Gardeners tell us that the use of “professional” botanical language is one of their least favorite aspects of gardening.
It isn’t that they don’t understand the reasons why botanists use classical Greek and Latin to name plants —these being root languages. They understand the necessity of precision in the names, the necessity for classification, the necessity for a scientific approach. No matter—they still resist.
We believe the reason for this resistance is simply that people don’t like to sound foolish or dumb and let’s face it, some of the botanical pronunciations are difficult—perhaps impossible!—to master. Our plant journal has included pronunciation keys for this reason. This helps. Pronunciation may never turn out to be your favorite indoor sport, but at least we can make it easier for you to sound smart when you absolutely cannot avoid saying those words.
But . . . . have you ever wondered what the Greek and Latin words actually mean? They are used by botanists to describe characteristics that make plants different, tell us where they come from, the conditions they prefer, if they smell good, if they taste good (or not) and even when they flower. Some words tell us the leaf or flower color or the pattern of growth. By learning a relatively few words, you can significantly improve your understanding of botanical language. Next time you are reading a catalogue or a garden center poster, your newfound knowledge will help you feel like a pro. Most importantly, you will slowly begin to feel more secure around this language. Pretty soon, you’ll spend the winter practicing new words.
These words refer to the natural habitat:
alpestris - from lower mountain regions (below the tree line)
alpinus - from high mountains (above the tree line)
aquaticus - from water
arenarius - from a sandy soil
campestris - from open areas
pratensis - from meadows
maritimus - from the seaside
palustris - from a marshy area
saxatilis - from a rocky area
sylvaticus - from the woods
These words refer the way plants grow:
columnaris - column form
fastigiatus - upright and narrow
globularis - globe form
grandis - large
nanus - small
procumbens - flat
pyramidalis - pyramid form
repens - creeping
These words refer to when the plant flowers:
aestivalis - summer
autumnalis - fall
hyemalis - winter
vernalis - spring
These words refer to flower or leaf color:
albus - white
argenteus - silver
aurantiacus - orange
aureus - gold
azureus - blue
flavus pale - yellow
luteus - yellow
purpureus - purple
roseus - pink
ruber - red
variegatus - variegated
viridis - green
These words refer to fragrance:
aromaticus - aromatic
foetidus - bad smelling
fragrans - fragrant
odoratus - sweet smelling
pungens - pungent
P.S.
We practice new words all winter long when customers aren’t around to hear us.