RHS Latin for Gardeners: Over 3,000 Plant Names Explained and Explored: More than 1,500 Essential Plant Names and the Secrets They Contain

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This does sound like a handy reference book and I am such a plant geek I would probably read the thing. On the other hand, you might expect a plant with the epithet melliodorus ( Eucalyptus melliodorus) to be foul-smelling, but actually its name means it has the scent of honey.

As the government’s national archive for England, Wales and the United Kingdom, The National Archives hold over 1,000 years of the nation’s records for everyone to discover and use. These dictionaries have been updated and revised over the years, especially to confirm new generic names we use today.Fascinating feature spreads retell the adventures of important plant hunters such as Sir Joseph Banks and Alexander von Humboldt, and explain how their discoveries affect the way our gardens look today. So where a plant has the word orientalis as part of its Latin name you’ll recognise it’s something to do with the orient or east. Learning the roots of the Latin names can often help with remembering the binomial tag of a plant, but it can also lead the unwary astray. This book includes a definition and pronunciation guide for each word, as well as a 16-page alphabetical index, so that it can still be used as a conventional dictionary of Latin names.

For instance, isn’t it worth something to know that Alyssum (now Lobularia) was at one time used to treat madness?

These are some of the questions answered in Peter Parker's adventurous exploration of the mysteries of Botanical Latin. He does list genera and species but only in a few short pages at the end of his subject-orientated eight chapters, giving examples relevant to each topic. It is rewarding to figure out the meaning of a plant name – it also really helps me to remember plant names!

Actually, most of Latin for Gardeners is a dictionary of epithets – the second or specific names of plants, not the first or genus name.Harrison presents it in an encyclopedic format for easy reference, but also interjects interesting plant profile pages and illustrated feature articles that dive a bit deeper. Her previous titles include How to Read Gardens and The Shaker Book of the Garden, and she regularly contributes to Gardens Illustrated and Hortus magazine. Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).

This is the ideal gift for a keen gardener, and absolutely perfect for anyone fascinated by botanical plant names. and they and their garden will benefit from understanding the wealth of information that has hitherto lain hidden within the mysterious world of Latin names. Full of expert instruction and practical guidance, Latin for Gardeners will allow novices and green thumbs alike to better appreciate the seemingly esoteric names behind the plants they work with, and to expertly converse with fellow enthusiasts. It contains 1,500 of the most useful and most widespread Latin names, organized into thematic chapters including Colour, Size, Form and Habitat.And some famous plant hunters are also given a page or two, with examples of the plants they discovered on various continents.