Guerrilla Garden Cheat Sheet-Deciphering Latin Names
Deciphering Latin Names
Have you ever been intimidated, impressed or feel like an idiot when a Master Gardener starts spouting Latin names to describe their plants? Being a Guerrilla Gardener, you may think knowing the Latin names of plants makes you a garden snob and find it annoying when you can’t even begin to pronounce a name that contains more letters than the alphabet. I must admit that this Guerrilla Gardener didn’t really think it was something that would ever pertain to Guerrilla Gardening.
Until I learned that Latin plant names contain hidden messages that can give us clues to the shape, the color of its leaves or stem, when it flowers, or how tall it grows, etc.
For example, when I first started gardening I used to buy Strawflower plants. For about 5 years they grew about 12-14 inches tall and had a nice round form. The sixth year I planted them all around my deck, they grew to be 3-4 ft tall. I couldn’t understand what happened! The word “Giganteum” in the Latin name on the plant tag should have tipped me off. Turns out that there are different varieties and heights of Strawflowers and one of the few ways to know the difference is by the Latin name.
Since I have no desire to learn a useless language that nobody speaks anymore, I made my own Guerrilla Garden Cheat Sheet. I like to think of it as a Guerrilla Gardener Decoder Ring to decipher Latin plant names;
Colors
Argenta – silver
Albus, Alba, Album – white, pale
Aurea – gold
Caerulea or Azur – blue
Flavus, flava, flavum – yellow
Glauca – blue or whitish gray
Gilviflorus, Gilviflora, Gilviflorum – pale yellow flower
Incanus, Incana, Incanum – gray
Niger, Nigra, Nigrum – black
Purpurea – purple
Rosea – pink
Rubra, Sanguinea or Coccineus – red or scarlet
Virens – green
Viridiflorus, viridiflora, viridiflorum – green flowered
Growth Habits
Alta – tall
Aestivalis, Aestivale – of summer
Angustifolius, Angustifolia, Angustifolium – narrow leaves
Aphyllus, Aphylla, Aphyllum – leafless
Aborescens – tree like
Aristosus, Aristosa, Aristosum – bearded
Contorta – contorted
Diffusus, Diffusa, Diffusum – spreading
Globosa – round
Graveolens – heavily scented
Giganteum or Macro – large
Floribunda – free flowering
Fastigiata – erect
Fruticosus, Fruticosa, Fruticosum – shrubby
Grandiflora – large flowering
Grandifolius, Grandifolia, Grandifolium – great leaves
Horizontalis – horizontal
Humilis, Humile – low growing
Inodorus, Inodora, Inodorum – unscented
Latifolia – broad leaved
Maritumus, Maritima, Maritimum – of the sea
Milleflorus, Milleflora, Milleflorum – thousand flowered
Nanus or Nana – dwarf
Odorata – fragrant
Officinalis, Officinale – medicinal
Pallidiflorus, Pallidiflora, Pallidiflorum – pale flowered
Pendula – weeping
Procumbens- trailing
Radicans – rooting
Repens or Reptans – creeping
Rotundifolius, Rotundifolia, Rotundifolium – round leaved
Ruqosa – wrinkled
Scandens – climbing
Semper – always
Sylvaticus, Sylvatica, Sylvaticum – wild, in woods
Thyoides – citrus like
Tomentosus, Tomentosa, Tomentosum – hairy
Viscosus, Viscosa, Viscosum – sticky
Vulgaris – common
Plant Origins
Alpinus or Saxatilis – alpine or rocky
Aquaticus, Aquatica, Aquaticum – in water
Canadensis – Canada
Japonica -Japan
Occidentalis -North America
Orientalis – Asia
Sinensis -Chinese
Indicus, Indica, Indicum – India
Montana – mountains
Hopefully this will help you decipher the secrets of Latin names, however just remember when it comes to pronunciation, you’re on your own!
Brenda Dyck
A Guerrilla Gardener on an Adventure