustnii
Hemsl. (of Augustine Henry, Co. Antrim 1857-1930, med. officer in China; collected in several provinces and Taiwan; authority on Chinese materia medica; prof, of forestry, Coll. of Science, Dublin) Ch. "hairy-rib r."
ssp.
chasmnthum
(kas-) (Diels) Cullen (G.
chasma
chasm, the open mouth +
anthos
flower) Ch. "open-mouthed r."
f.
hrdyi
( Davidian) R.C. Fang (of Maj. A.E. Hardy of Sandling Park, Kent) Ch. "white-flowered open-mouthed r."
f.
rbrum
(Davidian) R.C. Fang (L. red) Ch. "red-flowered open-mouthed r."
R. areum
Georgi (L. golden)
var.
hyppitys
(Pojarkova) Chamb. (G.
hupo
under +
pitus
a pine-tree)
R. auricultum
Hemsl. (L. eared, i.e. base of the leaves) intr. 1900 Ch. "ear-leaved r."
R. aurigernum
Sleumer (L. gold-bearing, i.e. its color and also its habitat in the Wau gold-mining area of New Guinea)
R. aurtum
Tagg (L. eared, i.e. the calyx-lobes are reflexed)
R. austrnum
(Small) Rehd. (L. southern) Florida Azalea; disc, by Dr. A.W. Chapman; intr. 1865
Rhododendron Species B
R. baenitzinum
Lauterbach (of Carl G. Baenitz, 1837-1913)
R. bagpbnum
Copel f. (of Bago, Davao Prov., Philippines)
R. baleyi
Balf. f. (of Frederick M. Bailey, 1882-1967, Lt.-Col. Indian Army; explorer of w. China, Tibet; collected in Nepal, Sikkim; discovered
Meconopsis betonicfolia
; plants at BM(NH), Edin.
No Passport to Tibet
, 1957) Ch. "wheel-flower r."
R. bainbridgenum
Jagg & Forr. (of a Mr. Bainbridge, a friend of George Forrest)
R. bkeri
(W.P. Lemon & McKay) H. Hume (of Dr. Wilford Baker, Emory Univ., Atlanta, Ga.) Cumberland or Baker's Azalea intr. 1938
R. balfourinum
Diels (of Sir Isaac B. Balfour, 1853-1922, M.D. Edinburgh; botanist on Transit-of-Venus Expedition to Rodrigues Isl.; prof, of bot., Glasgow; Regius prof., Edinburgh; established the series and subseries)
R. banghamirum
(J.J. Smith) Sleumer (of Walter and Catherine Bangham, Amer. botanical collectors in Sumatra, 1931-32)
R. barbtum
Wall ex G. Don (L. bearded) Ch. "stiff-thorned r."
R. barkamnse
Chamb. (of Barkam Xian = Co., no. cent. Sichuan)
R. baslicum
Balf. f. & W.W. Sm. (G.
basilikos
royal) Ch. "great-leaved r."
R. bathyphllum
Balf. f. & Forr. (G.
bathus
thick, luxuriant +
phullon
leaf)
R. beaninum
Cowan (of William J. Bean, 1863-1947, curator at Kew; among publications:
Trees and Shrubs Hardy in British Isles
, ed. 8, 1970) Ch. "thorny-branch r."
R. beccrii
Sleumer (of Odoarda Beccari, 1843-1920, author of
Wanderings in the Great Forests of Borneo
, 1902, an account of his three visits to Borneo between 1865 and 1877; available from the Royal Horticultural Society (1988))
R. beesinum
Cowan (of the Bees nurserymen in Cheshire) Ch. "broad-bell r."
R. beyerinckinum
Koorder (of M.W. Beyerinck, 1851-1931, Dutch microbiologist)
R. biiiangnse
T.L. Ming (of Bijiang Xian = Co., Yunnan) note: Xian means county
R. blckii
Nutt. (of Michael Black, d. 1979, who collected extensively in the eastern highlands of New Guinea)
R. bloembergnii
Sleumer (of S. Bloembergen, 1905-, Dutch botanist and collector in Malaysia)
R. blmei
Nutt. (of Carl L. von Blume, 1796-1862)
R. boninnse
Nakai (of Bonin Island, Japan), collected by Dr. J.L. Creech, National Arboretum
R. bonvallttii
Bureau & Franch. (of M. Bonvallott, who botanized on the Upper Yangtze and, with Prince Henri d'Orlans, discovered species of Macacus, short-tailed baboons)
R. bothii
Nutt. (of Thomas J. Booth, 1829-post 1861, nephew of Thomas Nuttall; collected in Assam, Bhutan)
R. brachynthum
Franch. (C.
brachus
short +
anthos
flower) Ch. "short-flowered r."
ssp.
hypolepidtum
(Franch.) Cullen (C.
hupo
under +
lepidotos
scaly) Ch. "greenstyle r."
R. brachycrpum
D. Don ex G. Don (G.
brachus
short +
karpos
fruit)
ssp.
fariei
(Franch.) Chamb. (of Pre L.-F. Faurie, Fr. Foreign Missions)
R. brachygỳnum
Copel f. (G.
brachus
short +
gune
ovary)
R. brachypodrium
Sleumer (G.
brachus
short +
podarion
dim. of
pous
foot, i.e. pedicel)
R. brachpodum
Fang et Liu (G.
brachus
short +
pous, podos
foot)
R. bractetum
Rehd. & Wils. (L. literally, covered with a leaf of gold) Ch. "bract-leaf r."
R. brssii
Sleumer (of L.J. Brass, "born in Queensland, Australia; collected for several Archbold Expeditions, mainly in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. Keen observer; also in Ericaceae." Sleumer)
R. brevnerve
Chun & Fang (L. short-veined) Ch. "short-veined r."
R. breviperultum
(L. short-bud-scaled;
perula =
dim. of
pera
a beggar's wallet)
R. brvipes
Sleumer (Lat. short-foot)
R. brookenum
Low ex Lindley (of Sir James Brooke, 1803-68, Bengal Army; gov. of Labuan; rajah of Sarawak; consul-general, Borneo)
var.
grcile
Sleumer (L. slender)
R. bryphilum
Sleumer (G.
bruon
moss +
philos
loving)
R. bulliflium
Sleumer (L.
bullatus
adorned with buttons, i.e. having blister-like prominences + leaf)
R. blu
Hutchinson (native name reported by Kingdon Ward)
R. burevii
Franch. (of E. Bureau, 1830-1918, French professor)
R. burjticum
Malyschev (of the Buryats people east of Lake Baykal, A.S.S.R.)
R. burmnicum
Hutchinson (of Burma)
R. brttii
P. Woods (of Brian L. Burtt, 1911-, taxonomist who collected many Vireyas)
R. buxiflium
Low ex Hooker f. (L. Box-leaf)
R. buxodes
Sleumer (G. & L. Box +
idea/ides
form, likeness)
Other Ericaceous Genera A
Agaptes
D. Don ex G. Don (G.
agapetos
beloved) 95 spp. trop. Asia to w. Pacific
A. srpens
(Wight) Sleumer (L. creeping) no. India, Nepal
Agaria
(DC = A. P. de Candolle) Hook. f. (G.
agauros
stately) 1 sp trop. Afr., Madag.
A. saliciflia
(Commerson ex de Lamarck) Hook. f. (L. willow-leaf)
Andrmeda
L. (daughter of Cepheus, king of Ethiopia, and Cassiopeia; fastened to a rock; in the sea; Perseus rescued her from a marine monster sent to devour her; more under Cassiopeia. While plant-hunting in Lapland, 25-yr.-old Linnaeus found a small plant amid rocks that reminded him of Andromeda. He sketched a nude young woman among dragons, venomous snakes and toads..."As the distressed virgin cast down her blushing face...so does the rosy-colored flower hang its head, growing paler and paler till it withers away..." he wrote in his
Tour of Lapland
.) Bog/Marsh Rosemary. 2 spp. N. Amer., Eur., Asia
|
| Drawing by Linnaeus |
A. glaucophlla
Link (G. & L. glaucous is a vague term usually indicating a gray-blue or gray-green bloom on the leaves)
var.
latiflia
(Aiton) Rehd. (L. broad-leaf)
A. poliflia
L. (G.
polios
gray + L.
folia
leaves. The accepted origin is
Teucrium polium
, Germander, which appears in Theophr., Diosc. and Pliny as
polion/ polium
. Since the leaves are not gray, other explanations have been suggested, such as L.
polire
to polish, i.e. the glabrous leaves.)
Arbutus
(or
Arbtus
) L. (ancient name for Strawberry Tree; Virgil,
Georgics
, 2, 69) c. 14 spp. w. No. Amer., w. Eur. to Medit.
A. andrchne
L. (G.
andrachne
a wild Strawberry Tree, Pliny, Diosc.) e. Medit.
A. canarinsis
Duhamel de Monceau (of the Canary Islands)
A. menzisii
Pursh (of Archibald Menzies, Scot. 1754-1842, surg.-naturalist on
Discovery
under Capt. George Vancouver, 1792-94) Madrone, Madrono Baja Cal.-B.C.
A. nedo
L. (L. a name used by Pliny for an
Arbutus
, apparently from
unam
one +
edo
I eat - and no more. He wrote: "The arbutus or strawberry tree [unedo] bears a fruit that is difficult to digest and injurious to the stomach." Natural History 25, 151.) Strawberry Tree, Cane Apples, sw Ireland & most of Medit. basin.
A. xalapnsis
(hala-) HBK von Humboldt, Bonpland, Kunth (of Jalapa or Xalapa, Vera Cruz State, Mexico) w. Tex.-Guatemala
Arctostphylos
Adanson (G.
arktos
bear +
staphule
or
-is
a bunch of grapes) Bearberry, Manzanita, Kinnikinick. c. 50 spp. w. No. Amer., 2 circumpolar
A. alpna
(L.) Sprengel (L. alpine)
A. andersnii
Asa Gray (of Dr. Charles L. Anderson, 1827-1910, of Carson City, Nev., an ardent collector of western plants) Heartleaf Manzanita; coastal Cal.
A. auriculta
Alice Eastwood (L. eared)
A. canscens
Eastw. (L. gray-pubescent) Hoary M.; coastal Cal.
A. cinrea
T.J. Howell (L. ash-colored) Del Norte M.
A. columbina
Piper (of the Columbia R.) Hairy M.
A. crustcea
Eastw. (L. having a crust-like covering) Brittleleaf M.
A. densiflra
M.S. Baker (L. dense-flowers) Sonoma M.
A. glandulsa
Eastw. (L. very glandular) Eastwood M.; Ore.-so. Cal.
A. glaca
Lindley (G.
glaukos
, in Pindar, 01. 3, 23, describes the olive-leaf; in Virgil,
Georgics
4, 182 the willow; in
Aeneid
, 6, 416, the sedge; from
glaux
the owl, i.e. its glaring, gray eyes; elsewhere it is applied to light-gray-blue eyes and thus, a light "bloom" on leaves) Bigberry M.; Mt. Diablo (Contra Costa Co.)-so. Cal.
A. hearstirum
James B. Roof (of the Hearst family); Hearst Ranch, Cal.
A. hokeri
G. Don (of William Jackson Hooker, 1785-1865, director of Kew, 1841-65;
Flora-boreali-americana
and many other important works) Monterey M.
A. hoveri
P.V.Weils (of Robert F. Hoover, 1913-, prof., Cal. State Polytechnic Univ., San Luis Obispo)
A. insulris
Greene (L. on an island) Island M., Cal. Channel Islands
A. manzanta
Parry (Sp. little apple) Parry M., Contra Costa-Humboldt cos. & widespread in Cal.
A. maripsa
W. Dudley (Sp. butterfly) Mariposa M., Mariposa-Tuolumne cos.
A. mdia
Greene (L. intermediate)
A. montereynsis
Hoover (of Monterey Co.)
A. morrons
Wieslander & Schreiber (of Morro Bay) Morro M.
A. myrtiflia
Parry (L. myrtle-leaves) lone M. (in Amador Co.)
A. nevadnsis
A. Gray (of Nevada) Pinemat M.; also no. Cal.-Wash.
A. nummulria
A. Gray (L. pertaining to a money-changer; epithet used in botany and medicine to describe an object shaped like a coin, i.e. leaves) Ft. Bragg M.
A. obisponsis
Eastw. (Sp. of a bishop) Serpentine M., San Luis Obispo Co.
A. otaynsis
Wiesl. & Schreib. (of Otay, Cal., at Tijuana)
A. pajaronsis
(pah-hah-ro-) J.E. Adams (Sp. of Pajaro Valley, Monterey Co.
Pajaro
is a small bird.) Pajaro M.
A. ptula
Greene (L. spreading) Greenleaf Manz.
A. pechonsis
W. Dudl. ex Abrams (of Pecho, San Luis Obispo Co.) Pecho M.
A. prnglei
Parry (of Cyrus G. Pringle, 1833-1911), Pink-Bracted M.
A. pmila
Nuttall (L. very small) Dune M., around Monterey Bay
A. pngens
HBK (L. piercing) Mexican M., and so. Cal. e. to Tex.
A. rbra
(Rehd. &Wils.) Fernald (L. red)
A. rdis
Jepson (L. rough) Shagback M.
A. silvcola
Jeps. &Wiesl. (L. woods-dweller) Silverleaf M.
A. stanfordina
Parry (of Ernest E. Stanford, 1888-, prof, of bot., Coll. [now Univ.] of the Pacific, Stockton), Stanford M., cos. no. of S.F.
A. tomentsa
(Pursh) Lindl. (L. densely woolly) Shaggy-Barked M.
A. va-rsi
(L.) Spreng. (L. grape of a bear) Bearberry, Sandberry, Kinnikinick; San Francisco Bay-Alaska; Nfld. Kinnikinick, an Algonquin word meaning "that which is mixed" [for smoking] is used in its northern habitat.)
A. vscida
Parry (L sticky )White leaf M., Channel Islands
Other Ericaceous Genera B
Bruckenthlia
Reichenbach (for Samuel and Michael von Bruckenthal, 18th-c. Austrian nobleman) 1 sp. s.e. Eur., Asia Minor
B. spiculiflia
(Salisbury) Reichenb. (L. spike-leaves) Spike Heath, cult. 1880
Bejria
or
Befria
Mutis ex L. (Jos Celestino Mutis, 1731-1808, named this genus for Sr. Bejr or Befr, professor of botany at Cadiz.) Tarflower, Andes
Rose, 25 spp. trop. and warm Amer.
B. racemsa
Ventenat (L. with an elongated, indeterminate inflorescence), Tarflower, Fly-Catcher, so. Ga. and Fla.
Acknowledgements
The author wishes to acknowledge the assistance of the botanical departments of Florida State University, Tallahassee, and Oregon State University, Corvallis, Leach Botanical Garden, Portland, Oregon, the herbarium of the University of California, Berkeley, The Royal Horticultural Society Garden at Wisley, and especially Dr. R.N. Withers, Hawthorn, Victoria, Australia, and Dr. Hermann Sleumer, Leiden, The Netherlands, who supplied information on dozens of species.
Theo Smid, linguist and editor of the California Chapter newsletter, continues sharing his extensive research into botanical nomenclature with ARS Journal readers. "Names of Plants: Sense and Sound - Part One" appeared in the Spring l988 issue (Vol. 42:2). This series will continue in future issues.