Property:Etymology

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Presumably Arabic habb-el-misk, musk seed, alluding to scented seeds  +
Latin name of a European fir  +
Latin abietis, of conifer genus Abies, and - ella, diminutive, alluding to habit aspect  +
for Peder Chritian Abildgaard, 1740–1801, Danish professor of verterinary medicine  +
Greek abros, de licate or graceful  +
probably Arabic abu, father of, and Persian tula or tulha, mallow  +
Greek akaina, thorn, alluding to barbed spines arising from wall of hypanthium  +
Greek akalephe, stinging nettle, from a-, without, kalos, good, and haphe, touch, alluding to some species resembling Urtica (though not stinging)  +
Greek akamptos, stiff or unbending, and pappus, alluding to thick pappus elements  +
Greek akantha, thorn, and Cereus, a genus of cacti  +
Greek acantha, thorn, and scyphos, cup, alluding to awn on involucre  +
Greek acantha, prickle, and sperma, seed, alluding to prickly “fruits”  +
Greek a-, without, and kaulos, stalk or stem, alluding to stemless habit  +
for Greek god Achilles, who is supposed to have used the plants to treat his wounds  +
Greek Achlus, a god of night  +
Greek achyron, scale, and Latin achaenium, fruit, alluding to cypselae  +
Greek achyron, chaff, and anthos, flower  +
Greek achuron, chaff, and onyx, onychos, nail or fingernail, alluding to the chaffy sepals  +
Greek a, without, cleis, thing that closes, and anthos, flower  +, alluding to lack of involucre  +
From a Singhalese name for a plant now known as Blainvillea acmella (Linnaeus) Philipson  +
Greek a-, without, coelo, hollow, and raphe, in reference to shape of the seed  +
according to Pliny, the name "aconite" is taken from the ancient Black Sea port Aconis  +
Greek acon, whetstone, and gone, seed, perhaps alluding to rough seeds  +
Latin form of Greek akoron, presumably an ancient plant name  +
For Mrs. A’Court, a British amateur botanist  +
Greek akron, summit, and kome, hairs of the head, in reference to the high crown of leaves  +, akrokomos, with leaves at the top, said especially of palms  +
Greek akros, top, and poros, pore, possibly alluding to tubulose points of branches  +
Greek akron, tip, and ptilon, feather, describing the pappus bristles  +
Greek acros, at the end, tip, and stichos, row, referring to the distal spore-bearing pinnae  +
Greek, aktea, ancient name for the elder, probably for leaf similarity  +
Greek aktis, ray, and stachys, spike, referring to the rays of the fertile leaves  +
Greek a-, not, and delos, evident, alluding to small, obscure flowers  +
Greek aden, gland, and kaulos, stem  +
Greek adeno, gland, and phyllon, leaf  +
Greek a den, gland, and stoma, mouth, alluding to gland at rim of hypanthium  +
Greek adiantos, unwetted, for the glabrous leaves, which shed raindrops  +
For John Adlum, 1759-1836, a horticulturist born in York, Pa., died in Georgetown, D.C.  +
For Adolphe Brongniart, 1801–1876, French botanist and student of Rhamnaceae  +
Greek mythology: sprouted from blood of Adonis, lover of Aphrodite, based on the blood red flowers  +
Dioscoridean name for A. arboreum  +
Greek aga-, very or much, and genus Linum, alluding to resemblance of stems and leaves  +
Greek mythological daughter of Clisthenes, alluding to beauty of flowers  +
Greek agave, noble or admirable  +
A mythi-cal hermaphrodite monster, in reference to the original inclusion in Menispermaceae, where it was the only genus with bisexual flowers  +
Generic name Ageratum and Latin - ina, diminutive  +
Greek a, not, and geras, old age, apparently alluding to long-lasting nature of flowers  +
Possibly Greek agnostos, unknown, and rhiza, root, alluding to the initially unknown roots  +, in protologue of basionym of type species, Greene stated, “Root unknown.”  +
Greek agos, leader, and seris, chicory  +, allusion unclear  +
Greek Argemone from argemos, cataract of eye, alluding to supposed curative properties of plant for eye disease  +
Greek agros, field, and stemma, crown or wreath, alluding to the flowers’ use in garlands  +
Japanese akebi, name for Akebia quinata  +
Greek alkea, a kind of mallow  +
Arabic name alkemelyeh, perhaps alluding to alchemists' interest in reputed marvelous powers of its dew  +
Greek aletris, a female slave who ground corn, alluding to the mealy texture of the perianths  +
ancient Greek name, adopted by Linnaeus from Dioscorides  +
for Robert Allen Rolfe, English botanist, 1855–1921  +
Genus Allium, garlic or onion, and Latin –aria, connection, alluding to odor of crushed plant  +
For C. Allioni, 1725–1804, Italian botanist  +
Latin, classical name for garlic  +
Greek allos, other or different, and tropos, turn or direction, alluding to inflorescence  +
Greek allo- , different, and genus Wissadula  +
For Almut G. Jones, b. 1923, American Aster specialist  +
Latin alnus, alder  +
Arabic alloeh, a name for these or similar plants  +
Genus Aloë and Latin -ina, resembling, alluding to fleshy leaves  +
Greek a, not, and lophos, crest, referring to the absence of style crests  +
for Italian botanist Prosper Alpinus (1553–1617)  +
Anagram of generic name Lasia (now Forsstroemia), alluding to similarity  +
for Clas Alströmer, 1736–1794, Swedish naturalist and pupil of Linnaeus  +
Latin alternans, alternating, and anthera, anther, referring to the alternation of pseudostaminodes and stamens  +
For Althaea, wife of King Oeneus of Aetolia or Calydon  +
For Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras, ca. 1485 – 1541, member of Cortez’s expedition to Mexico  +
Greek, a-, not or without, and lyssa, rabies or madness  +, name used for plants reputed in ancient times as remedy for hydrophobia, cure for madness, and calmative for anger  +
Greek amarantos, unfading, nonwith ering  +
Generic name Amauria, and Greek - opsis, resembling  +
Pre-Linnaean genus name Amberboi Vaillant, cited by Linnaeus in his original publication of Centaurea  +
Greek amblys, blunt, obtuse, and odon, tooth, alluding to peristome  +
Greek ambly, blunt, and lepis, scale  +
Greek ambly -, blunt, and pappos, pappus  +
Greek amblys, blunt, and stege, roof, alluding to obtuse operculum  +
Greek ambrosia, “food of the gods,” allusion unclear  +
Old Savoy name for Amelanchier ovalis Medikus  +
America plus orchis, from the American distribution of this close relative of Eurasian Orchis  +
merged Greek amiantos, unsoiled, and anthos, flower, alluding to the glandless tepals  +
For Paul Ammann, 1634–1691, Professor of Botany at Leipzig  +
for Pierre-Joseph Amoreux, 1741 – 1824, French physician and naturalist  +
Greek ampelos, vine, alluding to habit, and generic name Aster  +
Greek ampelos, grapevine, and -opsis, similarity  +
Greek amphi -, around, and achyron, chaff or husks, alluding to ring of pappus elements  +
Variant of Amphoridium (nomenclaturally unavailable), diminutive of Greek amphora, flask, alluding to capsule shape  +
Greek amphi- , double or two, and pappos, pappus alluding to dimorphic pappi, ray cypselae and disc cypselae  +
Greek amphi- , doubtful, ambiguous, and Latin scirpus, bulrush  +
Greek ana- , back, kamptos, bent, and odon, tooth, alluding to reflexed exostome teeth  +
Greek ana- , above, and koleos, sheath, alluding to leaf base not sheathing  +
Greek anagalao, to laugh, alluding to fabled power to alleviate sadness  +
An ancient name or, perhaps, derived from generic name Gnaphalium  +
Greek ankistron, fish hook, referring to hooked centr al spines, and Cactus, an old genus name  +
Greek ankistros, fishhook, and karphos, chaff, alluding to staminate paleae of type species  +
For J. G. R. Andreae, 1724–1793, apothecary of Hanover, Germany  +
Genus Andreaea and Greek bryon, moss, alluding to anomalous resemblance  +