ROOTS OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES

PLANT CURIOSITIES

What do those cryptic scientific names mean? Before starting with the plant list, here are some names that occur in multiple species, so the details are put here and will not be repeated later.

Names derived from people fremontii After John Charles Frémont (1813–1890), the “Pathfinder.” Frémont was an Army officer, a senator representing the new state of California in 1850, and in 1856 a presidential candidate of the anti-slavery Republican Party. Apparently, he was also an avid and prolific plant collector on his four expeditions to the American West in the 1840s. nuttallii, nuttallianus, nuttallianum, nuttalliana After Thomas Nuttall (1786–1859), an English botanist and ornithologist who explored America from 1808 to 1841. parryi, parryii After Dr. Charles Christopher Parry (1823–1890), who, of course, named the Torrey Pine and the Chaparral Yucca, among numerous other plants that actually bear his name.

Names related to places californica, californicus, californicum: California

Suffixes meaning flowers

-anthos, -anthus, from the Greek anthos, blossom

-florum, -flora, from the Latin flos

Suffixes meaning grasses

-chloa, possibly from Greek, in which chloros is greenish

Suffixes meaning leaves

-folium, -folia, from the Latin word folium

-phyllum, -phylla, from the Greek word phyllon

Prefixes and names for specific features edulis-, edible; from the Latin edere, eat dumosum, dumosa, bushy, shrubby; from the Latin dumus, thorny bush

1 Eri-, Erio-, hairy or woolly; from the Greek erion fasciculata, fasciculatum, from Latin fasciculus, little bundle; also fascis, bundle longi-, long; from the Latin longus macro-, large maritima, maritimum, near, of, or from the sea oblongi-, oblong, from combining Latin ob-, for against or facing, and longus, long, so (not really long, just) somewhat long parvi-, small; from the Latin parvis or parvus, small, little pauci-, few; from the Latin paucus, few, small in quantity sessili-, without a stalk; from the Latin sessilis, sitting umbellata, umbellatum, in umbels, usually in describing an inflorescence; from the Latin umbella, parasol, shade

Suffixes, meaning of Many suffixes mean related to, or resembling something else. So for many scientific names, especially species names, focus on the first part of a word for its meaning. There are many variations because a particular suffix depends on whether the word to be modified is singular or plural, masculine, feminine or neuter, and in what form and part of speech.

-acea, -ea From Latin, indicating resemblance; -acea also for indicating position

-ale, -alis, -aris From Latin, pertaining to

-ana, -anum From Latin, indicating connection or association with

-ans From Latin, assuming the appearance

-ata, -atum, -atus From Latin, possessing

-culus, -culum, -lus From Latin, diminutive

-ellum, -ella From Latin, diminutive

-ense, -ensis

2 From Latin, denoting (geographical) origin

-estre, -estris From Latin, belonging to, living in, loving

-eum From Greek, belonging to

-ica, -icum From Latin, belonging to

-idea, -idium From Greek, resembling; see also -oidea listed below

-ina, -inum, -inus From Latin, property of, pertaining to

-issima, issimum, issimus From Latin, most

-ites From Greek, closely connected

-ium From Latin, characteristic of; also used for indicating resemblance

-oid, -oidea, -oides, -odes, -oeides From Greek, meaning resembling, or “like that.” There are many Latinized forms from variations of the Greek eidos, meaning form or likeness; idein, to know or to see; and eidenai, to know, literally to see. The “-o” is used as a connective. See also -idea listed above.

-ola, -olus, olum From Latin, diminutive

-osa, -osus From Latin, abundance

-ula, -ulum, -ulus From Latin, diminutive. A suffix such as -ulatum is a combination of -ula and -atum, possessing. Same as -ulata, having a smaller version of something.

The plants are ordered by their scientific names under ferns, monocots, and dicots. The common names may not cover what you are familiar with, but we have decided not to list all probable variations as the objective of this plant list is to understand the meaning of the scientific names.

Nonnative plants have “(xN)” appended to their common names.

3 FERNS AND FERN-ALLIES

Polypodiaceae

Polypodium californicum California Polypody Poly-, Greek for many -podium, from the Greek podion, little foot Polypodium, many feet, referring to the rhizome and its branches.

Pteridaceae

Pellaea andromedifolia Coffee Fern, Coffee Cliffbrake Pellaea, from the Greek pellaio, dark colored, here referring to the dark stalks of this fern. andro-, shortened form of andromedea, referring to Andromeda, daughter of Ethiopian king Cepheus. andromedifolia, having leaves like those of Andromeda polifolia, the bog rosemary.

Selaginellaceae

Selaginella cinerascens Mesa Spikemoss, Gray Spikemoss, Ashy Spikemoss Selaginella, resembling a small Selago, a plant with moss-like features. cinerascens, gray or ashy-gray, from the Latin cinerarius, pertaining to ashes; cinis means ashes, or spent love.

MONOCOTS

Amaryllidaceae Amaryllis

Allium haematochiton Red-Skin Onion, Wild Onion Allium, Latin for garlic haemato-, pertaining to blood; from the Greek haimo, blood or meaning blood red. -chiton, from Ancient Greek khiton and Latin chiton, tunic. A chiton was a loose, woolen tunic in Ancient Greece. Here chiton refers to the coating or skin of the bulb. haematochiton, blood-red skin

Asparagaceae

Agave shawii var. shawii

4 Shaw's Agave, Coastal Agave Agave, from the Greek agauós, noble, illustrious; here referring to the tall flower stalk. shawii, in honor of Henry Shaw (1800 – 1899), English born industrialist, philanthropist, and founder of the Missouri Botanical Garden. In Greek mythology, Agave was the daughter of Cadmus and Harmonia, and the mother of Pentheus. And there is another shawii as in Lycium shawii, which is named after W. B. Kennedy Shaw (1901– ?), an English-born forester in the Sudan. What makes tequila? Agave tequilana, blue agave (agave azul) down in Mexico.

Chlorogalum parviflorum Small-flower Soap Plant, Coast Soap Plant, Amole Chloro-, from the Greek chloros, greenish -galum, from the Greek gala, milk Chlorogalum, green milk parvi-, small parviflorum, small flower The “green milk” most likely refers to whitish soap from a green plant, not that the (root) soap is green.

Dichelostemma capitatum ssp. capitatum Blue Dicks, Wild Hyacinth Dichelo-, from the Greek dichelo-, meaning cloven (hoof) -ostemma, from the Latin stemma, a wreath or garland (crown) Dichelostemma, a “toothed crown” capitatum, a “knob-shaped head” from the Latin capitatus, headed, or capit-, caput head; generally in reference to the inflorescence being a cluster at the end of a (mostly bare) stem. So here, this is a plant with a toothed crown headed flower. The toothed crown could also refer to pointed appendages on the stamens.

Hesperoyucca whipplei (syn. Yucca whipplei) Chaparral Yucca, Our Lord's Candle Hespero-, from the Latin hespero or hespera, meaning western Hesperoyucca, a western yucca plant (see below for Yucca) whipplei, named after Lt. Amiel Weeks Whipple by Charles Parry during the U.S.-Mexican Boundary Survey. Later Whipple was the topographical surveyor in charge of the 1853-4 Pacific Railroad Survey.

Yucca schidigera Mohave Yucca, Spanish Dagger Yucca, a variant of yuca, from the Spanish for cassava in the Caribbean; presumably because Carl Linnaeus and others confused it with that plant. schidi-, from the Latin schidia or Ancient Greek scheggia, splinter

5 -gera, has multiple usages, but roughly can mean “making.” Together, schidigera can mean fiber making.

Iridaceae Iris The family name is based on the genus Iris, which is taken from Ancient Greek Iris, the messenger of the gods but also known as the goddess of the sea and the sky, or more notably the goddess of the rainbow.

Sisyrinchium bellum Blue-Eyed Grass, Western Blue Eyed Grass Sisy-, from the Greek sys or Latin sus, allegedly meant to be a preface for pig, which is choiros. -rinchium, from the Greek rynchos, snout Sisyrinchium, literally pig snout. Pliny used the Greek Sisyrinchion for the Barbary nut iris (Moraea sisyrinchium). Here, the genus name refers to the roots being consumed by swine. bellum, from the Latin bellus, pretty, handsome

Juncaceae Rush

Juncus acutus ssp. leopoldii Southwestern Spiny Rush, Spike Rush Juncus, Latin for rush. The name is possibly derived from iungere also jungere, to join or bind, because the stems were used for binding. acutus, Latin for sharp, sharpened, pointed. leopoldii, named after Leopold II (1797–1870), Grand Duke of Tuscan, by the Italian botanist Filippo Parlatore (1816–1877).

Liliaceae Lily is from the Greek lilium.

Calochortus splendens Splendid Mariposa Lily, Lilac Mariposa Lily Calo-, from the Greek kalos, good or beautiful -chortus, grass; taken from Chorto, a seaside village in Greece, and by implication pasture or grass Calochortus, beautiful grass splendens, from the Latin splendere, shine, glitter, or splendor, brilliance So the plant is a beautiful, splendid grass, likely a reference to the long, basal leaves and the succeeding showy flower.

Calochortus weedii var. weedii Weed's Mariposa Lily, Yellow Mariposa Lily weedii, named after John (James) Tweedie (1775–1862), Scottish botanist who

6 began his exploration of Argentina when he was 52 years old.

Melanthiaceae

Toxicoscordion fremontii (syn. Zigadenus fremontii) Fremont's Camas, Star Lily, Fremont Death Camas Toxico-, from the Latin toxicum or Greek toxicon, poison -scordion, a plant that smells like garlic; from the Greek scordion, garlic Toxicoscordion, poisonous garlic; here naming after the resemblance of the bulb of the death camases to garlic (Allium sativum) fremontii, named after John Charles Fremont Ziga-, from the Greek zugon, yoke -denus, from the Greek aden or adenas, gland Zigadenus, yoked gland The common name death camas (as in Camassia in Agavoideae) is maybe more revealing; this whole plant is poisonous. The toxic alkaloid derived from the genus is even named zygadenine. The folklore is that the Lewis and Clark Expedition got sick after eating the bulbs. Without the flowers, it is easy to mistaken Zigadenus with Camassia.

Orchidaceae Orchard

Piperia cooperi Cooper’s Rein Orchid Piperia, named after Charles Vancouver Piper (1867–1926), agronomist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who compiled the first authoritative floral guide to the Pacific Northwest. cooperi, named after Dr. James Graham Cooper (1830–1902), who graduated as a physician, but worked as a geologist with the Geological Survey of California, and became an expert on biology and zoology during his survey expeditions.

Poaceae Grasses The family is from Ancient Greek poa, poie, or poia, for grass.

Distichlis spicata Saltgrass Dis-, Greek for double or twice. Distichlis, in two rows; from the Latin distichos, having two lines; referring to leaves conspicuously two-rowed and glabrous. spicata, from the Latin spicatus, spiky; spica is head, ear of grain.

Ehrharta calycina Perennial Veldt Grass (xN) Ehrharta, named after Jakob Friedrich Ehrhart (1742–1795), a German botanist and director of the Botanical Garden of Hannover.

7 caly-, from Ancient Greek kalux, calyx or case of a bud, husk calycina, calyx-like or with a persistent calyx

Ehrharta erecta Panic Veldt Grass (xN) erecta, Latin word for erect

Ehrharta longiflora Long-Flower Veldt Grass (xN) longi-, from the Latin longus, long longiflora, flowers with long corolla

Melinis repens Natal Red Top, Natal Grass (xN) Melinis, no reliable source but cannot be related to honey here; possibly from an Ancient Greek name for a cereal, which might be a millet. repens, having creeping and rooting stems; from the Latin repere, creep, crawl.

Muhlenbergia microsperma Littleseed Muhly Muhlenbergia, named after Gotthilf Henry Ernest Muhlenberg (1753–1815), a Lutheran minister in Pennsylvania and a botanist with grass as one of his specialties. micro-, from the Greek mikros, small -sperma, from the Greek sperma, seed microsperma, small-seeded

Stipa coronata (syn. Achnatherum coronatum) Giant Stipa, Crested Needle Grass Stipa, from the Greek stuppe (Latin stuppa), tow, coarse flax, fiber; for the feathery or plumose inflorescence. coronata, crowned; from the Latin corona, crown; coronatus, adorned with wreaths. Achna-, from the Greek achne, chaff, glume. -atherum, from the Greek ather, barb, stalk. Achnatherum, awn-scaled, bristle-like, referring to the grass spikelet (the lemma).

Stipa pulchra (syn. Nassella pulchra) Purple Needle Grass pulchra, from the Latin pulcher, pretty, beautiful Nass-, from the Latin nassa, a narrow neck wicker basket for catching fish Nassella, a little basket; -ella, diminutive So this California State Grass is probably good for making pretty little baskets.

8 DICOTS

Adoxaceae Elderberry, Moschatel

Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea (syn. Sambucus mexicana) Elderberry, Desert Elderberry, Mexican Elderberry, Blue Elderberry Sambucus, from Ancient Greek sambuke, a stringed musical instrument made from elder wood. nigra, from the Latin niger, black caerulea, dark blue or pertaining to the sky, sea or rivers; from the feminine form of the Latin caeruleum, with caelum for sky or heaven, and suffix -ulum, diminutive.

Aizoaceae Ice Plant From the Latin aizoon, an evergreen plant; in Ancient Greek, aei, forever; zoion, living thing.

Carpobrotus edulis Hottentot Fig, Yellow Ice Plant (xN) Carpo-, from the Greek karpos, fruit -brotus, from the Greek brotos, edible edulis, Latin for edible; edere is eat, consume, devour. So this invasive plant has a very edible fruit. The common name Hottentot fig came from South Africa, where the fruit of the plant is used to make (tart) jam and pie.

Carpobrotus chilensis Sea Fig (xN) chilensis, from or referring to Chile The species name probably came from where it was first found, or introduced from South Africa.

Amaranthaceae Amaranth The family name is derived from the Greek amarantos, meaning unfading, perpetual, meant for long-lasting flowers, but could also apply to the hardiness of many of these plants.

Atriplex canescens Fourwing Saltbush, Hoary Saltbush Atriplex, an ancient Latin name for this plant; from the Latin atriplex, kitchen herb, orach-vegetable canescens, from the Latin canescens, covered in gray or grayish white, likely referring to hairs.

9 Atriplex semibaccata Australian Saltbush (xN) semi-, half -baccata, berry-like; from the Latin bacca, berry, fruit of tree semibaccata, somewhat berry-like

Bassia hyssopifolia Fivehook Bassia, Five Horn Bassia (xN) Bassia, named after Ferdinando Bassi (1710–1774), an Italian botanist and Prefect of the Bologna Botanical Garden. hyssopi-, from the Latin hysopum and Ancient Greek hussopos for aromatic herbs of the genus Hyssopus in the mint family Lamiaceae. hyssopifolia, having leaves like Hyssop.

Chenopodium murale Nettle-Leaved Goosefoot, Nettle Leaf Goosefoot (xN) Cheno-, from the Greek chen, or Ancient Greek khen, goose -podium, from the Greek podion, little foot; pous is foot. Chenopodium, goosefoot; in reference to the shape of the leaves in some species. murale, growing on walls; from the Latin murale, of or relating to a wall, or against a wall.

Extriplex californica (syn. Atriplex californica) California Saltbush Ex-, from Latin ex, out; used as a prefix meaning on the outside Extriplex, outside of Atriplex, where this plant was formerly placed under

Mesembryanthemum crystallinum Crystalline Ice Plant, Common Iceplant (xN) Mesembry-, from the Greek mesembria, midday; by implication, the south -anthemum, Greek for flower crystallinum, from the Latin crystallinum, has property of crystal, crystalline

Mesembryanthemum nodiflorum Slender-Leaf Iceplant, Little Ice Plant (xN) nodi-, from the Latin nodus, knot or node nodiflorum, flower with knot

Salsola tragus Prickly Russian Thistle, Russian Tumbleweed (xN) Sal-, from Latin (and Greek) sal, salt Salsola, from the Latin salsus, salty; referring to the fact that many of these plants have a high salt tolerance. tragus, from the Latin tragus, or Greek tragos, goat

Salicornia pacifica (syn. Sarcocornia pacifica, Salicornia virginica) Pacific Swampfire, Pacific Glasswort, Pacific Pickleweed Sali-, from Latin (and Greek) sal, salt

10 -cornia, from the Latin cornus, dogwood, cornel-wood (Cornus is a genus in Cornaceae); possibly meaning horn in Greek Salicornia, salty horn-like branches Sar-, from the Greek sarx, flesh Sarcocornia, fleshy horn-like branches pacifica, of or near the Pacific

Salicornia subterminalis (preferred syn. Arthrocnemum subterminale) Parish's Glasswort, Parish's Pickleweed -terminalis, terminal, from the Latin terminus, boundary, limit, end subterminalis, almost or nearly terminal Arthro-, from the Greek arthron, joint -cnemum, from the Greek kneme, knee; could also be knemis or knemidos, a legging Arthrocnemum, jointed leg or knee, referring to the stems

Suaeda esteroa Estuary Seablite, California Seablite Suaeda, from an old Arabic name for this plant esteroa, from the Latin aestuarium, which itself is from aestus, tide, and the suffix -arium, place for. A place for the tide would be an estuary.

Suaeda taxifolia (Suaeda californica var. pubescens) Woolly Seablite taxifolia, having leaves like that of the yew tree (Taxus baccata)

Anacardiaceae Sumac, also as the Cashew family The family name is from the Greek ana, upwards or apart/without, and cardium, related to the heart. The family is named after the cashew genus Anacardium in which the seed is located outside the core of the fruit, and thus without a heart.

Malosma laurina (syn. Rhus laurina) Laurel Sumac, California Sumac Mal-, from the Latin Malus, apple tree (here, not bad or evil) -osma, odor, smell laurina, from the Latin Laurus, bay tree; laurina means like the Laurel. The (unfolded) leaves resemble those of the Laurel tree (bay leaf that is used in cooking is from Laurus nobilis), and they smell like apple (when you crush the leaves or in the air on a warm day). The apple smell is rather faint, but it is a lot stronger and pleasant with the Sugar Bush (Rhus ovata).

Rhus integrifolia Lemonadeberry, Lemonade Sumac Rhus is the Greek name for Sumac. integri-, from the Latin integritas, completeness; integer or integra (feminine), complete, whole.

11 integrifolia, with complete leaves So the plant is a Sumac with whole, undivided leaves.

Toxicodendron diversilobum Western Poison Oak, Pacific Poison Oak Toxico-, poison; from the Latin toxicum or Greek toxicon. In Latin, toxicum is a poison in which arrows are dipped, and in Greek, toxikos is for the bow or belonging to the bow, referring to a poison in which arrows are dipped. -dendron, tree; from Ancient Greek dendrites, of or pertaining to a tree. Toxicodendron, poison tree diversi-, from the Latin diversum, diverse, different -lobum, from Ancient Greek lobos, lobe diversilobum, diverse lobe, referring to the varied-shape leaves.

Apiaceae Celery, aka carrot or parsley The family name is from the Latin apium for celery or parsley.

Foeniculum vulgare Sweet Fennel (xN) Foeni-, from the Latin foenum, hay; in reference to the smell in other plants (certainly sweet fennel smells much better). Foeniculum, diminutive; small hay. vulgare, common; from the Latin vulgare, spread around, among the multitude; also vulgus, common people, multitude.

Lomatium lucidum Shiny Lomatium, Biscuit Root Loma-, possibly from the Greek loma, bordered. Lomatium, little border, possibly a way to express the wing-like fruits. lucidum, from the Latin lucidus and Ancient Greek lucere, full of light, clear; bright.

Apocynaceae Dogbane Derived from Latin apocynon or ancient Greek apokunon, meaning dog's bane, referring to plants poisonous to dogs. As for apokunon, apo- is from the Greek apo, away from or “off.” (In biochemistry, apo is the prefix for a protein in an inactive or unbound state.) And -kunon is from the Greek kuon, for dog.

Funastrum cynanchoides var. hartwegii (syn. Sarcostemma cynanchoides) Climbing Milkweed, Vining Milkweed, Fringed Milkvine Fun-, from the Latin funis, rope -astrum, from the Latin astrum, celestial body, star Funastrum, literally a rope of stars cynanchoides, resembling cynanchia, which is derived from the Latin cynanche, inflammation of the throat, a bad sore throat that’s like a dog’s collar; also in

12 Greek, kunancho, or kuon anche, dog strangulation, referring to the pain. Sarco-, from the Greek sarx, flesh -stemma, from the Latin stemma, a wreath or garland (crown) Sarcostemma, fleshy crown The plant is a rope (the stem) of stars (the flowers), but it is poisonous (even the leaves and fruits), and eating it will make you suffer like a sick dog. Funastrum is in the subfamily Asclepiadoideae, named after Ascelpias, the Greek god of medicine because many plants in here have medicinal uses.

Asteraceae Sunflower From the Latin aster, star, a reference to the arrangement of the florets.

Achillea millefolium Common Yarrow Achillea, named after Achilles, who used these plants to staunch the wounds of his soldiers at the siege of Troy. mille-, from the Latin mille, thousand millefolium, thousand leaves

Amblyopappus pusillus Pineapple Weed, Coast Weed Amblyo-, from Ancient Greek ambluopia, dimness of sight, or amblus, dull -pappus, from the Latin pappus, woolly, hairy seed pusillus, from the Latin pusillus, insignificant; tiny, wee Poor little inconspicuous plant. But it smells good!

Ambrosia psilostachya Western Ragweed Ambrosia, from the Latin ambrosia, food of the gods; in Ancient Greek, means immortality. psilo-, from the Greek psilos, bare -stachya, from the Greek stachys, spike Immortal naked spikes, referring to the inflorescence.

Artemisia californica Coastal Sagebrush, California Sagebrush Artemisia, the Ancient Greek goddess of forests and hills

Artemisia dracunculus Dragon Sagewort, Wild Tarragon dracun-, from the Latin draco, dragon dracunculus, little dragon

Baccharis pilularis ssp. consanguinea Chaparral Broom, Coyote Brush Baccharis, the etymology is uncertain; could be from Latin baccar, bacchar, or

13 baccaris, also in Greek Bakkaris, name for a plant having a fragrant root; the name could also be from Bacchus, the Roman god of wine and fertility. pilu-, from the Latin pilus, hair pilularis, having small hairy globules or balls consanguinea, from the Latin consanguinea, blood relative; here, blood colored

Baccharis salicifolia Mule Fat, Seep Willow salicifolia, having leaves like willow, Salix

Baccharis salicina (Baccharis emoryi) Emory Baccharis salicina, willow-like

Baccharis sarothroides Broom Baccharis, Desert Broom sarothroides, broom-like

Chaenactis glabriuscula var. glabriuscula Yellow Pincushion Chaen-, from the Greek chaino, gape -actis, from the Greek aktis, ray Chaenactis, gaping ray, referring to the discoid flower glabri-, from the Latin glaber, smooth, hairless glabriuscula, a little or rather smooth and hairless

Corethrogyne filaginifolia var. linifolia Sand Aster, Del Mar Sand Aster Corethro-, from the Greek korethron, a brush for sweeping -gyne, from the Greek gune, style Corethrogyne, referring to brush-like style tips filaginifolia, having leaves like those of Filago, referring to the white, woolly threads on the leaf surface. lini-, resembling Linum, a genus in the family Linaceae; linum is Latin for flax. linifolia, having leaves like those of Linum Filago is a genus in Asteraceae with the common name cottonroses or cudweeds.

Deinandra fasciculata (syn. Hemizonia fasciculata) Golden Tarweed, Fascicled Tarweed Dein-, from the Greek deinos, wondrous, fearful, terrible, excessive -andra, from the Greek andros, man, here meaning stamen Deinandra, awfully big stamen in the tiny disk flowers fasciculata, from the Latin fasciculus, little bundle Hemi-, half -zonia, a band or circular mark (applies to the phyllaries)

Encelia californica California Encelia, Bush Sunflower

14 Encelia, named after Christoph Entzelt (1517–1583), a German clergyman and historian.

Eriophyllum confertiflorum var. confertiflorum Golden Yarrow, Yellow Yarrow Erio-, from the Greek erio, woolly Eriophyllum, wooly leaf conferti-, from the Latin, plural of confertus or conferta (feminine), meaning dense, crowded together. So the plant is woolly leaved and densely flowered. Its common name came from the similar appearance of its inflorescence to the true yarrow, Achillea millefolium, which has white flowers.

Hazardia squarrosa var. grindelioides Sawtooth Goldenbush Hazardia, named after Barclay Hazard (1852–1938), a California botanist. squarrosa, scaly or scale-like overlapping leaves; from the Latin squarrosus, scurfy, scabby. grindelioides, like or having the form of the genus Grindelia.

Heterotheca grandiflora Telegraph Weed Hetero-, from the Greek heteros, different -theca, from the Greek theke, receptacle, ovary Heterotheca, referring to the different achenes (dry fruits) of the ray and disk florets. grandi-, from the Latin grande, large grandiflora, large flowers (arguable here)

Heterotheca sessiliflora ssp. sessiliflora False Goldenaster, Sessileflower False Goldenaster sessili-, from the Latin sessilis, sitting sessiliflora, stalkless flowers

Isocoma menziesii Coastal Goldenbush, Menzies' Goldenbush Iso-, same -coma, from the Latin come, or Greek kome, hair, hair of the head. Isocoma, an equal hair-tuft, a reference to a pappus with two equal series of bristles. menziesii, named for Archibald Menzies (1754–1842), a Scottish botanist and surgeon.

Jaumea carnosa Salty Susan, Fleshy Jaumea Jaumea, named after Jean Henri Jaume Saint-Hilaire (1772–1845), French naturalist and artist.

15 carno-, from the Latin caro or carnis, flesh or meat, pulp of a fruit. -osa, from the Latin feminine suffix meaning full of, prone to. carnosa, fleshy, pulpy

Lasthenia gracilis Common Goldfields Lasthenia, named after Lasthenia, the Athenian girl who dressed as a boy in order to attend Plato’s classes. gracilis, slender and graceful; from the Latin gracilis, thin, slender

Layia platyglossa Tidy Tips Layia, named after George Tradescant Lay (1799–1845), a British naturalist and missionary. platy-, from the Greek platus, flat, broad; referring to things that are flat but wide -glossa, from the Greek (and Latin) glossa, tongue. platyglossa, broad-tongued; here referring to the ray flowers.

Leptosyne maritima (syn. Coreopsis maritima) San Diego Sea Dahlia Lepto-, from the Greek leptos, slender, delicate, frail -syne, could be from the Greek syn or syneches, (joined) together Core-, from the Greek koris, a bug -opsis, from Greek, indicating a resemblance Coreopsis, tick-like, referring to the tick-like seeds, aka tickseed So now this is a slender plant by the sea, clearly a reference to its delicate leaves.

Osmadenia tenella Osmadenia, Three-Spot, Rosin Weed Osma-, from the Greek osme, smell or odor -adenia, from the Greek aden or adenas, gland Osmadenia, odor gland; how this little plant makes the aromatic resin/rosin. tenella, from the Latin tenellus, delicate, tender

Pseudognaphalium biolettii (syn. Gnaphalium bicolor) Bicolor Cudweed, Bioletti's Cudweed Pseudognaphalium, false Gnaphalium, the cudweeds, another genus in Asteraceae. Gnaphalium is from the Greek gnaphalion, a plant whose soft white leaves are used as cushion stuffing. biolettii, named after Frederic Theodore Bioletti (1865–1939), an Englishman who moved to California, and was a professor of viticulture at U.C. Berkeley (not Davis). The common name cudweed comes from the fact that Gnaphalium plants were once used to feed cows that had lost the ability to chew the cud.

Pseudognaphalium californicum (syn. Gnaphalium californicum) California Everlasting

16 See Pseudognaphalium above.

Pseudognaphalium luteoalbum (syn. Gnaphalium luteoalbum) Everlasting Cudweed (xN) luteo-, from the Latin luteus, orange-yellow, saffron yellow, or lutum – the plant giving the dye or the dye; luteola is yellowish -album, from the Latin albus, white luteoalbum, yellowish white

Rafinesquia californica California Chicory, White Chicory Rafinesquia, named after Constantine Samuel Rafinesque-Schmaltz (1783– 1840), born near Constantinople but moved to Ohio in 1815, and made notable contributions to different fields, including botany.

Senecio californicus California Butterweed, California Groundsel, Ragwort Senecio, from the Latin senex, aged, old man; referring to either the gray hairs on the seeds or a whitish beard-like pappus.

Senecio vulgaris Common Groundsel, Common Butterweed (xN) vulgaris, common; from the Latin vulgare, spread around, among the multitude

Stephanomeria diegensis San Diego Wreath-Plant Stephano-, from the Greek stephane, wreath or crown -meria, from the Greek meros, division, as separated from a larger group diegensis, of or from San Diego

Stephanomeria exigua Small Wreath-Plant exigua, from the Latin exiguus, small, meager

Stylocline gnaphaloides Everlasting Nest-Straw Stylo-, from the Greek stylus, meaning a style -cline, from the Greek clinos, slope or bend gnaphaloides, meaning resembling Gnaphalium, from the Greek gnaphalion, the herb cudweed, also cotton-grass, a plant whose soft white leaves are used as cushion stuffing.

Uropappus lindleyi Silver Puffs Uro-, from the Greek oura, tail -pappus, from the Latin pappus, woolly, hairy seed Uropappus, hairy seed with a tail lindleyi, named after John Lindley (1799–1865), a British botanist and a

17 professor of botany at University College, London.

Berberidaceae

Berberis nevinii (syn. Mahonia nevinii) Nevin's Barberry Berberis, Latinized Arabic name for the fruit. nevinii, named after Rev. Joseph Cook Nevin (1835–1913), who collected plants on Catalina Island and Santa Catalina Island. Mahonia, named after Bernard MacMahon (ca. 1775–1816) an Irish-American horticulturist.

Boraginaceae Borage or forget-me-not The name is derived from medieval Latin borrago, or Latin borra, short wool, rough hair. Many plants in this family are hairy.

Cryptantha intermedia Common Cryptantha, Forget-Me-Not, Nievitas Crypt-, from the Latin crypta, a vault, and in Ancient Greek kruptos, hidden. Cryptantha, hidden flower, a reference to the self-pollinating flowers of some other species in the genus. intermedia, from the Latin intermedia or intermedius, in the middle, intermediate

Cryptantha micromeres Minute-Flowered Cryptantha -meres, from the Latin merus, unmixed, pure, only micromeres, only small; in other fields of biology, a micromere is an unusually small cell (a blastomere) formed by unequal division of a fertilized egg.

Heliotropium curassavicum Salt Heliotrope, Wild Heliotrope, Chinese Parsley Helio-, from the Greek helios, the sun -tropium, from the Greek trope, turning Heliotropium, turning with the sun, referring to many species in the genus flower when the sun is “turning” at the summer solstice. curassavicum, of or from Curacao, an island in the Dutch West Indies

Pholistoma membranaceum White Fiesta Flower, San Diego Fiesta Flower Pholis-, from the Greek pholis, scaled or horny scale -stoma, from the Greek stoma, mouth; figuratively an opening Pholistoma, scaled opening membrana-, from the Latin membrana, membrane, skin membranaceum, membranous, skin-like

Plagiobothrys collinus var. californicus California Popcorn flower

18 Plagio-, from the Greek plagios, oblique, sideways -bothrys, from the Greek bothros, a pit or scar Plagiobothrys, the nutlets have a scar or pitted face on the side collinus, from the Latin collinus, of or belonging to hills Many people also refer Cryptantha sp. to as popcorn flowers because it is not easy to tell the difference. The distinction between Cryptantha and Plagiobothrys is largely based on the nutlets, the tiny nuts.

Plagiobothrys collinus var. gracilis San Diego Popcorn Flower gracilis, from the Latin gracilis, slender, slim, thin

Plagiobothrys trachycarpus Rough-Fruit Popcorn Flower trachy-, from the Greek trachus, uneven, rough -carpus, from the Greek karpos, fruit trachycarpus, rough fruit

Boraginaceae, subfamily Hydrophylloideae This subfamily was once Hydrophyllaceae, the Waterleaf family.

Eriodictyon crassifolium var. crassifolium Felt-Leaf Yerba Santa, Thick-Leaf Yerba Santa Erio-, from the Greek erion, hairy or woolly -dictyon, from the Greek diktuon, a net or seine for fishing Eriodictyon, woolly net, referring mainly to the appearance of the underside of the leaves. crassi-, from the Latin crassus, fat, stout crassifolium, thick leaf

Eucrypta chrysanthemifolia var. chrysanthemifolia Common Eucrypta Eu-, from the Greek eu, well, good -crypta, from the Greek kruptos, concealed, hidden Eucrypta, well hidden; here referring to the hidden small seeds (inside a bristly fruit). chrys-, from the Latin chrysos, gold – but not really used directly here. chrysanthemi-, like the Chrysanthemum, flower of chrysanthemifolia, leaves like that of Chrysanthemum

Phacelia cicutaria ssp. hispida Caterpillar Phacelia Phacelia, from the Greek phakelos, cluster, bundle, a reference to how the flowers are packed tightly in coiled spikes. cicutaria, having leaves that resemble the leaves of Cicuta, (a genus in Apiaceae that includes the poison hemlock). hispida, from the Greek hispidus, rough, shaggy, hairy

19 Phacelia distans Common Phacelia, Distant Phacelia distans, distant, separate; from the Latin distare, to stand apart

Phacelia grandiflora Giant-Flower Phacelia grandiflora, large flower

Phacelia parryi Parry's Phacelia parryi, after Dr. Charles Christopher Parry

Phacelia ramosissima South Coast Branching Phacelia ramos-, from the Latin ramus, a branch ramosissima, many or very branched

Brassicaceae Mustards, aka crucifers, or cabbage The family name is derived from the Latin brassica, cabbage. It is worth noting that the former name of this family is Cruciferae, meaning cross-bearing, a reference to the cross-like shape formed by the four petals of the flowers.

Cardamine californica var. integrifolia Milkmaids, California Toothwort Cardamine, bittercress; from the Greek kardamon, referring to an Indian spice.

Caulanthus heterophyllus San Diego Jewelflower Caul-, from the Greek kaulos, stem, stalk Caulanthus, stem-flower, flowers on a stalk hetero-, from the Greek heteros, different, various heterophyllus, different leaves (on the same plant)

Lepidium virginicum var. menziesii Menzies' pepperweed Lepidium, from the Greek lepidion or lepis, a small flake or scale -flavum, from the Latin meaning yellow virginicum, of or from Virginia menziesii, named after Archibald Menzies (1754–1842), a Scottish physician and botanist, who also identified Pseudotsuga menziesii, Douglas fir, a common name that is very misleading. The small scale is in reference to the shape of the seed pods. (Note: Lepida or Lepidus would mean elegant or graceful. Big difference!)

Matthiola incana Stock, Hoary Stock, Tenweeks Stock (xN) Matthiola, named after Pietro Andrea Gregorio Mattioli (1501–1577), an Italian

20 physician and botanist. incana, from the Latin incanus, grayish or hoary

Cactaceae Cactus The family name cactus in Latin means thorny or spiny, and in Ancient Greek was kaktos.

Cylindropuntia californica Snake Cholla Cylindro-, from the Greek cylindro, cylinder -opuntia, referring to the genus Opuntia (more on Opuntia below). Cylindropuntia, an Opuntia that is cylindrical in shape.

Cylindropuntia prolifera (formerly Opuntia prolifera) Coastal Cholla prolifera, from the Latin proles, offspring, meaning bearing or producing offshoots.

Ferocactus viridescens Coast Barrel Cactus, San Diego Barrel Cactus Fero-, from the Latin ferus, fierce Ferocactus, a cactus with fierce, heavy spines virid-, from the Latin viridis, fresh, green viridescens, greening, becoming green

Opuntia ficus-indica Indian Fig (xN) Opuntia, referring to Opus, an Ancient Greek city; Opuntia was the name used by Pliny for other cactus-like plants which grew around the town. ficus-, from the Latin Ficus carica, an edible fig -indica, of or from India The India here would be America-India.

Opuntia littoralis Coast Prickly-Pear littoralis, from the Latin litoralis, of the seashore; litus is shore, seashore.

Caprifoliaceae Honeysuckle The family name means being related to the goat leaf. The name is derived from the Latin caprifolium, with capra, goat, and folium, leaf; possibly goats like some species of honeysuckles.

Lonicera subspicata var. deundata Johnston's Honeysuckle Lonicera, named after Adam Lonitzer (1528–1586), a German herbalist, physician and botanist.

21 -spicata: from the Latin spicatus, spiky; spica is head, ear of grain. subspicata, somewhat spiky denudata, from the Latin denudatum, to denude or to make bare.

Caryophyllaceae Pink, aka carnation This family resembles Caryophyllus, walnut leaf. In Greek, karya or kaura is walnut, and karyophyllon is a walnut leaf, a usage in reference to the aroma of walnut leaves that can be found in some species in this family. Incidentally, there was a goddess associated with Artemis named Karya who was sometimes referred to as the walnut goddess. There is also a village in Greece named Karya famous for its walnut groves.

Cardionema ramosissima Tread Lightly, Sand Mat Cardio-, from the Greek kardio, heart -nema, from the Greek nema, thread Cardionema, heart thread, referring to the inversely heart-shape stamens. ramos-, from the Latin ramus, a branch ramosissima, many or very branched

Silene laciniata ssp. laciniata (syn. Silene laciniata ssp. major) Southern Pink, Mexican Pink, Fringed Indian Pink Silene, possibly from the Greek sialon, saliva, referring to sticky secretions on the stem. laciniata, from the Latin lacinia, edge, fringe; laciniatus, fringed, torn; here likely referring to the deeply fringed, narrow petals.

Cistaceae Rock rose The family name is based on the genus Cistus, which is derived from the Greek kistos for rock rose.

Helianthemum scoparium Peak Rush-Rose, Rock Rose Heli-, from the Greek helios, the sun Helianthemum, a flower that turns to the sun. scopar-, from the Latin scopare, broom, brush scoparium, like a broom, broom-like

Convolvulaceae Morning glory The family name is derived from the Latin convolvere, to interweave, interlace, or roll around, referring to the twining stems.

Calystegia macrostegia ssp. intermedia South Coast Morning Glory, California Glory Bind

22 Caly-, from the Greek kalux, calyx -stegia, from the Greek stege or stegos, a roof or cover Calystegia, a covered calyx (by the bracts) macrostegia, large cover intermedia, intermediate; from the Latin intermedius, with prefix inter, between, and medius, middle

Calystegia macrostegia ssp. tenuifolia San Diego Morning-Glory, Narrow-leaf Morning-Glory tenui-, from the Latin tenuis, slender, thin tenuifolia, thin, slender leaves

Convolvulus arvensis (Common) Field Bindweed (xN) Convolvulus, from the Latin convolvere, meaning to twine around. arvensis, from the field or farm in Latin; arvum is arable land, field.

Cuscuta californica var. californica Chaparral Dodder, Witch's Hair Cuscuta, an Ancient Latin name derived from Arabic for dodder.

Cuscuta pacifica var. pacifica Salt Marsh Dodder pacifica, of the Pacific

Cuscuta pacifica var. papillata Mendocino Dodder papill-, from the Latin papilla, nipple papillata, nipple-like, referring to bud-like protuberances.

Dichondra occidentalis Western Dichondra, Western Ponysfoot Di-, two -chondra, from the Greek khondros or chondros, for cartilage but also grain, grain of salt, or seed. Dichondra, literally double grain; here referring to the deeply lobed fruit. occidentalis, of or from the west, western; from the Latin occidens, connected with sunset, western.

Cleomaceae Spiderflower

Peritoma arborea (syn. Isomeris arborea) Bladderpod Peri-, from the Greek peri, around -toma, from the Greek tome or tomos, to cut or to section. Peritoma, cut around, a reference to the calyx base being circumscissile. arborea, from the Latin arboreus, tree, or tree-like

23 -meris, from the Greek meris, a part Isomeris, equal parts, referring to the equally divided seed pod.

Crassulaceae Stonecrop The family name is derived from the Latin crassus, meaning thick or stout.

Crassula connata Sand Pigmyweed, Pigmy Stonecrop Crass-, from the Latin crassus, fat, stout, thick -ula, diminutive Crassula, small and stout connata, from the Latin connatus, meaning twin or double, and which itself is from connasci, at same time, rising together. The species name connata refers to the opposite leaves that join together at their base.

Dudleya brevifolia (syn. Dudleya blochmaniae ssp. brevifolia) Short-leaved Dudleya, Short-leaved Liveforever Dudleya, named after William Russel Dudley (1849–1911), a botanist who became the head of the Botany Department at Stanford University from 1892 to 1911. brevi-, from the Latin brevis, short brevifolia, having short leaves. blochmaniae, named after Ida May Twitchell Blochman (1854–1931), a botanist who was also a teacher in Santa Barbara county.

Dudleya edulis Lady Fingers, Mission Dudleya, Fingertips edulis, edible, from the Latin edere, eat

Dudleya lanceolata Lance-Leaf Dudleya, Lanceleaf Liveforever lanceolata, lance-shaped, referring to the leaves

Dudleya pulverulenta Chalk Dudleya, Chalk Lettuce, Chalk Liveforever pulver-, from the Latin pulvis, dust, powder -ulenta, from the Latin suffix -ilentus, -olentus, meaning abounding in, full of pulverulenta, also Latin pulverulentus, very dusty

Cucurbitaceae Gourd The family name means gourd-like, from the Latin cucurbita, gourd, and the Greek cucumis is likely the basis for the fruit, cucumber.

Marah macrocarpus Wild Cucumber, Cucamonga Manroot, Chilicothe

24 Marah, meaning bitter from Hebrew; a reference to the bitter waters of Marah in the Bible. -carpus, from the Greek karpos, fruit macrocarpus, large fruit So the plant is a bitter big fruit! But the entire plant is bitter.

Ericaceae Heath or heather Erica is Latin for heather.

Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia Del Mar Manzanita Arcto-, from the Greek arktos, a bear. -staphylos, from the Greek staphule, a cluster of grapes, referring to the common name of the first-known species. Arctostaphylos, a bunch of grapes for bears, referring to the fact that bears like feeding on the grape-like fruits. glandulosa, from the Latin glandula, provided with glands, referring to secreting structures on the leaf surface. crassifolia, thick leaves

Xylococcus bicolor Mission Manzanita Xylo-, from the Greek xulon, timber and by implication, wood -coccus, from the Greek kokkos, grain or a kernel of seed, the stone of the fruit Xylococcus, woody seed bi-, from Latin bi or bis, two or twice bicolor, two color, referring to the two sides of the leaves

Euphorbiaceae The family name is derived from Euphorbia, after Euphorbus, the Greek physician to Juba II, King of Mauretania.

Croton californicus California Croton Croton, from the Greek kroton, a tick, referring to how the seeds look in some species.

Euphorbia misera Cliff Spurge, Bush Euphorbia The root of the genus is the same as the family name. misera, from the Latin miser, miserable, wretched; a reference to the poisonous milky sap that is irritant to the eye and may cause blindness.

Euphorbia polycarpa (syn. Chamaesyce polycarpa) Mat Spurge, Small-seed Sandmat polycarpa, many-fruited, having many fruits

25 Chamae-, from the Greek chamai, prostrate, low, dwarf -syce, from the Greek sukon, a fig Chamaesyce, fig or fruit on the ground

Fabaceae Legume, aka pea, or bean The name is from the Latin faba, bean. Fabius, an Old World Roman family name, was named after beans. The word legume is from the Latin legumen, meaning a pod-vegetable.

Acacia longifolia Sydney Golden Wattle (xN) Acacia, thorny, spiny; from Ancient Greek akakía, which is derived from ake, a sharp point, in reference to the thorns. longi-, from the Latin longus, long longifolia, long leaves

Acmispon glaber var. glaber (syn. Lotus scoparius ssp. scoparius) Coastal Deerweed Acmispon, a name chosen by C.S. Rafinesque-Schmaltz, presumably from the Greek akme for a (high) point, top, or edge. glaber, from the Latin glaber, smooth, hairless, glabrous Lotus, from Latin for flower of forgetfulness; in Latin, lotus or lota also means elegant or fashionable. scopar-, from the Latin scopare, broom, brush scoparius, like a broom, broom-like

Astragalus trichopodus var. lonchus Ocean Locoweed, Santa Barbara Milkvetch, Rattleweed Astragalus, from the Greek astragalos, ankle bone tricho-, trich-, from Ancient Greek thríx, hairy trichopodus, hairy pod lonchus, from the Greek lonche, a spear The common name loco means crazy in Spanish; the plant makes a neurotoxin that poisons livestock and horses. And Rattleweed refers to the rattling seed pods. The ankle bone refers to a curved bone in the foot that is shaped like some of the pea pods, but it also refers to the rattling noise in seed pods. Greeks used ankle bones for dice that makes the noise.

Lupinus hirsutissimus Stinging Lupine Lupinus, from the Latin lupus or lupinus, wolf hirsuti-,from the Latin hirsutus, hairy, bristly hirsutissimus, very hairy The reference to wolf might be due to the belief that these plants could exhaust the soil of nutrients, which is the opposite of the truth for legumes. (A lupine was

26 once called a wolf-bean.) The other possibility is that the name has to do with killing sheep because many species are poisonous, especially sheep.

Lupinus truncates Collared Lupine truncatus, cut off; from the Latin truncare, maim, mutilate

Fagaceae Beech Beech in Latin is fagus.

Quercus agrifolia Coast Live Oak Quercus, the Latin word for oak; possibly derived from Old Celtic quer, fine, and cuez, tree. agri-, from the Latin, field agrifolia, here, generally interpreted as having rough leaves.

Quercus dumosa Nutt. Nuttall's Scrub Oak dumosa, from the Latin dumus, thorny bush So Quercus dumosa does mean scrub oak.

Gentianaceae

Zeltnera venusta (formerly Centaurium venustum) Canchalagua, Charming Centaury Zeltnera, named after Louis Zeltner (1938– ) and Nicole Zeltner (1934– ), Swiss botanists who studied the Gentians. venusta, from the Latin venustas, attractive, charming, lovely; beauty is a salient quality possessed by the goddess Venus. Centaurium, the Latin word for centaury; from the Greek kentauros, centaur; still the basis of the current common name. Canchalagua is named after Chiron, the wise centaur who tutored Hercules and taught the art of medicine to Asclepius. This whole plant was made into a tea for fever.

Grossulariaceae Gooseberry

Ribes speciosum Fuchsia-Flower Gooseberry Ribes, from Medieval Latin ribes, currant. The name could also be from the Arabic ribas, rhubarb. speciosum, showy, good-looking; from the Latin species, appearance. The word species itself is from specio, to see, and the suffix -ies, signifying abstract noun.

27 Lamiaceae Mint The mint family of plants is named after the genus Lamium, which was Latin for the deadnettle (or dead-nettles). This common name is in reference to the very distantly related stinging nettles (Urticaceae). The mint family was once named Labiatae, from the Latin labia for lip. The name refers to flowers that often have petals fused into an upper lip and a lower lip.

Salvia apiana White Sage Salvia, from the Latin salvus, well, unharmed, sound; salveo means “I am well.” apiana, from the Latin apianus, of or belonging to bees; apis is bee. Salvia is also commonly taken to mean to heal or to be healthy, a reference to the medicinal uses of many species in this genus.

Salvia columbariae Chia Sage columbariae, from the Latin columba, pigeon, dove; columbarius dove-like, pigeon-like No one knows how this little plant is dove-like. The chia seeds from stores are harvested from Salvia hispanica, which was cultivated by the Aztecs. Chia is derived from the Nahuatl word chian, meaning oily.

Salvia mellifera Black Sage mellif-, from the Latin, mel, honey -fera, from the Latin fero or ferre, to bear, to carry. mellifera, honey-bearing, meaning flowers are rich in nectar. The European honey bee is Apis mellifica, for honey-making. The cooking spice is common sage, Salvia officinalis, from Europe, where it was used as medicine as well. The word officinalis is Latin, meaning belonging to an officina, an office or workshop. The officina in monasteries was also the storeroom for medical herbs. Linnaeus applied the name to plants with medicinal, culinary, or other practical uses.

Malvaceae Mallow The family name is from the Latin malva, referring to mallow plants in the Mediterranean region.

Malacothamnus fasciculatus Chaparral Bushmallow, Mesa False-Mallow Malaco-, from the Greek malakos or malache, soft -thamnus, from the Greek thamnos, shrub Malacothamnus, a soft shrub, referring to the leaves fasciculatus, from the Latin fasciculus, little bundle

28 Montiaceae Miner’s Lettuce Family This family is named after the genus Montia, which itself is named after Giuseppe Monti (1682-1760), an Italian professor of botany at Bologna, and a director of the Bologna Botanical Garden.

Calandrinia maritime (syn. Cistanthe maritima) Seaside Red Maids, Seaside Calandrinia Calandrinia, named after Jean Louis Calandrini (1703–1758), Swiss botanist, and professor of mathematics and philosophy in Geneva. Cistus, from the Greek kistos, for rock-rose, a genus in the family Cistaceae Cistanthe, like the rock-rose flower

Claytonia perfoliata ssp. mexicana Mexican Miner's Lettuce Claytonia, named after John Clayton (1694 or 1695–1773), English-born colonial plant collector in Virginia. per-, from Latin per, through perfoliata, through a leaf; referring to a leaf surrounding a stem as if the stem perforates the leaf. mexicana, of or from Mexico

Nyctaginaceae Four O'Clock The name for these night-blooming plants is from the Greek nyxtos or nyktos, meaning night. Nyx was the primordial goddess of night.

Abronia maritime Red Sand Verbena, Seaside Sand Verbena Abro-, from the Greek habros, graceful or delicate Abronia, being graceful or delicate The gracefulness refers to the appearance of the bracts below the flowers.

Abronia umbellata var. umbellata Beach Sand Verbena, Purple Sand Verbena Abronia, from the Greek abros, graceful or delicate, referring to either the bracts below the flowers, or here, how the stems “dance” across the sand. umbellata, in umbels, referring to the inflorescence.

Mirabilis laevis var. crassifolia (syn. Mirabilis californica) Coastal Wishbone Plant, Coast Four-O'Clock Mirabilis, from the Latin mirus, wonderful, marvelous laevis, from the Latin laevis, smooth crassi-, from the Latin crassus, fat, stout crassifolia, thick leaves

29 Onagraceae Evening Primrose The family name is possibly from the Ancient Greek name for Onagra, once used for fireweed and a member of this family. Another possibility is that the name is from Onagros, a dark yellowish flower near the Caspian Sea.

Camissoniopsis bistorta (formerly Camissonia bistorta) California Suncup -opsis, from the Greek opsis, vision, sight, appearance Camissoniopsis, having the appearance of Camissonia. Camissonia, named after Adelbert von Chamisso (Camisso, 1781–1838), a French-born German poet and botanist, who wrote the story about a man who sold his shadow. He went on an expedition around the world and discovered several new species in California, including the California poppy. But he named the plant after his friend Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, who was also on the expedition. -torta, from the Latin torquere, turn, twist bistorta, twice-twisted

Camissoniopsis cherianthifolia ssp. suffruticosa (formerly Camissonia cherianthifolia ssp. suffruticosa) Beach Suncup, Beach Primrose cheir-, from the Greek cheir, hand -anthi-, from the Greek for flower cheiranthi-, resembling the genus Cheiranthus in the family Brassicaceae. The reference to the hand is perhaps from a custom of carrying these flowers in the hand as a bouquet. cheiranthifolia, having foliage like the Cheiranthus. suffruticosa, somewhat shrubby; possibly from Italian suffruticose, which in turn may be derived from the Latin suffrutex, more or less meaning a subshrub.

Orobanchaceae Broomrape The family name is from the Greek orobanche, which itself is from orobos, a vetch, and ancho or anchone, to strangle, referring to a plant that was parasitic on some vetch (Vicia, a legume).

Castilleja affinis ssp. affinis Coast Paintbrush, Red Paintbrush, Indian Paintbrush Castilleja, in honor of Domingo Castillejo (1744–1793), Professor of Botany in Cadiz, Spain. -finis, from the Latin finis, boundary affinis, altering Latin ad- for add or near to, affinis means neighboring, adjacent, but can be used to imply related or similar to. So nothing specific in the name, possibly meaning resembling similar plants in the family.

30 Castilleja foliolosa Woolly Indian Paintbrush, Felt Paintbrush, Woolly Paintbrush -losa, in Spanish, losa is a slab or flagstone. foliolosa, having small leaves, or having leaflets.

Cordylanthus rigidus ssp. setiger (syn. Cordylanthus rigidus ssp. setigerus, Cordylanthus filifolius) Bird's Beak Cordyl-, from the Greek kordyle, club Cordylanthus, a flower that looks like a club (head). rigidus, rigid seti-, from the Latin saeta or seta, hair -iger, from the Latin gero, carry, bear setiger, setigerus, bearing bristles fili-, from the Latin filum, thread, filament filifolius, thread-like foliage

Oxalidaceae Wood Sorrel This family is named after the genus Oxalis, the wood sorrels.

Oxalis pes-caprae Bermuda Buttercup, Sourgrass, Bermuda sorrel (xN) Oxalis, from the Latin oxalis, garden sorrel. Another form in Ancient Greek is oxús. The name refers to the sour-tasting oxalic acid in the stem and leaves. The common name sorrel is taken from the sheep’s sorrel, Rumex acetosa (family Polygonaceae), which has a high content of oxalates. pes-, foot, derived from Ancient Greek pous. caprae, from the Latin genitive of caper, billy goat or he-goat. pes-caprae, goat’s foot. Even though the resemblance is not close, the shape of two (of six) leaflets presumably reminded Linnaeus of a goat’s foot.

Papaveraceae Poppy The family name came from Latin pappa, milk, presumably many plants have latex which resembles milk. Papaver is Latin for poppy or poppy seed.

Dendromecon rigida Bush Poppy, Tree Poppy Dendro-, from the Greek dendron, tree -mecon, Greek for poppy is mekon. Dendromecon, poppy tree rigida, rigid; from the Latin rigere, be stiff

Eschscholzia californica California Poppy Eschscholzia, named after Dr. Johann Friedrich Gustav von Eschscholtz (1793–

31 1831), a Baltic German physician and botanist. See Camissonia bistorta above on why the plant is named after him.

Phrymaceae Lopseed

Diplacus puniceus (syn. Mimulus aurantiacus var. puniceus, Mimulus puniceus) Coast Monkey Flower, Red Bush Monkey Flower Diplacus, from the Greek diploos, double, two-fold; dis is double or twice. puniceus, from the Latin puniceus, scarlet, crimson Mimulus, from the Greek mimos, or Latin mimus, mime, actor in mimes aurantiacus, also aurantius, Latin for orange-colored, the species found more inland. So now there is no more mimicking; this plant has dark red doublet flowers.

Diplacus brevipes (syn. Mimulus brevipes) Wide-Throat Monkey Flower, Slope Semiphore brevi-, from the Latin brevis, short, little -pes, from the Latin pes, foot brevipes, short foot

Plantaginaceae Plantain The family name is derived from the Latin planta, meaning sole of the foot, or young shoot detached for propagation, and plantago for plantain.

Antirrhinum kelloggii (syn. Neogaerrhinum strictum) Climbing Snapdragon, Twining Snapdragon, Lax Snapdragon Anti-, Greek for against, opposite -rrhinum, possibly from the Greek rhis, nose Antirrhinum, in Ancient Greek antirrhinon is calf’s snout; in spite of the use of anti-, the term Antirrhinum is interpreted as meaning “nose-like.” kelloggii, named after Dr. Albert Kellogg (1813–1887), physician and botanist, and one of the founders of the California Academy of Sciences. Neo-, a combining form of the Greek neos for new, revived, modified. -gae-, derived from Gaea, the Greek goddess who symbolizes the Earth. Neogaerrhinum, possibly a new goddess nose in reference to the flower strictum, interpreted as upright; the Latin word strictus means tight, close.

Antirrhinum nuttallianum ssp. Nuttallianum (syn. Sairocarpus nuttallianus) Nuttall's Snapdragon, Wild Snapdragon nuttallianum, named after Thomas Nuttall.

Nuttallanthus texanus (syn. Linaria Canadensis) Large Blue Toadflax, Oldfield Toadflax Nuttallanthus, named after Thomas Nuttall. texanus, of or from Texas

32 Linaria, flax-like; from the Latin linum, flax, linen cloth, thread canadensis, of or from Canada

Plantago erecta Dot-Seed Plantain, Dwarf Plantain, California plantain Plantago, Latin for plantain; from the Latin plata, sole of the foot; referring to young shoot detached for propagation. The Latin plat or Greek platus means flat, spread out. erecta, erect, upright; from the Latin verb erigere, raise, erect

Plumbaginaceae Leadwort or plumbago Plumbago is derived from the Latin plumbum, for lead, and ago, a Latin plant name ending used to indicate a resemblance.

Limonium californicum Western March-Rosemary, Sea-Lavender Limonium, from the Greek leimon, meadow; inhabiting meadows.

Limonium perezii Perez's Marsh-Rosemary, Statice (xN) perezii, named after after Jorge Victor Perez (1869–1920), a physician and horticulturist from the Canary Islands.

Polemoniaceae Phlox, or Jacob's-ladder The family name is from the Greek polemonion, plants that might have been used by Polemon of Cappadocia.

Linanthus dianthiflorus Farinose Ground Pink, Fringed Pink Lin-, from the Greek linon, or the Latin Latin linum, flax Linanthus, flax flower dianthi-, like the divine flower or the flower of Zeus; from the Greek dios, divine, and anthos, flower. dianthiflorus, like the flowers of Dianthus (a genus in Caryophyllaceae). Other than being pinkish, the resemblance of Linanthus to Dianthus is small.

Navarretia hamata Hooked Pincushion Plant, Prickly Skunk Flower Navarretia, named after Francisco Fernandez Navarrete (d. 1742), a Spanish physician, botanist, and philosopher. hamata, hooked or hook-shaped; from the Latin hamus, hook.

Polygonaceae Knotweed, or buckwheat in the United States The name is based on the genus Polygonum, derived from the Greek polus or poly, meaning many, and gonu or goni, meaning the knee or joint, referring to the

33 many swollen nodes that the stems may have.

Chorizanthe orcuttiana Orcutt's Spineflower, San Diego Spineflower Chori-, from the Greek chorizo, to place room between, to divide (not pork sausage!) Chorizanthe, divided flowers; may actually be referring to divided calyx. orcuttiana, named after Charles Russell Orcutt (1864–1929), a naturalist who moved to San Diego from Vermont; among people whom he worked with was Dr. Charles Parry.

Chorizanthe polygonoides var. longispina Knotweed Spineflower, Long Spined Spineflower polygonoides, resembling the genus Polygonum, also in Polygonaceae longi-, long -spina, from the Latin spina, spine, thorn longispina, long-spined

Chorizanthe procumbens Prostrate Spineflower, Spiny Herb procumbens, procumbent, prostrate; from the Latin procumbere, sink down, lie down

Chorizanthe staticoides Turkish Rugging staticoides, could be resembling Statice, but it is a common name. static-, could be from the Latin staticus, static; if so, staticoides means resembling static.

Eriogonum fasciculatum var. fasciculatum California Buckwheat, Flat-Top Buckwheat Erio-, from the Greek erion, hairy or woolly -gonum, from the Greek gonu, knee Eriogonum, hairy or woolly joints (of some species of the genus) fasciculatum, from the Latin fasciculus, little bundle

Eriogonum fasciculatum var. foliolosum Inland California Buckwheat -losa, in Spanish, losa is a slab or flagstone. foliolosum, small leaf, or leaflet

Eriogonum parvifolium Bluff Buckwheat, Seacliff Buckwheat parvi-, from the Latin parvis or parvus, small, little parvifolium, small leaf

Mucronea californica California Spineflower

34 Mucronea, from the Latin mucro, sword, sharp point Mucronea, being sharp-pointed; referring to the sharp bristles (awns) of the bracts.

Pterostegia drymarioides Granny's Hairnet, Threadstem Pter-, Ptero-, from the Greek pteron, wing, feather -stegia, from the Greek stegos, a covering Pterostegia, covered wing drymarioides, meaning like the genus Drymaria in the Caryophyllaceae (Pink) family. Drymaria is derived from the Greek drymos, forest, which itself is probably from Old Celtic. What we see is a tiny forest of wings.

Primulaceae Primrose

Primula clevelandii var. clevelandii (syn. Dodecatheon clevelandii) Padre’s Shooting Star Primula, from the Latin primulus, very first; primus is first, foremost; here meaning first blooming. clevelandii, named after Daniel Cleveland (1838–1929), an authority on ferns; founded the herbarium of the San Diego Natural History Museum, and one of the founding members of the San Diego Natural History Society. Dodeca-, from the Greek dodeka, two and ten, a dozen -theon, from the Greek theos, a deity Dodecatheon, twelve gods

Ranunculaceae Buttercup The family name is from the Latin ranunculus, meaning little frog (rana), coming from the observation that many species tend to grow in moist places.

Clematis pauciflora Ropevine Clematis, Small Leaved Clematis, Virgin’s Bower Clematis, from Ancient Greek klematis, a name for a climbing plant with long, lithe branches; in Greek, klema is a limb or broken off shoot. pauciflora, few flowers Stating that this plant has very few flowers may be subjective. Same with the common name that it is small leaved.

Delphinium cardinale Scarlet Larkspur, Cardinal Larkspur Delphinium, from the Greek name delphinion for the larkspur. The Greek name is derived from delphis for dolphin, a reference to the fact that the flowers of some species resemble the back of a dolphin.

35 cardinale, referring to the scarlet red of the cape and dresses of the Cardinals.

Delphinium parryi Parry’s Larkspur, San Bernardino larkspur parryi, named after Dr. Charles Parry.

Rhamnaceae Buckthorn Rhamnos is Ancient Greek for buckthorn.

Ceanothus verrucosus Wart-Stem Ceanothus, California Lilac, White Lilac Ceanothus, from the Greek keanothus, some spiny plant verruco-, from the Latin verruca, wart verrucosus, warty, wart-like

Rhamnus crocea (syn. Rhamnus crocea ssp. crocea) Redberry Buckthorn, Spiny Redberry Rhamnus, from the Latin rhamnus, or Ancient Greek rhamnos, thorny bush crocea, from the Latin croceus, yellow, golden, saffron-colored (referring to flowers here)

Rhamnus crocea (syn. Rhamnus crocea ssp. pilosa) Hollyleaf Buckthorn pilosa, from Latin or Greek pilosus, hairy; pilus, hair So the two subspecies crocea and pilosa are now together in one species.

Rosaceae Rose Rosa is Latin for rose.

Adenostoma fasciculatum Chamise, Greasewood Adeno-, from the Greek aden or adenos, gland -stoma, from the Greek stoma, mouth; figuratively an opening Adenostoma, gland openings (of the calyx) fasciculatum, from the Latin fasciculus, little bundle

Cercocarpus minutiflorus San Diego Mountain Mahogany, Smooth Mountain Mahogany Cerco-, from the Greek kerkos, tail -carpus, from the Greek karpos, fruit (as plucked, so also means wrist) Cercocarpus, fruit with a tail-like plume minuti-, from the Latin minutus, small, insignificant minutiflorus, small flowers

Heteromeles arbutifolia Toyon, Christmas Berry, California Holly

36 Hetero-, from the Greek hetero, different -meles, from the Greek malus, apple Heteromeles, possibly referring to the variation of fruits among different species. arbuti-, from the Latin arbutus, the strawberry tree Arbutus unedo arbutifolia, having leaves like the strawberry tree. The leaves of strawberry indeed are long, elliptical, with a serrated margin.

Prunus ilicifolia Hollyleaf Cherry, Evergreen Cherry Prunus, from Ancient Greek proumnon, and Vulgar Latin pruna, plum ilici-, from the Latin ilex, holm oak (Quercus ilex), aka holly oak. There are multiple meanings of holm or its derived forms, but one of them was an obsolete outside dialect for holly. ilicifolia, having leaves like a holly.

Prunus ilicifolia ssp. lyonii (syn. Prunus lyonii) Catalina Cherry lyonii, named after William Scrugham Lyon (1851–1916), a farmer, and California's first State Forester, and who collected on Santa Catalina Island.

Rubiaceae Madder, aka coffee, bedstraw The family name is derived from the Latin ruber for red or painted red, and rubia, red dye. Madder is the red-purple dye made from the root of these plants.

Galium angustifolium ssp. angustifolium Narrow-Leaf Bedstraw Galium, milk-like; from the Greek gala, milk angusti-, from the Latin angustum, small, narrow space, confined angustifolium, narrow leaf The genus name refers to the fact that G. verum was used to curdle milk.

Galium nuttallii ssp. nuttallii San Diego Bedstraw, Nuttall's Bedstraw nuttallii, named after Thomas Nuttall.

Rutaceae Rue, Citrus The family name is the Latin ruta for rue (Ruta graveolens), a bitter herb.

Cneoridium dumosum Coast Spice Bush, Bush-Rue, Berryrue Cneor-, from the Greek kneoron, Cneorum or spurge olive, for shrub resembling the olive. Cneoridium, a plant that resembles spurge olive. dumosum, from the Latin dumus, thorny bush

37 Saxifragaceae Saxifrage The family name is derived from the Latin saxifragus, meaning stone-breaking (saxum is stone; frangere, to break or shatter), a reference to a common habit of these plants to grow in cracks in rock or in loose rock.

Jepsonia parryi Coast Jepsonia, Parry’s Jepsonia Jepsonia, named after Willis Linn Jepson (1867–1946), professor of botany at U. C. Berkeley, founder of the California Botanical Society, and namesake of the Jepson Herbarium. parryi, named after Dr. Charles Parry.

Scrophulariaceae Figwort The family name is based on the genus Scrophularia.

Scrophularia californica California Bee Plant, California Figwort Scrophularia, derived from scrofula, a form of tuberculosis which has enlarged and grotesque lymph nodes, and allegedly ca. 1474 some Italian physician noticed the resemblance with the rhizomal knobs of some species.

Simmondsiaceae Jojoba

Simmondsia chinensis Goatnut, Jojoba Simmondsia, named after Thomas William Simmonds (1767–1804), English physician and botanist who died while exploring Trinidad. chinensis, of or from China

Solanaceae Nightshade Solanum is Latin for nightshade, a name derived from solamen, source of comfort or solace, and referring to the narcotic properties of some species in the family.

Datura wrightii (Western) Jimson Weed, Thorn-Apple, Tolguacha Datura, from the Hindi word dhatura wrightii, named after American botanist Charles (Carlos) Wright (1811–1885) The common name Jimson weed came from Datura stramonium, which was first identified near Jamestown, Virginia.

Lycium brevipes var. brevipes Common Desert Thorn

38 Lycium, from the Greek name of a medicinal tree from Lycia in Asia Minor, now part of modern Turkey. brevi-, from the Latin brevis, short, little -pes, from the Latin pes, foot brevipes, short foot

Lycium californicum California Desert Thorn, California Wolfberry, Box Thorn The common name Wolfberry sort of came with the thinking that the root of Lycium was the Greek word lukos, wolf — as how in the nightshade family, tomato is Solanum lycopersicum, with lyco-persicum meaning the wolf-peach.

Nicotiana glauca Tree Tobacco (xN) Nicotiana, from the Latinized nicotiana, named after Jean Nicot (1530–1600), a French ambassador to Portugal, where he received tobacco seeds from early voyagers and introduced snuff tobacco to France. glauca, from the Latin glaucus and Ancient Greek glaukos, bluish gray

Solanum parishii Parish's Nightshade, Purple Nightshade parishii, named after Rev. Charles Parish who discovered the plants in the 19th century.

Violaceae Violet

Viola pedunculata Johnny Jump Up, California Golden Violet, Yellow Pansy Viola, Latin for viola or violet, some spring flowers; this genus is the namesake of the family. ped-, from the Latin pes, foot; pediculus is little foot, and pedunculusis an alternative form. Here, the “little foot” refers to a small flower stem. (It seems that one may relate pediculus to a pedicel, and pedunculus to a peduncle, but there is no such usage or mentioning of it.) pedunculata, having a small flower stem

Resources There are reference books on the etymology of plants. The main one is the World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology by Umberto Quattrocchi. (Google Books has Volume III M-Q, and Volume IV R-Z.) Quattrocchi also has the World Dictionary of Grasses (Google Books link), but what is more useful is the Etymological Dictionary of Grasses by H. Trevor Clifford and Peter D. Bostock (Google

39 Books link). Google Books is very clumsy and difficult to use. The best is perhaps to use the search box to hopefully find things. A book that helps is California Desert Flowers: An Introduction to Families, Genera, and Species by Sia Morhardt and Emil Morhardt. They provide the meanings on most of their plants, and there is a reasonable overlap in families and genuses with the coast. In this Internet age, there are many websites that provide etymological information but just like the Internet, they are not necessarily reliable. A good one is the plant names page compiled by Michael Charters on calfora.net (not calfora.org). Dave’s Garden has a dictionary that suggests pronunciations. For things in general, Wiktionary sometimes has etymology information.

A work in progress! Last edited March 2017 by Pao Chau Margaret Fillius Ingo Renner Barbara Wallach

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