What Grows in Fullerton?: Western fence lizard

Monday, April 9, 2012

Western fence lizard

A western fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), one of the most common lizards in Southern California.

This was actually in Yorba Linda, but it is hard to get good pictures of lizards, they skitter off so quickly most of the time.

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Some Latin for Gardeners

aestivalis = summer
albus = white
alpinus = alpine (growing above tree-line)
aquaticus = aquatic, living in water
arenarius = living in a sandy area
argentus = silver
aromaticus = aromatic
atropurpureus = dark purple
aurea, aureus = gold
autumnalis = autumn
azurea, azureus = sky-blue
caeruleus = mid-blue
chinensis = from China
citrinus = lemon-colored
columnaris = like a column
communis = common
cordatus = heart-shaped
divaricatus = straggly
erecta = erect, upright
fastigiatus = upright
felosmus = foul-smelling
flavus = pale yellow
floribundus = free-flowering
foetidus = foetid, foul-smelling
fragrans = scented
frigidus = growing in cold regions
fructicosus = bushy, shrubby
frutescens = shrubby
fulgens = glistening
glaucus = covered with bloom
globosus = round, globe-shaped
gracilis = graceful, slender
grandiflorus = large-flowered
grandifolius = large-leaved
horridus = prickly
hyemalis = winter
inodorous = without fragrance
japonica = from Japan
lanatus = wooly
limosus = growing in marshy places
linearis = narrow, linear
lunatus = crescent-shaped
lutea = yellow
mollis = soft, downy
nana, nanus = tiny, dwarf-like
nigra, nigrum = black
noctiflorus = night-flowering
odoratus, odorus = sweet-scented
palustris = from a damp or wet place
pendula = weeping, with its branches or stems hanging down
pictus = variegated (lit. "painted")
plicatus = pleated
praecox = early
prostrata, prostratus = prostrate
procumbens = falling forwards, prostrate
pulchra, pulchrum = pretty
pumilus = dward
punctatus = spotted
pungens = pungent
purpureus = purple
pyramidalis = shaped like a pyramid
recumbens = reclining, falling downwards
repens = creeping
roseus = rose-pink
rotundifolia = round
rubra, rubus = red
saxatilis = living in a rocky area
scandens = climbing
serratifolius = serrated
sempervirens = evergreen
spinosus = spiny
sylvaticus, sylvestris, sylvicolus = growing in woods
variegatus = variegated
vernalis = spring
virginiana = from Virginia
viridis = green
viscosus = sticky
vulgaris = vulgar, common

For many more words and their definitions, see Chuck Griffiths' Dictionary of Botanical Epithets online, or Gardener's Latin : a Lexicon by Bill Neal (Algonquin, 1992).