What Grows in Fullerton?: December 2012

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).

What Grows in Fullerton?

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Christmas rain