Botanical terms and their definitions

Here is a brief list of botanical terms and their definitions. Learning just a few of them can open up a whole world of information about the plants in your garden, from where it originally came from, what conditions it grows best in, who found it and brought it to the UK and more.

It's divided into groups:

• colours,

• finders,

• flower types,

• habitats,

• how it grows,

• leaves,

• places,

• size

• miscellaneous.

• and stems

Each definition has an example, and the common name alongside, with it to help familiarise you with the term. I'll be adding to the list as time goes so, over time, it'll get longer.

See also: Understanding botanical names.

Colours

Albiflora

 White flowered (e.g. Argemone albiflora).

Atrovirens

‘Atro’ means dark (from atratus = blackened, dark) so atrovirens is dark. green. For example, Thuja plicata 'Atrovirens', which has dark green leaves .

Aurea

Golden (e.g. Bidens aurea).

Flavus

Yellow/green (e.g. Cornus sericea ‘Flaviramea').

Glauca

Blue (e.g. Rosa glauca).

Icterina

Marked with yellow (e.g. Salvia officinalis ‘Icterina’).

Lutea

Yellow (e.g.Corydalis lutea or yellow corydalis).

Nigra/nigrescens

Black (e.g. Sambucus nigra or black elder).

Phaeum

Brownish or swarthy (e.g. Geranium phaeum).

Rubens/rubra

Red or pink (e.g. Clematis montana var. rubens 'Elizabeth').

Sanguinea/sanguineum

Blood red, usually describing the stems (e.g. Cornus sanguineum).

Leaves

Aquifolium

Pointed leaves (e.g. Ilex aquifolium or holly).

Crispum/crispa

Curly (Petroselinum crispum or curly leaved parsely).

Elliptica

Ellipse shaped leaved (e.g. Garrya elliptica).

Glabrum

Smooth, hairless (e.g. Acer glabrum).

Hederifolium

Ivy-leaved (e.g. Cyclamen hederifolium).

Hirta

Hairy (e.g. Rudbeckia hirta).

Latifolia –

Broad-leaved (e.g. Kalmia latifolia).

Macrophylla

 Large leaved (e.g. Elaeagnus macrophylla).

Mollis

Soft, tender, velvety (e.g. Alchemilla mollis or Lady’s mantle).

Nitida

Shining/glossy, of the leaves (e.g. Lonicera nitida).

Pinnatum

Feathery leaves (e.g. Epimedium pinnatum).

Tetraphylla

Having four leaflets (e.g. Oxalis tetraphylla).

Ternata

 Having three leaflets (e.g. Choisya ternata).

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Finders

Buchananii

Buchanan (e.g.Carex buchananii).

Doulgasii

Douglas (e.g. Limnanthes douglasii, or poached egg plant).

Forestii

Forest (e.g. Sorbus forestii).

Fortunii

Fortune (e.g. Euonymus fortunii).

Jeffreyi

Jeffrey (e.g. Pinus jeffreyi).

Tradescantii

Tradescant (e.g. Aster tradescantii).

Wilsonii

Wilson (e.g. Magnolia wilsonii).

Places

Americana

From America (e.g. Agave americana).

Canadensis

From Canada (e.g. Cornus canadensis).

Chinensis

From China (e.g. Taxus chinensis or Chinese Yew).

Europaeus

 From Europe (e.g. Euonymus europaeus).

Indica

From India (e.g. Tamarindus indica or tamarind).

Novae angliae

From New England (e.g. Aster novae angliae).

Sinensis

Another form of China (e.g. Miscanthus sinensis).

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Flower types

Centifolia

100 leaves/petals (e.g. Rosa centifolia).

Nudiflorum

Literally ‘naked flowered’ meaning that the plant flowers when there are no leaves on the plant (e.g. Jasminum nudiflorum).

Regale

Magnificent (e.g. Lilium regale or regal lily).

Spectabilis

Showy (e.g. Dicentra spectabilis).

Size

Compacta

Compact (e.g. Achillea compacta).

Gigantea

Big (e.g. Stipa gigantea).

Pumila

Dwarf (e.g. Ficus pumila or dwarf fig).

Pygmaea

Small (e.g. Nymphaea pygmaea Rubra or water lily ‘Red Pygmy).

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Habitats

Aquatica

 Growing in or near water (e.g. Mentha aquatica).

Arenarius

Sandy (e.g. Dianthus arenarius, or sand pink).

Littoralis

Near the sea shore (e.g. Griselinia littoralis).

Maritima

Near the sea (e.g. Armeria maritima or sea thrift).

Montana

 Mountain (e.g. Clematis montana).

Palustris

Marshy (e.g. Caltha palustris or marsh marigold).

Rupestris

 Growing amongst rocks (e.g. Umbilicus rupestris or navelwort).

How it grows

Arboreum

Tree-like (e.g. Aeonium arboreum).

Arundinacea

Reed-like (e.g. Stipa arundinacea).

Biennial

Flowers in second year and generally dies after flowering (e.g. Digitalis purpurea, or foxglove).

Columnaris

 Upright habit (e.g. Chamaecyparis columnaris).

Compacta

Compact (e.g. Ilex glabra 'Compacta').

Erecta

Upright (e.g. Tagetes erecta).

Fastigiata

Having erect and almost parallell branches (e.g. Taxus baccata ‘Fastigiata’).

Horizontalis

Flat (e.g. Cotoneaster horizontalis).

Pendula

Drooping or weeping (e.g. Betual pendula or weeping birch).

Procumbens

Lying down or scrambling (e.g. Fuchsia procumbens).

Pyramidalis

Growing in a pyramid or conical shape (e.g. Juniperus chinensis ‘Pyramidalis’).

Repens

Creeping (e.g. Mahonia repens).

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Miscellaneous

Calcicole

Lime loving.

Calcifuge

Lime hating.

Chlorophytum

Green plant (e.g. Chlorophytum comosum or spider plant).

Dehiscent

Fruit splits to expose seed.

Dioecious

Literally ‘two houses’ (male and female flowers on different plants).

Diploid

Literally, 2 sets of chromosomes (2x30), usually used when describing the pollination groups of fruit trees. You will also see 'triploid' mentioned.

Epigeal

Above the soil.

F1 hybrid

A first generation of a hybrid form from two identical parents. F1s give complete uniformity of flowering, fruiting and budding.

Hyemalis

Winter (e.g. Eranthis hyemalis or winter aconite).

Imbibe

The action of seed taking up water before germination.

Indehiscent

 Fruit rots to expose seed.

Lignius

Woody (tissue).

Monoecius

Literally ‘one house’ (m/f flowers on the same plant).

Officinalis

 A plant that has been used medicinally in the past (e.g. Salvia officinalis or sage).

Sativum

Edible (e.g. Coriandrum sativum or coriander).

Senescence

Aging, used of any plant part.

Spinosus

Spiny (e.g. Acanthus spinosus or bear’s breeches).

SPP/spp.

Species.

Triploid

 3 sets of chromosomes, usually used in describing types of fruit trees.

Vernal

As in ‘vernalisation’ (when seeds are chilled to prompt germination) and 'spring' (e.g. sweet vernal grass or Anthoxanthum odoratum).

Vulgaris

Common, usually used of the wild plant (e.g. Primula vulgaris).

Stems

Alatus

Winged, describing the stems (e.g. Euonymus alatus).

Armata

Literally 'armed', having thorns or prickles (e.g. Brahea armata).

Acantha

Having thorns (e.g. Pyracantha - pyr means 'fire'). Acanth is the root Greek word for 'thorn.

Hardwood

Used to describe material taken as cuttings. It means material which is taken in the plant's dormant season, after leaf fall. Used for plants such as Cornus sanguinea ‘Midwinter Fire’

Semi-ripe or semi-hardwood

Used to describe material taken as cuttings. It means plant stems taken from the current season’s growth that has begun to firm. The base of the cutting is hard while the tip is still quite soft. Used for shrubs such as Ilex x altaclerensis 'Golden King'

Soft-wood

Used to describe material taken as cuttings. It means plant stems taken from new growth which is still soft and will root readily. Used for plants like Penstemon 'Garnet'

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