Names Of Plants: Sense and Sound - Part Three
Theo Smid, Hayward, California
"Names of Plants: Sense and Sound - Part Three" continues with a listing of rhododendron species and other ericaceous genera beginning with C and D. Part One was found in the
ARS Journal
, Vol. 42:1, Winter 1988; Part Two in
ARS Journal
, Vol. 42:2, Spring 1988. The series will continue in future issues.
An explanation of the system of accents used and botanical notation is found in Part Two. Briefly, the grave accent indicates a long stressed syllable, the acute accent a short stressed syllable.
The plant name is followed by the name (usually abbreviated) of the author of the earliest valid citation. The meaning of the name and information about plant explorers and/or plant namesakes follows.
Abbreviations:
Ch.= Chinese
G. = Greek
L. = Latin
Sp.= Spanish
r. = rhododendron
Rhododendron Species C
R. casium
Hutch (Lat. bluish-gray)
R. caespitsum
Wernh. (Lat. tufted)
R. calendulceum
(Michaux) Torrey (of the color of
Calendula
) Flame Azalea; first mentioned by Cadwallader Colden, 1799; in Cherokee: Sky-Paint Flower
R. callimrphum
Balf.f. & W.W. Sm. (G.
kallos
beautiful +
morphos
shape) Ch. "ovate-leaved r."
var.
myigrum
(Balf.f. & Forr.) Chamb. (G.
muiagros
fly-catcher, i.e. sticky pedicels)
R. calophỳtum
Franch. (G.
kallos
beautiful +
phuton
plant) Ch. "beautiful-face r."
var.
openshawinum
(Rehd. & Wils.) Chamb. (of Rev. Harry Openshaw of Yachou Fu, near Chengtu; fu = village)
R. calosnthes
Sleumer (G. beautiful +
anthos
flowers)
R. calostrtum
Balf.f. & Ward (G. beautiful +
strotos
spread, covered) Ch. "beautiful-covering r."
ssp.
kelticum
(Balf.f. & Forr.) Cullen (G.
keletikos
charming)
Rdicans Group (L. rooting)
ssp.
riprium
(Ward) Cullen (L. at a river-bank)
var.
ripariodes
(Cullen) R.C. Fang (resembling
R. rparium
) Ch. "Xuelong beautifully-clad r."
R. calvscens
Balf.f. & Forr. (L. becoming bald, i.e. thin, detersile indumentum below)
var.
dusematum
(Balf.f. & Forr.) Chamb. (G.
duseimatos
meanly-clad)
R. camelliiflrum
Hook. f. (with flowers like
Camellia
)
R. campanultum
D. Don (L. bell-shaped) Ch. "bell-flowered r."
ssp.
aeruginsum
(Hook f.) Chamb. (L. very rusty, i.e. colored)
R. campylocrpum
Hook. f. (G.
kampulos
bent, curved +
karpos
fruit) Ch. "curved-fruit r."
Eltum Group (L. elevated, tall)
ssp.
caloxnthum
(Balf.f. & Farrer) Chamb. (G.
kallos
beautiful +
xanthos
yellow)
Telpeum Group (G.
telopos
seen from afar, i.e. conspicuous)
R. campylogỳnum
Franch. (G.
kampulos
bent +
gune
ovary) Ch. "bent-style r."
Clsum Group (L. elevated)
Charopoum Group (G.
charopos
causing joy)
Cremstum Group (G.
kremastos
hanging)
Myrtilloides Group (resembling Myrtle)
R. camtschticum
Pallas (of the Kamchatka Peninsula)
R. canadnse
(L.) Torrey (of Canada) Rhodora; described by Linnaeus in 1762 as
Rhodora canadense
; introduced to Eng. in 1767 by Sir Joseph Banks
R. canscens
(Michaux) Sweet (L. hoary) Piedmont or Florida Pinxter Azalea. Pinxter or Pinkster is derived from the Greek for Pentecost; discovered by Mark Catesby c. 1730
var.
cndidum
Small (L. white); may be only a form
R. capllae
Kores (of Mt. Capella, New Guinea)
R. capittum
Maxim. (L. headed, i.e. with flowers in a head) Ch. "head-flower r."
R. crneum
Hutch. (L. like flesh, i.e. in color) Ch. "flesh-colored r."
R. crrii
Sleumer (of Cedric E. Carr of NZ., 1892-1936, who collected orchids in s.e. Asia, Borneo, New Guinea)
R. carringtniae
F. V. Mueller (of Lady Carrington, wife of the British representative in New Guinea)
R. carstennse
Wernh. (of Mt. Carstensz, w. cent. New Guinea, at 16,400 ft. the highest peak on any island)
R. catacsmum
Balf.f. ex Tagg (G.
katakosmein
to adorn)
R. catawbinse
Michx. (of the Catawba R., S.C., from Choctaw
katapa),
intr. 1809
R. caucskum
Pallas (of the Caucasus), intr. 1803
R. celbicum
(Blume) de Candolle (of Celebes, now Suwalesi, Indonesia)
R. cephalnthum
Franch. (G.
kephale
the head +
anthos
flower) Ch. "hairy-throated r."
ssp.
platyphllum
(Franch. ex Balf.f. & Smith) Cullen (G.
platos
broad +
phullon
leaf) Ch. "broad-leaved r."
Crebreflrum Group (L. crowded flower)
R. cerasnum
Tagg (L. cherry-colored) When he found it Kingdon Ward called it "coals-of-fire." Ch. "cherry r."
R. crnuum
Sleumer (L. nodding)
R. chamapitys
Sleumer (G. on the ground +
pitus
pine-tree)
R. chamaethomsnii
(Tagg & Forr.) Cowan & Davidian (G. on the ground +
R. thomsonii
)
var.
chamaedron
(Tagg & Forr.) Chamb. (G. on the ground +
doron
gift)
var.
chamaethama
(Tagg) Cowan & Davidian (G. on the ground +
thauma
a wonder)
R. champonae
Hook, (of the wife of the discoverer, Lt.-Col. John G. Champion, 1815-1854, who collected in Ceylon, Hong Kong) Ch. "bristly r."
Championia
Gardner
R. chartopes
(ka-) Balf.f. & Farr. (G. lit. graceful of aspect) Ch. "pretty-face r."
ssp.
tsangponse
(Ward) Cullen (of the Tsangpo R., so. Tibet) Curvistlum Group (L. curved style)
R. chihsininum
(gee-sheen-) Chun & Fang (of Chiehsien, Guangxi Prov.) Ch. "Longsheng r."
R. chlrops
Cowan (G. lit. green eye, i.e. greenish base of the flower) uncertain species
R. christanae
Sleumer (of the mother of Rev. N.E.G. Cruttwell; see
R. cruttwellii
)
R. chrstii
Foerster (of Konrad H. Christ, 1833-1933, famous fern-specialist in Basel, Switz.)
R. chrseum
Balf.f. & Ward (G. & L. golden-yellow) Ch. "golden r."
R. chrysoclyx
Le'veille' et Ventenat (G.
chrusos
gold + calyx) Ch. "golden-calyx azalea"
R. chrysodron
Tagg ex Hutch. (G. gold +
doron
gift; a double entendre: color of flower and gift to Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh by the Earl of Stair) Ch. "pure-yellow r."
R. chryslepis
Hutch. & Ward (G. gold +
lepis
scale)
R. chuninii
(In Mandarin initial ch, r, sh and zh are pronounced with the tip of the tongue curled back and pressed against the roof of the mouth.) Chun & Fang, (of Ho Chunnien, professor of South China Botanical Institute; information from Kunming Institute of Botany) Ch. "golden-scale r." The attributions of this species and several others were supplied by the Kunming Institute of Botany, The Academy of Sciences of China.
R. chnii
Chun & Fang (of Chun Woon-young, b. 1894, professor & director of South China Botanical Institute) Ch. "persistent-style r." (Azalea)
R. cilitum
Hook. f. (L. fringed with hairs) Ch. "eyelash r."
R. ciliiclyx
Franch. (L. with a fringed calyx) Ch. "ciliate calyx r."
R. ciliilbum
Sleumer (L. & G. fringed lobe)
R. cilipes
Hutch. (L. fringed foot, i.e. pedicel)
R. cinchoniflrum
(sin-ko-) Sleumer (Cinchona-flower, i.e. Quinine)
R. cinerscens
Sleumer (L. becoming ash-colored)
R. cinnabarnum
Hook. f. (L. cinnabar-red) Ch. "Cinnabar r."
ssp.
tamanse
(Davidian) Cullen (of Tama Bum, no. Burma)
ssp.
xanthocdon
(Hutch.) Cullen (G.
xanthos
yellow +
kodon
bell)
Conctenans Group (L chained together)
Pllidum Group (L. pale)
Purpure'llum Group (L. a little purple)
Rolei Group (of John F. Royle, 1798-1858, M.D. Munich, surgeon E. India Co., Bengal; curator, Saharunpur Garden; professor of Materia Medica, King's Coll., London; sec'y Horticultural Society of London)
Roylea Wall.
R. circinntum
Cowan & Ward (L. forming a circle, i.e. flexible branches)
R. citriniflrum
Balf.f. & Forr. (L. with lemon-yellow flowers)
var.
horaum
(Balf.f. & Forr.) Chamb. (L. seasonal) Ch. "gorgeous r."
R. citrnum
Haask. (L. of citron, i.e. color)
R. clementnae
Forr. (ofClementine,wife of George Forrest) Ch. "pock-marked r."
R. codonnthum
Balf.f. & Forr. (G.
kodon
bell +
anthos
flower)
R. colicum
Balf.f. & Farrer (L. heavenly)
R. coelonerum
Diels (L. engraved vein) Ch. "pocked-leaf r."
R. coelrum
Wernh. (L. of the heavens)
R. collettinum
Aitch (of Sir Henry Collett, 1836-1901, Col., Bengal Army; on retirement worked at Kew on his
Flora Simlensis
, 1902; collected in Afghanistan, Algeria, Burma, Canary Islands, Corsica, India, Java, Spain; plants at Kew);
Neocollettia
Hemsley.
R. comsteum
Balf.f. (G.
komisteos
to be protected)
R. cmmonae
Foerster (of the author's wife)
R. commutattum
Sleumer (L. changed)
R. comparbile
Sleumer (L. worthy of comparison)
R. complxum
Balf.f. &VV.W. Sm. (L. interwoven)
R. cmptum
C.H.Wright (L. adorned)
R. concinnodes
Ward, (similar to
R. concinnum
)
R. concnnum
Hemsl. (L. neat) Ch. "elegant r."
R. coriceum
Franch. (L. leathery) Ch. "leather-leaf r."
R. crnu-bvis
Sleumer ("after the top of Mt. Nok = Dutch
Buffelhoorn
, i.e. a horn of a buffel, on Waigeo Island," Sleumer); off the n.w. coast of New Guinea
R. correodes
J.J. Smith (resembling
Correa
, Australian shrubs and trees,
Rutaceae
)
R. corynum
Tagg & Forr. (of Reginald Cory, 1871-1934, who collected plants in S. Africa,West Indies, Atlas Mts.; financed expeditions to China; benefactor of Cambridge Botanic Garden and library of the Royal Horticultural Society)
R. cryi
Shinners (azalea collected by V.L. Cory in Tyler Co., Tex., in 1950); it may be a variety of
R. viscosum
.
R. cowaninum
Davidian (of John Macqueen Cowan, 1892-1960, supt. Royal Botanic Garden Calcutta; collected in Sikkim, Bengal, Burma, Iran; authority on taxonomy of
Rhododendron; Rhododendron Leaf
, 1950, and others)
R. crassiflium
Stapf (L. thick leaf)
R. crenultum
Hutch, ex Sleumer (Neo L. dim. of
crena
notch)
R. cringerum
Franch. (L. hair-bearing) Ch. "long-coarse-hair r."
var.
euadnium
Tagg & Forr. (G.
eu-
good +
aden
gland)
R. cruffwllii
Sleumer (of Rev. Norman E.G. Cruttwell, MA. Oxon., missionary and plant-collector in New Guinea)
R. cryptophllum
Wernh. (G.
kruptos
hidden +
phullon
leaf)
R. cuffenum
Craib ex Hutch, (of Lady Wheeler Cuffe, who discovered it in Burma)
R. culmincolum
F. v. Mueller (L. summit-dwelling)
R. cunetum
W.W. Sm. (L. wedge-shaped, i.e. leaves)
R. curvifrum
J.J. Sm. (L. curved-flower)
R. cuspidllum
Sleumer (L. with a small point)
R. cyanocrpum
(Franch.)W.W. Sm. (G.
cuanos
a dark-blue substance, blue forget-me-not, Pliny, 21, 47, +
karpos
fruit) Ch. "blue-fruited r."
R. cyathecolum
Sleumer (G.
kuathos
a cup, the hollow of the hand + L. dwelling)
R. cyrtophllum
Wernh. (G.
kurtos
curved +
phullon
leaf)
Rhododendron Species D
R. dalhosiae
Hook.f. (of Christina Ramsay, Countess of Dalhousie, Edin. 1786-1839, wife of the 9th Earl of Dalhousie, Commander-in-chief, East Indies; she collected in Penang and Nova Scotia) Dalhousie, a place in Himachal Pradesh, N. India;
Dalhousiea
Graham
var.
rhabdtum
(Balf.f. & Cooper) Cullen (G.
rhabdos
a rod, i.e. allusion to the conspicuous red stripes)
R. dasycladodes
Handel-Mazzetti (see
R. selense
ssp.
dasycladum
)
R. daricum
L. (of the Daurs of Dahuria on the Lena R.) cult. 1780 Ch. "Xing 'an r."
Semprvirens Group (L. evergreen)
R. davdii
Franch. (of Pre Jean-P. Armand David, Fr. Lazarist missionary in China; discovered 58 birds, c. 100 insects and several mammals, including the giant panda and the Pre David deer. The latter became extinct in China, but the Dukes of Devonshire developed a herd at Woburn Abbey and in 1985 sent some to a new park in China. The first
Davidia involucrata
in 1869. Pre David sent c. 3,000 spp. of plants to France from China.) Ch. "glandular-fruit r."
R. davidsoninum
Rehd. &Wils. (of Dr. W.H. Davidson of the Friends Mission in China) intr. 1903 Ch. "concave-leaf r."
R. decrum
Franch. (L. ornamental) intr. 1904 Ch. "great-white r."
R. degroninum
Carrire (of M. Degron, Dir. of French Posts, Yokohama, 1869)
ssp.
heptmerum
(Maxim.) Hara (G.
hepta
seven +
meros
part)
var.
hondonse
(Nakai) Hara (of Hondo, e.cent. Kyushu Isl., Japan)
var.
kyomarunse
(Yamazaki) Hara (of Kyomaru, Hiroshima Prefecture)
f.
amaginum
Hara (of Mt. Amagi, Japan)
ssp.
pentmerum
(Maxim.) Hara (G.
penta
five + part); formerly
R. metternichii
. This species has been in taxonomic flux. See Hiroshi Hara,
Journal of Japanese Botany
, Vol. 61 #8, Aug. 1986 245-47, and D.F. Chamberlain & Frank Doleshy, Vol. 62 #8, Aug. 1987 225-42.
R. dekatnum
Cowan (of Dekata, s.e. Tibet)
R. delictulum
Sleumer (L. a little delicate)
R. dendrcola
Hutch. (G.
dendron
tree + L. dweller)
Taronnse Group (of the Taron Gorge, Yunnan)
R. dendrcharis
Franch. (G. tree +
charis
grace) Franchet noted that it grew
ad truncos putridos
, at rotted trunks; cf.
R. petrocharis
) Ch. "tree-growing r."
R. denudtum
Lvl. (L. bare, stripped)
R. detrsile
Franch. (L. clean, from
detergere
to wash)
R. detznerinum
Sleum. (of H. Detzner, in 1914 with the Kaiser Wilhelm Land Boundary Commission in New Guinea)
R. dianthsmum
Sleum. (carnation-scented)
R. diaprpes
Balf.f. & W.W. Sm. (G. lit. distinguished) Ch. "noble r."
R. dichronthum
Diels (G.
di-
two,
chro-
color,
anthos
flower) Ch. "bicolored r."
ssp.
apodctum
(Balf.f. &W.W. Sm.) Cowan (G. lit. acceptable) Ch. "gratifying r."
ssp.
scyphoclyx
(Balf.f. & Forr.) Cowan (G.
skuphos
a cup + calyx)
ssp.
septentrionle
Cowan (L. northern)
R. dielsinum
Schlechter (of Friedrich L.E. Diels, 1874-1945, Ger. botanist)
R. dignbile
Cowan (L. amiable)
R. dilattum
D. Don apud G. Don (L. spread out, i.e. flowers) apud here = with.
R. dimiditum
Balf.f. (L. divided in two)
R. dimtrium
Balf.f. & Forr. (G.
di-
two +
mtra
band, headband, i.e. calyx)
R. diphroclyx
Balf.f. (G.
diphros
bearing two + calyx, i.e. a wide, flat calyx)
R. disterigmodes
Sleumer (resembling
Disterigma
, i.e. the leaves)
R. dumcola
Tagg. & Forr. (L. thicket-dweller)
R. durioniflium
Beccari (foliage of
Durio zibethinus,
Durian, a large tree in w. Malay Archipelago)
Other Ericaceous Genera C
Callna
Salisbury (G.
kallunein
to brush or sweep, i.e. for brooms made from its twigs) 1 sp. Eur., Asia Minor, naturalized in N. Amer. Ling, Scottish Heather (ME
hadder
, Norse
heithr
)
C. vulgris
Hull (L. common) Fr.
Bruyre, Ger. Besenheide
, It.
Brntoli, Grecchia, Sp. Brezo
; many cvs.
C. hypnodes
(L.) D. Don (resembling
Hypnum
, a moss) intr. 1798
C. lycopodiodes
(Pallas) D. Don (resembling
Lycopodum
, Club Moss), cult. 1933
C. mertensina
(von Bongard) G. Don (of Franz K. Mertens, 1754-1831, Ger. botanist), White Heather; Cal. mts. no. to Alaska, Mont. John Muir often referred to it as his favorite flower.
C. selaginodes
Hook. f. & T. Thomson (resembling
Selaginella
, Little Club Moss or Spike M.) intr. 1820
C. tetragna
(L.) D. Don (G.
tetra
four +
gonu
knee, i.e. four-angled)
Cassope
D. Don (The name was chosen by David Don because Linnaeus had previously named the related Bog-Rosemary after her daughter Andromeda. Cassiope boasted that she was fairer than the Nereids. At their request Neptune sent a monster to ravage the country. His wrath could be appeased only by exposing Andromeda.) 12 spp. circumboreal, Himal., Eur.
C. fastigita
(Wall.) D. Don (L. branches erect and close together) intr. c. 1819
Cavendshia
Lindley (named for William G. Spencer, 6th Duke of Devonshire, 1790-1858; president, Horticultural Society of London, 1838-58; Chatsworth Gardens) c. 100 spp. trop. Amer. A few forms are cultivated as ornamentals.
Chamaedphne
Moench (G.
chamai
on the ground +
daphne
laurel) 1 sp. no. temp, circumpolar
C. calyculta
(L.) Moench (G. & L. calyx-like), Leatherleaf, Cassandra, cult. 1748
var.
angustiflia
(Ait.) Rehd. (L. narrow-leaf) Canada & U.S.
var.
latiflia
(Ait.) Fernald (L. broad-leaf) Canada
Other Ericaceous Genera D
Dabocia
D. Don (named for St. Dabeoc [different spelling], an early Irish saint) 2 spp. Ireland to Sp. & Azores. St. Dabeoc's Health, Irish Heath
D. azrica
Tutin & E.F.Warburg (of the Azores)
D. cantbrica
(Huds.) C. Koch (of Cantabria, ancient name of western Pyrenees) cult. 1800 many varieties, natural and cultivated
Dimorphnthera
(Drude) F. v. Mueller ex J.J. Sm. (G.
di-, morph-
form, + anther) 67 spp. Mai. esp. New Guinea.
D. kempteriana
(Woods 2101), an evergreen liana with an effect similar to that of
Bougainvillea
, was introduced to Britain in 1968.
D. amblyornidis
var.
moorhousiana
is similar. Rev. Cruttwell has called these plants the most beautiful of the
Rhododendron
relatives.
Distergma
(Klotzch) Niedenzu (G.
di-
two +
sterigmos
a setting firmly) c. 25 spp. trop. Andes