Property:Etymology

Usage2264

A

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 +

Acroporium +

Greek akros, top, and poros, pore, possibly alluding to tubulose points of branches +

Acroptilon +

Greek akron, tip, and ptilon, feather, describing the pappus bristles +

Acrostichum +

Greek acros, at the end, tip, and stichos, row, referring to the distal spore-bearing pinnae +

Actaea +

Greek, aktea, ancient name for the elder, probably for leaf similarity +

Actinostachys +

Greek aktis, ray, and stachys, spike, referring to the rays of the fertile leaves +

Adelia +

Greek a-, not, and delos, evident, alluding to small, obscure flowers +

Adenocaulon +

Greek aden, gland, and kaulos, stem +

Adenophyllum +

Greek adeno, gland, and phyllon, leaf +

Adenostoma +

Greek a den, gland, and stoma, mouth, alluding to gland at rim of hypanthium +

Adiantum +

Greek adiantos, unwetted, for the glabrous leaves, which shed raindrops +

Adlumia +

For John Adlum, 1759-1836, a horticulturist born in York, Pa., died in Georgetown, D.C. +

Adolphia +

For Adolphe Brongniart, 1801–1876, French botanist and student of Rhamnaceae +

Adonis +

Greek mythology: sprouted from blood of Adonis, lover of Aphrodite, based on the blood red flowers +

Aeonium +

Dioscoridean name for A. arboreum +

Agalinis +

Greek aga-, very or much, and genus Linum, alluding to resemblance of stems and leaves +

Agarista +

Greek mythological daughter of Clisthenes, alluding to beauty of flowers +

Agave +

Greek agave, noble or admirable +

Agdestis +

A mythi-cal hermaphrodite monster, in reference to the original inclusion in Menispermaceae, where it was the only genus with bisexual flowers +

Ageratina +

Generic name Ageratum and Latin - ina, diminutive +

Ageratum +

Greek a, not, and geras, old age, apparently alluding to long-lasting nature of flowers +

Agnorhiza +

Possibly Greek agnostos, unknown, and rhiza, root, alluding to the initially unknown roots +, in protologue of basionym of type species, Greene stated, “Root unknown.” +

Agoseris +

Greek agos, leader, and seris, chicory +, allusion unclear +

Agrimonia +

Greek Argemone from argemos, cataract of eye, alluding to supposed curative properties of plant for eye disease +

Agrostemma +

Greek agros, field, and stemma, crown or wreath, alluding to the flowers’ use in garlands +

Akebia +

Japanese akebi, name for Akebia quinata +

Alcea +

Greek alkea, a kind of mallow +

Alchemilla +

Arabic name alkemelyeh, perhaps alluding to alchemists' interest in reputed marvelous powers of its dew +

Aletris +

Greek aletris, a female slave who ground corn, alluding to the mealy texture of the perianths +

Alisma +

ancient Greek name, adopted by Linnaeus from Dioscorides +

Allenrolfea +

for Robert Allen Rolfe, English botanist, 1855–1921 +

Alliaria +

Genus Allium, garlic or onion, and Latin –aria, connection, alluding to odor of crushed plant +

Allionia +

For C. Allioni, 1725–1804, Italian botanist +

Allium +

Latin, classical name for garlic +

Allotropa +

Greek allos, other or different, and tropos, turn or direction, alluding to inflorescence +

Allowissadula +

Greek allo- , different, and genus Wissadula +

Almutaster +

For Almut G. Jones, b. 1923, American Aster specialist +

Alnus +

Latin alnus, alder +

Aloe +

Arabic alloeh, a name for these or similar plants +

Aloina +

Genus Aloë and Latin -ina, resembling, alluding to fleshy leaves +

Alophia +

Greek a, not, and lophos, crest, referring to the absence of style crests +

Alpinia +

for Italian botanist Prosper Alpinus (1553–1617) +

Alsia +

Anagram of generic name Lasia (now Forsstroemia), alluding to similarity +

Alstroemeria +

for Clas Alströmer, 1736–1794, Swedish naturalist and pupil of Linnaeus +

Alternanthera +

Latin alternans, alternating, and anthera, anther, referring to the alternation of pseudostaminodes and stamens +

Althaea +

For Althaea, wife of King Oeneus of Aetolia or Calydon +

Alvaradoa +

For Pedro de Alvarado y Contreras, ca. 1485 – 1541, member of Cortez’s expedition to Mexico +

Alyssum +

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 +

Amaranthus +

Greek amarantos, unfading, nonwith ering +

Amauriopsis +

Generic name Amauria, and Greek - opsis, resembling +

Amberboa +

Pre-Linnaean genus name Amberboi Vaillant, cited by Linnaeus in his original publication of Centaurea +

Amblyodon +

Greek amblys, blunt, obtuse, and odon, tooth, alluding to peristome +

Amblyolepis +

Greek ambly, blunt, and lepis, scale +

Amblyopappus +

Greek ambly -, blunt, and pappos, pappus +

Amblystegium +

Greek amblys, blunt, and stege, roof, alluding to obtuse operculum +

Ambrosia +

Greek ambrosia, “food of the gods,” allusion unclear +

Amelanchier +

Old Savoy name for Amelanchier ovalis Medikus +

Amerorchis +

America plus orchis, from the American distribution of this close relative of Eurasian Orchis +

Amianthium +

merged Greek amiantos, unsoiled, and anthos, flower, alluding to the glandless tepals +

Ammannia +

For Paul Ammann, 1634–1691, Professor of Botany at Leipzig +

Amoreuxia +

for Pierre-Joseph Amoreux, 1741 – 1824, French physician and naturalist +

Ampelaster +

Greek ampelos, vine, alluding to habit, and generic name Aster +

Ampelopsis +

Greek ampelos, grapevine, and -opsis, similarity +

Amphiachyris +

Greek amphi -, around, and achyron, chaff or husks, alluding to ring of pappus elements +

Amphidium +

Variant of Amphoridium (nomenclaturally unavailable), diminutive of Greek amphora, flask, alluding to capsule shape +

Amphipappus +

Greek amphi- , double or two, and pappos, pappus alluding to dimorphic pappi, ray cypselae and disc cypselae +

Amphiscirpus +

Greek amphi- , doubtful, ambiguous, and Latin scirpus, bulrush +

Anacamptodon +

Greek ana- , back, kamptos, bent, and odon, tooth, alluding to reflexed exostome teeth +

Anacolia +

Greek ana- , above, and koleos, sheath, alluding to leaf base not sheathing +

Anagallis +

Greek anagalao, to laugh, alluding to fabled power to alleviate sadness +

Anaphalis +

An ancient name or, perhaps, derived from generic name Gnaphalium +

Ancistrocactus +

Greek ankistron, fish hook, referring to hooked centr al spines, and Cactus, an old genus name +

Ancistrocarphus +

Greek ankistros, fishhook, and karphos, chaff, alluding to staminate paleae of type species +

Andreaea +

For J. G. R. Andreae, 1724–1793, apothecary of Hanover, Germany +

Andreaeobryum +

Genus Andreaea and Greek bryon, moss, alluding to anomalous resemblance +

Andromeda +

For Greek mythological daughter of Cepheus and Cassiope, married to Perseus +

Androsace +

Greek, andros, male, and sakos, shield, alluding to anther shape +

Androstephium +

Greek andros, stamen, and stephanos, crown, alluding to the apical appendages of the united filaments +

Anelsonia +

For Aven Nelson, 1859–1952, American botanist who studied the flora of Wyoming and neighboring states +

Anemia +

Greek aneimon, without clothing, referring to the absence of blade protection for the sporangia +

Anemone +

etymology not clear: probably Greek anemos, wind +, possibly from Naaman, Se for Adonis, whose blood, according to myth, produced Anemone coronaria +

Anemopsis +

Greek anemone, the windflower, and opsis, appearance +

Angelonia +

Latin rendering of Venezuelan common name angelon +

Anisocarpus +

Greek anisos, unequal or dissimilar, and karpos, fruit, alluding to contrasting ray (fertile) and disc (sterile) ovaries in type species +

Anisocoma +

Greek anisos, unequal, and coma, hair, alluding to pappus +

Annona +

native Hispaniolan anon or hanon, given to A. muricata +

Anoda +

Ceylonese vernacular name for a species of Abutilon +

Anoectangium +

Greek anoiktos, opened, and angos, container, alluding to wide-mouthed capsule +

Anomobryum +

Greek anomos, lawless or different, and bryon, moss, alluding to somewhat hypnaceous distal laminal cells +

Anomodon +

Greek, anomalos, abnormal, and odon, tooth, alluding to reduced peristome +

Anredera +

for Anreder, about whom nothing else is known +

Antennaria +

Latin antenna, and aria, connection to or possession of, alluding to similarity of clavate pappus bristles in staminate florets to antennae of some insects +

Anthemis +

Greek anthemon, flower +

Antigonon +

etymology uncertain +, perhaps Greek anti- , against, and gony, knee, alluding to angled stems, or Greek anti- , in place of, and genus Polygonum, alluding to affinity +

Antirrhinum +

Greek anti, like or resembling, and rhinos, nose, alluding to shape of corolla +

Antitrichia +

Greek anti, opposite, and thrix, hair, alluding to endostome segments opposite exostome teeth +

Anulocaulis +

Latin anulus, ring, and caule, stem, in reference to the sticky internodal rings +

Aongstroemia +

For Johan Ångström, 1813–1879, Swedish bryologist +

Apacheria +

For Apache Indians +

Aphanes +

Greek aphanes, unseen, invisible, alluding to inconspicuous nature of plants and/or flowers +