Names Of Plants: Sense and Sound - Part Five
Theo Smid
Hayward, California
This series, "Names of Plants: Sense and Sound", continues with Part Five, a listing of rhododendron and other ericaceous genera beginning with G, H, I, J and K. The first installment was in the
ARS Journal
, Vol.42:1, Winter 1988. It will continue in future issues.
Mispronunciation of plant names is not uncommon. Generally mispronounced are words that end in the Greek
-ides
"likeness or resemblance," common in botany, biochemistry and medicine, e.g.
hippophaeoides
, in which o creates the combining form of the basic word: -o-eye-des or -o-i-des. This construction is not to be confused with the dipthong in a word like
android
or
adenoid
.
Some species are named for persons of various nationalities. The sound of
ch
, in particular, varies. It is gutteral
ch
in German, e.g.
R. bachii
; sh in French, e.g.
R. chevalieri
; k in Italian, e.g.
R. scortechinii
.
Rhododendron stresemannii
, German, begins with
shtr
. The
hs
in
R. chihsianum
is pronounced approximately as
sh
.
Rhododendron Species G
R. galactnum
Balf. f. ex Tagg (G.
galaktos
of milk) Ch. "milky-yellow-leaf r."
R. gardnia
Schlechter (Named for Dr. Alexander Garden, 1730-1791, M.D. Glasgow, who moved to Charleston, S.C. He was a strong supporter of John Bartram and Cadwallader Colden and corresponded with Linnaeus in Sweden and Peter Collinson in England.)
R. gaultheriiflium
J.J. Sm. (with leaves like
Gaultheria
)
R. gemmferum
Philipson & Philipson (L. gem-producing)
R. genestiernum
Forr. (of Pre A. Genestier, b. 1858, Fr. Tibetan Mission, friend of George Forrest) Ch. "gray-white r."
R. gillirdii
Sleumer (of E. T. T. Gilliard, who collected in n.e. New Guinea); perhaps a hybrid
R. giuliantti
Lauter (of a Mr. Giulianetti, who collected in New Guinea)
R. glabriflrum
J.J. Sm. (L. smooth flower)
R. glabrius
Nakaibe (L. smoother) Japanese Azalea. The name was assigned to the azalea,
R. japonicum
, when
R. japonicum
(Blume) Schneider replaced
R. metternichii
. See
R. japonicum
.
R. glandulferum
Franch. (L. gland-bearing)
R. glandulostyum
Fang et M. Y. He (L. glandular style) Ch. "glandular-style azalea"
R. glandulsum
Standley ex Small (L. very glandular)
R. glaucophllum
Rehd. (G. glaucous leaf) intr. c. 1850
var.
tubifrme
Cowan & Davidian (L. tubular)
R. glischrum
(glis-chrum) Balf. f. & W. W. Sm. (G.
glischros
gluey, i.e. young shoots) Ch. "sticky-haired r."
ssp.
glischrodes
(Tagg & Forr.) Chamb. (resembling
R. glischrum
)
ssp.
rde
(Tagg & Forr.) Chamb. (L. rough)
R. goodenoghi
Sleumer (of Goodenough, a volcanic island 20 miles s.e. of New Guinea)
R. gracilntum
F. v. Mueller (L. slender)
R. grnde
Wight (L. large)
R. grtum
T. L. Ming (L. pleasing, welcome) Ch. "lovely r."
R. griersoninum
Balf.f. & Forr. (of C. Grierson, Chinese Maritime Customs at Tengyueh and friend of George Forrest)
R. griffithinum
Wight (of William Griffith, 1810-1845, surg. in Madras; collected in Assam with N. Wallich and in Bhutan, Afghanistan, Malaya; supt. Calcutta Botanic Garden.)
Notulae ad Plantas Asiaticas
, 1847-54, 4 vols.
Criffithia
Wright & Arnott
R. guangnannse
R. C. Fang (of Guangnan, Yunnan)
R. guanxiannse
(gwahn-she'en-) Not yet described, but reported in
The Rhododendron Species Foundation Newsletter
, July, 1968 (of Guan Xian [County], Sichuan)
Rhododendron Species H
R. hbbemae
Koorders (of Lake Habbema, "named for D. Habbema who accompanied the Lorentz Expedition in New Guinea as leader of its military cover," Sleumer)
R. habrotrchum
Balf. f. & W.W. Sm. (G.
habros
delicate +
thrix, trichos
hair)
R. haematdes
Franch. (G. lit. looking like blood) Ch. "bloodlike r."
ssp.
chaetomllum
(kee-to) (Balf. f. & Forr.) Chamb. (G.
chaite
leaves +
mallos
a lock of wool) Ch. "silky r."
R. haematophthlmum
Sleumer (G. lit. a bloody eye)
R. hainannse
Merrill (of Hainan Province) Hainan Azalea
R. hameliiflrum
Wernh. (
Hamelia
-flower, Cent, and So. Amer. evergreen shrubs and small trees,
Rubiaceae
)
R. hancenum
Hemsl. (of Henry F. Hance, Ph.D., 1827-1886, Brit, consul at Canton, Amoy, Whampoa) Ch. "sparsely-leaved r." intr. 1909.
Hancea Hemsl
.
R. hangzhounse
Fang et M.Y. He (of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Prov.)
Azaleastrum
R. haofi
Chun & Fang (of Hao Village, Guangxi Prov.) Ch. "glossy-branched r."
R. hrtleyi
Sleumer (of Th. G. Hartley, botanist of Canberra, who collected in New Guinea)
R. hatamnse
Beccari (of the Hatam tribe on the Vogelkop Penin. of New Guinea where Sleumer and Beccari collected)
R. hedysmum
Balf f. (G. & L.
hedyosmos
, a sweet-smelling mint in Theophrastus & Pliny)
R. helilepis
Franch. (G.
helios
the sun +
lepis
scale) Ch. "bright-scale r." var.
brevistlum
(Franch.) Cullen (L. short style)
var.
opornum
(Balf. f. &Ward) A.L. Chang (G. & L. of autumn)
R. hellwgii
Warburg (of F.C. Hellwig, 1861-1889, an early collector in e. New Guinea)
R. hlodes
Sleumer (G.
helos
, low ground along a river)
R. hemitrichtum
Balf. f. & Forr. (G.
hemi
half +
tricbotum
hairy, i.e. fol. softly hairy above)
R. hemsleynum
Wils. (of William B. Hemsley, 1843-1924, LLD Aberdeen, Keeper, Kew Herbarium)
Diagnoses Plantarum Novarum
, 1878-80;
Enumeration of all Plants known from China
(with F.G. Forbes), 1886-1905.
Hemsleya
Cogniaux Ch. "wavy-leaved r."
R. hnryi
Hance (of Augustine Henry, 1857-1930, med. officer in China, 1880-1900; collected in Ichang, Hupeh, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hainan, Taiwan; authority on Chinese materia medica; prof. of forestry, Coll. of Science, Dublin, 1913-26.)
Trees of Great Britain and Ireland
(with H.J. Elwes), 1906-13, 7 vols.;
Forests, Woods and Trees in Relation to Hygiene
, 1919 Ch. "curved capsule r."
var.
pubscens
K.M. Feng & A.L. Chang (L. becoming downy) Ch. "pubescent curved-capsule r."
R. herzgii
Warb. (of a Mr. Herzog of New Guinea)
R. himantdes
Sleumer (G.
himantion
a small leather strap, i.e. with leathery bands)
R. hippophaeodes
Balf. f. & W. W. Sm. (resembling
Hippophae
Sea-Buckthorn) Ch. "gray-backed r."
Fimbritum Group (L. minutely fringed)
var.
occidentle
Philipson & Philipson (L. western)
R. hirstum
L. (L. hairy, i.e. shoots and margins of lvs. bristly) intr. 1685
R. hrtipes
Tagg (L. with hairy feet, i.e. pedicels)
R. hirtolepidtum
J. J. Sm. (G. & L. hairy-scaled)
R. hodgsnii
Hook. f. (of B.H. Hodgson, E. India Co. Resident in Nepal) Ch. "many-lobed r."
R. hii
Fang (of A. H. Ho, who collected in Borneo, Sichuan, Kwantung, 1931-35)
R. hongkongnse
Hutch, (of Hong Kong) Ch. "white-horse-silver flower"
R. hooglndii
Sleumer (of R. D. Hoogland, a collector in New Guinea)
R. hokeri
Nuttall (of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, 1817-1911, M.D. Glasgow; botanist to Geological Survey, 1846; explored & collected in Sikkim & Nepal, 1847-51; Palestine & Syria, 1860; Morocco with J. Ball, 1871; Rocky Mts. with Asa Gray, 1877; pioneer phyto-geographer; friend of Charles Darwin, with whom he collaborated in researches on evolutionary origin of species; introduced important rhododendrons. The publication of his
The Rhododendrons of Sikkim-Himalaya
, 1849, greatly widened the interest of horticulturists to the possibilities of rhododendrons as garden-subjects. Director of Kew, 1865-85, succeeding his father, Sir William Jackson H., 1841-65.) Ch. "string-of-pearls r."
R. horlickinum
Davidian (of Sir James Horlick, 1896-1972, who created the famous wind-swept garden on the Isle of Gigha, Argyll)
R. huinum
Fang (of Hui, w. Sichuan Prov.)
R. huidongnse
J.L. Ming (of Huidong Xian, i.e. County, so. Sichuan)
R. hunnewellinum
Rehd. & Wils. (of a family descended from Ambrose Hunnewell, who emigrated from Devonshire to Mass. c. 1660; especially Horatio H. Hunnewell, 1810-1902, banker and horticulturist, who imported many rhododendrons and azaleas; an important benefactor of the Mass. Hort. Soc., Arnold Arboretum, the botany depts of Harvard U. and Wellesley Coll. and the town of Wellesley.)
ssp.
rckii
(Wils.) Chamb. (of Dr. Joseph Rock, Austria 1883-1962, prof, of botany, prof. of Chinese, Univ. of Hawaii; sent by Dept of Agric. to Indo-China, Siam and Burma to collect seeds of the chaulmoogra tree, whose oil was then used in the treatment of leprosy; in 1922 he went to China and remained there, except for short intervals, until 1949. In 1924-25 he was commissioned by Prof. Charles S. Sargent, creator of Arnold Arboretum, and the Harvard Mus. of Comparative Zool. to explore two little-known ranges on the Chinese-Tibetan border. In 1928-29 he collected in Yunnan for garden owners in Britain and the U.S. and explored for the National Geographic Society. In 1926 he sent to the Arnold Arbor, seeds of the magnificent
Paeonia suffrutticosa
'Rock's Variety,' which had been cultivated at the lamasery of Choni. In 1938 the lamasery was burned to the ground during a Moslem uprising. The lamas were killed and the peonies destroyed. After the lamasery was rebuilt Rock obtained seeds from the arboretum. The Rock Rhododendrons are listed in
The Rhododendron Handbook
1980, 328-354. The last fifteen years of Rock's life were devoted to the study of the literature of the Na-Khis, a non-Chinese aboriginal tribe near Likiang. He translated the key volumes of some 8,000 books of their literature.) Data from Alice M. Coats,
The Plant Hunters
.
R. hyacinthsmum
Sleum. (Hyacinth + G.
osme
smell)
R. hybridgenum
Sleum. (hybrid + L. born)
R. hylaum
Balf. f. & Farrer (G.
hulaiois
woody or of the forest)
R. hyprythrum
Hayata (G.
hupo
below +
eruthros
red, i.e. lvs minutely reddish punctuate) Ch. "smile r."
R. hypophaum
Balf. f. & Forr. (G. below +
phaios
dusky)
Rhododendron Species I
R. imbrbe
Hutch. (L. beardless)
R. impedtum
Balf. f. & W.W. Sm. (L. tangled)
R. impostum
J. J. Sm. (L. put in or laid on)
R. impressopuncttum
J. J. Sm. (L. with impressed dots, i.e. on the lvs)
R. incmmodum
Sleum. (L. unsuitable or troublesome)
R. inconspcuum
J.J. Sm. (L. inconspicuous; named for a herbarium specimen that had been prepared with formaldehyde and appeared brown all over)
R. ndicum
(L.) Sweet (Indian, one of many geographically erroneous names given to plants. When Dutch merchants introduced this so. japan azalea into Holland in 1680 as
Azalea indica
they gave its origin as Jakarta, Java.)
R. insclptum
Hutch. &Ward (L. engraved)
R. insgne
Hemsl. & Wils. (L. remarkable) Ch. "extraordinary r."
R. intranervtum
Sleum. (L. nervation within. This species has peculiar nervation for a rhododendron, with nerves impressed and also on the margins.)
R. intrictum
Franch. (L. entangled) Ch. "hidden-stamen r."
R. inundtum
Sleum. (L. flooded, suggesting a habitat)
R. invasrium
Sleum. (L. invader. The plants invaded sterile grounds in the Morobe area of New Guinea.)
R. invictum
Balf. f. & Forr. (L. unconquered)
R. irrortum
Franch. (L. covered with dew, i.e. upper surface at first glandular and floccose) Ch. "dewdrop r."
ssp.
kontumnse
(Sleum.) Chamb. (of Kontum, Vietnam)
ssp.
pogonostylum
(Balf. f. & W.W. Sm.) Chamb. (G.
pogon
beard + style)
Rhododendron Species J
R. japnicum
(A. Gray) Suringar (Japanese)
Renge Tsutsuji
. See
R. glabrius
Nakaibe.
R. jasminiflrum
Hook, (with a Jasmine-like flower, but not the scent)
R. jinpingnse
(jeen-) Fang et M.Y. He (of Jinping X1an [Co.], Yunnan) Jinping Azalea
R. jinxiunse
(jeen-shyo-) Fang et M.Y. He (of Jinxiu Xian [Co.], Gungxi Prov.) Jinxiu Azalea
R. johnstonenum
Watt ex Hutch, (of Mrs. Johnstone, wife of the Brit. Political Agent in Manipur)
Prryae Group (of Mrs. A.D. Parry, wife of an officer in the Assam Civil Service)
Rhododendron Species K
R. kampferi
Planchon (of Engelbert Kaempfer, 1651-1716, physician to the gov. of the Dutch East India Co., which had facilities on Deshima, a small artificial island in Nagasaki harbor. On two highly restricted journeys to the court in Yedo (Tokyo) in March-May, 1690 & 1691, Kaempfer collected plants, branches and flowers. The fifth section of his
Amoenitates Exoticae
, 1712, contains the first descriptions of
Aucuba, Skimmia, Hydrangea, Chimonanthus, Ginkgo, Lilium speciosum, L. tigrinum
, tree-peonies, azaleas, various
Prunus
and nearly 30 varieties of
Camellia
.) Kaempfer or Torch Azalea, Yama Tsutsuji, intro. 1892; many cvs.
R. kailinse
Fang et M.Y. He (of Kaili Xian [Co.], Guizhou Prov.) an
Azaleastrum
R. kanehirae
(sometimes misspelled
kanehirai
) (no stress) Wils. (of Ryozo Kanehira, 1882-1947, Japanese botanist) Taebei Azalea, Taiwan
R. kansunse
Millais (of w. Gansu, near the Xizang [Tibetan] border)
R. kasonse
Hutch & Ward (of Kaso Peak, Delei Valley, Assam)
R. kawakami
(no stress) Hayata (of Takiya Kawakami, 1871-1915, collector in Taiwan)
R. kedtii
Sleum. (of Kedit, "a native of the Dusun tribe, who accompanied Mrs. Sheila Collenette on her exploration of Mt. Kinabalu in the 1960s and actually found the specimen which has served as the type of this species; possibly a hybrid," Sleumer)
R. keiskei
(no stress) Miq. (of Keisuke lto, 1803-1901, Japanese botanist who discovered it) intro. 1905
R. kemulnse
J. J. Sm. (of Mt. Kemul, on the border between Sarawak & Indonesian Borneo)
R. kendrckii
Nutt. (of Dr. G. Kendrick, 1771-1847, M.D. Edinburgh, friend of Nutt.
R. kysii
Nutt. (of the discoverer, a Mr. Keys)
R. kiangsinse
Fang (of Kiangsu, Jiangxi Prov.)
R. kiusinum
Mak. (of Kyushu, Japan) Kyushu Azalea; intr. from seed by E. H.Wilson in 1918
R. kchii
(ch as in loch) Stein (of O. Koch, German zoologist who collected plants in the Philippines
R. komiyamae
(no stress) Makino (of Tomitaro Komiyama, who found it in central Honshu.) Azalea.
Ashi Taka Tsutsuii
.
R. kongbonse
Hutch, (of Kongbo, s.e. Tibet)
R. konrii
Beccari (of a god of the native Hattam people in n.w. New Guinea)
R. korthlsii
Miq. (of Pieter W. Korthals, 1807-1892)
R. kwangfunse
Chun & Fang (of Kuang-fu, i.e. village, no. Guangxi Prov.)
R. kwangsinse
Hu (of Guangxi Prov.) Guangxi Azalea
R. kwangtungnse
Merr. et Chun (of Guangdong Prov.) Guangdong Azalea
R. kywii
Lace & W.W. Sm. (of Maung Kyaw, a Burmese plant-collector)
Other Ericaceous Genera G
Gaulthria
L. (of Dr. Jean-Francois Gaulthier, physician-naturalist of the gov. of Canada, the Marquis de la Galisonnire, himself a naturalist, in Quebec, c.1750) 150 spp. Malaysia, E. Asia, Aus., N.Z., No., Cent., So. Amer. Many contain methyl salicylate, the basis of wintergreen.
G. adenthrix
(Miq.) Maxim. (G.
aden
gland +
thrix
hair) intr. 1915
G. antpoda
G. Forster (of the Antipodes, i.e. N.Z., Tasmania)
G. colnsoi
Hook.f. (of William Colenso, 1811-1899) N.Z.
G. crssa
Franklin (L. thick) Ruahine Mts. southward, N.Z.
G. cuneta
(Rehd. &Wils.) Bean (L. wedge-shaped, i.e. lvs.) intr. 1908
G. deprssa
Hook.f. (L. pressed down) var.
novae-zelndiae
Franklin (of New Zealand)
G. forrstii
Diels (of George Forrest, 1873-1932), cult. 1933
G. fragrantssima
Wallich (L. most fragrant)
G. hspida
R. Brown (L. bristly) Waxberry, cult. 1927
G. hispdula
(L.) Muhlenb. ex Bigelow (L. slightly bristly) Creeping Snowberry, Moxie Plum, Maidenhair Berry, in Quebec:
Petit the de perdrix I de bois
G. hokeri
C. B. Clarke (of William J. Hooker, 1785-1865, dir. of Kew) cult. 1933
G. humifsa
(R. C. Graham) Rydberg (L. sprawling on the ground) Alpine Wintergreen cult. 1830
G. itona
Hayata (of Ito, Taiwan)
G. miquelina
Takeda (of Friedrich A. W. Miquel, 1811-1871, prof, of bot., Utrecht, Neth.) intr. 1892
G. nummulariodes
D. Don (resembling L.
nummularius
money-changer, i.e. fol. with shape of a coin) intr. 1850
G. oppostiflia
Hook. f. (L. leaves opposite)
G. ovatiflia
A. Gray (L. leaves ovate)
G. procmbens
L. (L. lying on the ground) Wintergreen, Checkerberry, Teaberry, Mountain Tea, Ivry-Leaves (sic); Nfld.-Man.-Minn., so. to Ga.-Ala.
G. pyrolodes
Hook.f. & T. Thomson (resembling
Pyrola
in fol.) cult. 1933
G. rupstries
(L. f.) G. Don (L. growing among rocks) cult. 1933
G. semi-nfera
(C. B. Clarke) Airy-Shaw (L. half-below)
G. shllon
Pursh Shallon, Salal. These words are of Chinook Indian origin in s.w. Washington state, from
KI'Kwu-shalla
and the syncopated form
KIKwsala
.
The word "salal," meaning the fruit of the plant, came into use around the mouth of the Columbia R. c.1815-25. Ref. Univ. of Wash. Arboretum. The foliage, called Lemonleaf, is used by florists.
G. sinensis
J. Anthony (L. Chinese)
G. subcorymbsa
Col. (somewhat corymbose, i.e. short, broad, flat inflorescence) Ruahine Mts. to Cook Strait, N.Z.
G. fefrmera
W.W. Sm. (G. four-part, i.e. flowers often 4-merous) cult. 1933
G. trichophlla
Royle (G.
thrix, trichos
hair + leaf)
G. veitchina
Craib (of the Veitch Nursery) intr. 1908
G. wardii
Marquand & Airy-Shaw (of Francis Kingdon Ward, 1885-1958; see
R. wardii
) cult. 1933
G. yunnannsis
(Franch.) Rehd. (of Yunnan Prov.)
Gaylusscia
(-sak-) HBK (of Joseph L. Gay-Lussac, 1778-1850, noted Fr. chemist whose work laid the foundation of the food-canning industry; invented the hydrometer, alcoholmeter, portable barometer, steam-injection pump; pioneer balloonist, ascended to 22,000 ft. in 1804) 48 spp. No. & So. (most) Amer. Distinguished from
Vaccinium
in an ovary with 10 divisions because of outgrowths in the 5 carpels. Huckleberry
G. baccta
(Wangenheim)) C. Koch (L. berried) Black Huckleberry,
Gueules noires
, Nfld.-Ga., w. to Iowa; earlier Eng. names: Hurtleberry,Whortleberry
G. brachcera
(Michx.) A. Gray (G.
brachus
short +
keras
horn of an animal, i.e. lvs. finely crenate-toothed) Box H. intr. 1796
G. dumsa
(Andre) Torrey & A. Gray (L. bushy) intr. 1774
var.
bigelovina
Fern, (discovered by Jacob Bigelow, 1787-1879, prof, of bot. Boston)
G. frondsa
(L.) Torrey & A. Gray (L. leafy, from bracteate racemes) Dangleberry, Blue-Tangle; closely allied to blueberry; N.H.-Fla. intr. 1761
Other Ericaceous Genera K
Klmia
L. (of Pehr [Peter] Kalm, 1715-1779, prof, of natural science, Abo, Finland; pupil of Linnaeus, who traveled in eastern No. Amer., 1747-49, and published in 1765 the first part of
Flora Fennica
.) Before starting out from Philadelphia, he was "seized with terror at the thought of ranging so many new and unknown parts of natural history," even though John Bartram had given him much advice and encouragement. From the Delaware Water Gap he traveled to Quebec and Montreal. The governor of Canada had received orders from France to assist Kalm in every way possible; Dr. Gaulthier made botanical excursions with him. Later he explored the country of the Iroquois. During his stay in America he sent seeds to England and saw the resulting plants when he stopped off there on his return. He brought back to Sweden a herbarium of c. 325 spp., many of which Linnaeus later described in the
Species Plantarum
, and a wife, a pastor's widow. In commemorating
Kalmia
to him, Linnaeus wrote that it was "conformable to the peculiar friendship and goodness he has always honored me with." 7 spp. No. Amer., Cuba. Laurel, American or Mountain Laurel
K. angustiflia
L. (L. narrow lvs.) Sheep, Dwarf or Pig Laurel, Lambkill, Wicky; e. Canada, U.S.; intr. 1736; many cvs.
K. cuneta
Michx. (L. wedge-shaped, i.e. lvs. obovate-cuneate) White Wicky; Carolinas; intro. 1820
K. hirsta
Thomas Walter (L. hairy, i.e. lvs., sepals, pedicels) s.e. U.S.; intr. 1790
K. latiflia
L. (L. broad lvs.) Mountain L., Calico Bush, Ivy, lvybush, Spoonwood; e. Can., U.S.; intr. 1734; many cvs.
K. microphlla
(Hook.) A. Heller (G. small lvs.) Western or Alpine L.; lowlands, Alaska-B.C., Ore.
var.
occidentlis
(Small) Ebinger (L. western, but same range)
K. poliflia
Wangenheim (usually, L. with lvs. like
Teucrium polium
) Bog K., Bog or Pale L.; No. Amer. e. of Rocky Mts.; intr. 1767
var.
rosmariniflia
(Pursh) Rehd. (Rosemary-like lvs.)
Kalmipsis
(L.F. Henderson) Rehd. (
Kalmia
+ G.
opsis
appearance) 1 sp. Ore.
K. leachina
(L.F. Henders.) Rehd. The original plant was found in 1930 in Curry Co., extreme s.w. Ore., during a botanizing trip by Lilla Leach (b. 1886), a botanist, and her pharmacist husband John (b. 1882), who called himself "the muleskinner." Prof, of the Univ. of Oregon cited it as
Rhododendron leachianum
, but Rehder reclassified it as
Kalmiopsis leachiana
. It was introduced in 1933. In 1960 Marcel le Piniec found a second form about 100 miles away. The Leach form is named for the Rogue River and the other for the Umpqua River. 'M. le Piniec' is a clone of the latter.