a-: before a consonant, a Greek prefix meaning "not, without, less," e.g. acaulis, "without a stem," apetalus, "without petals."

a-/ab-: Latin prefix meaning "away from," e.g. abaxialis, "away from the axis."

Abelmos'chus: Stearn says apparently from Arabic abu-l-mosk, "father of musk or source of musk"; in allusion to the smell of the seeds. The genus Abelmoschus was published in 1787 by Friedrich Kasimir Medikus and is commonly called okra.

A'bies/a'bies: ancient name for the silver fir derived from proto-italic abiets and from Latin meaning 'rising one." According to Wikipedia it was a term often used for tall trees or ships. A website of the USDA says "The name Abies is derived from abed, the Old World Latin name for the silver fir. Theophrastus (371–286 BC) wrote of “silver firs” from Mt. Ida (today’s Kaz Dag, Turkey) being used in shipbuilding. The name Abies first appeared in Pliny the Elder’s Historiae Naturalis from about AD 7." The genus Abies was published by Philip Miller in 1754 and is called fir. The specific epithet abies in the taxon Picea abies supposedly comes from when the tree was originally classified as a fir.

abor'tivus: with parts missing, imperfect, producing abortion.

abrotan'um: now the specific epithet of southernwood (Artemisia abrotanum). A website of the National Institutes of Health says "Noteworthy is the origin of the name abrotanum, which, according to Theophrastus of Eresos, may refer to a certain constitution of the body, namely to very thin and frail people." The word abros in Greek means "slim, delicate." Abrotanum was borrowed from New Latin, and earlier was a name for either this plant or Santolina chamaecyparissus, going back to the Latin abrotanum, abrotonum, habrotonum, borrowed from Greek abrotonon. Another website mentions that the specific epithet abrotanum comes from abrotonum, a medicinal plant mentioned by Horace and other Latin authors.

abscon'dita: concealed, hidden, residual.

Abu'tilon: derived from the Arabic abū-ṭīlūn, this name was first used by the Persian philosopher and polymath Avicenna or Abū ʿAlī al-Ḥusayn bin ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Ḥasan bin ʿAlī bin Sīnā al-Balkhi al-Bukhari (Ibn Sina) around 900 B.C. for plants that resembled mallows or mulberries. General common names for Abutilon are Indian mallow (which I and many other people don't use any more) or velvetleaf. Philip Miller published the genus Abutilon in 1754.

abyssin'ica: of or from Abyssinia.

Acaly'pha: from the Greek akalephes for "nettle," being an ancient name for a kind of nettle but applied by Linnaeus to this genus because of the nettle-like appearance of the leaves. The genus Acalypha was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called copperleaf or three-seeded mercury.

acanth'ium: Dioscorides' name for a thistle-like plant. Onocardom acanthium's botanical name is derived from the Ancient Greek words ónos, "donkey," pérdo, "to fart," and ácanthos, "thorn," meaning "donkey fart thorny food."

acantho'ides: like genus Acanthus.

Acanthosper'mum: spiny-seeded. The genus Acanthospermum was published in 1820 by Franz von Paula von Schrank, and is called Paraguay bur.

acaul'e/acaul'is: without a stem.

-acea/-a'ceum/a'ceus: Latin adjectival suffix which indicates resemblance or material out of which something is made (e.g. drupacea, "like a drupe," oleracea, "resembling garden herbs or vegetables used in cooking," ranunculacea, "Ranunculus-like," crustacea, "resembling or being made out of a shell or rind," membranaceum, "like a membrane," malvaceum, "like a mallow," coriaceus, "leathery," rosaceus, "like a rose, rosy," oleraceus, "resembling greens or vegetables," also "of or pertaining to").

A'cer: the classical Latin name for the maple which seems to derive from the same roots as for the word acrid and possibly acerbic, and refers to either sharpness or hardness, the wood having been used for writing tablets and spear hafts by the Romans. Carl Linnaeus published the genus Acer called maple in 1753.

acerifol'ium: maple-leaved.

acetosel'la: pre-Linnaean name for common sorrel and other plants with acidic leaves.

Achil'lea: named for Achilles, who according to Homer in Greek mythology was a student of Chiron, the centaur known for his knowledge of medicinal herbs. Achilles supposedly used plants of the genus to staunch the wounds of his soldiers at the siege of Troy. Ironically called "nose-bleed," it was apparently used to induce nose-bleeds as a means of curing headaches. Yarrow was one of the medicinal herbs that was found at a 60,000 year old Neanderthal burial site in Iraq. The genus Achillea was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called yarrow or milfoil.

acicular'e/acicular'is: needle-like, from Latin acicula "needle, small pin."

ac'inos: from the Greek akinos, the name of an aromatic herb mentioned by Pliny and ascribed variously to be wild basil, basil-thyme, or a grape.

Acmis'pon: a name published by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, presumably from the Greek acme, "a point or edge," and explained by him in his publication in Atlantic Journal 1 (4): 144-145, 1832, as "Point hooked" in probable reference to the hook-tipped fruit. The genus Acmispon was published in 1832 by Rafinesque and is called American-bird's-foot-trefoil and prairie-trefoil.

aconitifo'lia: with leaves like Aconitum.

Aconi'tum: derivation uncertain. The ancient Greek name of this plant, loosely translated, is "unconquerable poison." Flora of North America says "according to Pliny, the name "aconite" is taken from the ancient Black Sea port Aconis." Wikipedia says the name aconitum comes from a Greek word which may derive from the Greek akon for "dart or javelin," the tips of which were poisoned with the substance, or from akonae, because of the rocky ground on which the plant was thought to grow. The genus Aconitum was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called monkshood or aconite.

Aco'rus: from the Greek akoron and akoros, an ancient name applied both to the sweet flag Acorus calamus and the yellow flag Iris pseudacorus. The name became the Latin acorus and acorum which Pliny used for an aromatic plant whose root stocks were used for cosmetics. The genus Acorus was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

a'cris: sharp-tasting, biting, acrid.

acrosticho'ides: like genus Acrostichum.

Ac'taea: the Jepson Manual says "an ancient Greek name from its wet habitat and similarity to Sambucus leaves," and Umberto Quattrocchi says: "Latin actaea for a strong-smelling plant, herb Christopher (Plinius); Greek aktea, akte, "the elder-tree, elder," referring to the leaves or to the fruits." Actaea was originally named by Pliny because the leaves of Actaea and Sambucus are similar in appearance. The genus Actaea was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called baneberry or black cohosh.

aculea'tus: prickly.

acumina'ta/acumina'tum/acumina'tus: having a long tapering point, from Latin acuminatus, past participle of acuminare, "to sharpen," from acumen, "a point."

acutan'gula: with sharp angles.

acutiflor'a: both Gledhill and CasaBio say acute-flowered with pointed petals, from acutus, "sharp or pointed," and flora, "flower," but several websites including the Missouri Botanical Garden (usually a highly reliable source) say "from the Latin words acutus meaning "sharp-pointed" and flora which honors Flora, Roman goddess of flowering plants." The species in Flora of Virginia, Glyceria acutiflora, is called sharp-scaled mannagrass.

acutilo'ba: with sharply pointed lobes.

acutis'sima: very sharply pointed, from the Latin acutus, "sharp or pointed, cut to a point," and -issimus, a superlative adjectival suffix denoting "very much or most."

acu'tus: Stearn says with a sharp but not tapering point.

addison'ii: named for Addison C. Brown (1830-1913), a United States district judge of the United States District Court

for the Southern District of New York, a botanist, author, and serious amateur astronomer. He was born in West Newbury, Massachusetts, his father being a shoemaker. He attended West Newbury's one-room school until he had exhausted its offerings at age 12, and in 1843 began more advanced studies in such areas as Latin, physics, algebra, and philosophy. He entered Amherst College in 1848 and transferred to Harvard the next year. His closest college friend was Horatio Alger who eventually became Dean of the Harvard faculty. He worked for a time in a law office and then entered Harvard Law School in 1853

graduating with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1854 and passing the New York bar exam in 1855. He worked for several law firms until his judicial appointment in 1881. Although business and the making of money was not his chief ambition, nevertheless he was successful in accruing great wealth and worked on real estate transactions and investing clients’ funds. In 1881 President Garfield appointed him to a seat on the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. His 20-year judgeship was described as prolific and distinguished. He was credited as having written between 1,600 to over 2,000 decisions, many of them concerning admiralty, bankruptcy, and extradition. His most famous case involved the libel charges against journalist Charles Anderson Dana brought by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant. He resigned from the court due to physical disabilities in 1901.The New York Times stated upon his retirement that Brown was "regarded as one of the most hard-working and painstaking judges on the bench." In the year following his retirement, Harvard honored him with an LL.D. Newspaper accounts called Brown not only a great jurist, but also a great scientist, learned as a botanist and to a lesser degree as an astronomer. In 1875, Brown joined the Torrey Botanical Club of Columbia College in New York and was an active member for many years, serving as president from 1893 to 1905.  As the club's president, Brown served on the Botanical Garden Committee and became a principal founder of the New York Botanical Garden. Brown cited his role in the Botanical Garden's founding as his most significant public service, aside from his work in the judiciary. He wrote that organization's charter in 1891 and in that year donated an initial $25,000. Brown traveled to collect botanical specimens, maintained an extensive botanical library, wrote many notes for Torrey Botanical Club publications and was the co-author with Nathaniel L. Britton of the Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada in three volumes (1896–1898).  At age 81, Brown began work on a revised and expanded edition of the Illustrated Flora, which contained over 2,000 pages and some 5,000 illustrations. With his co-author Britton, he worked on this for the rest of his life, even as his health failed. Brown died only four days after the first bound copies were shipped. He was also a serious amateur astronomer, and was a founding member of the New York Academy of Science's astronomy section. He was married twice and had four children. Stricken with paralysis, Addison Brown died at his Manhattan home at age 83. Obituaries noted his versatility and compared him to polymath poet and doctor Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (Information gathered mostly from Wikipedia)

adenolep'is: from the Greek aden, "a gland," and lepis, "scale."

Adian'tum: from the Greek adiantos, in turn from a-, "not," and diantos, "wettable," thus meaning "unwetted," "unwettable," or "dry," and referring to the way the fronds repel water. The genus Adiantum was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called maidenhair fern.

Adlu'mia: named for John Adlum (1759-1836), an American a surveyor, associate judge, plantsman, military officer, and

pioneering American viticulturalist who was the first to cultivate the Catawba grape. He was born in York, Pennsylvania, and though only 15 when the Revolutionary War broke out, he organized a company of fellow teenagers from York County to help in the fight. He joined George Washington’s national army and helped to build Fort Lee in New Jersey. He was captured by the British and imprisoned in New York, then released after three months on parole with the promise that he would fight no more. He settled where his father had come to live in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania, began studying mathematics

and apprenticed as a surveyor, going into business for himself in 1784 and surveying the navigability of the Susquehanna and Schuylkill Rivers. Adlum was appointed one of the first associate judges of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, in 1795, and commissioned a brigadier general in the Pennsylvania militia the same year, but resigned his judgeship in 1798 and moved to Havre de Grace, Maryland, where he took up farming. An interest in grapes that evolved from his work as a surveyor prompted him to begin experimenting with viticulture. Learning about and growing domestic grapes soon led to wine-making, and he even sent bottles of wine to President Jefferson, who praised his efforts highly. In 1799 he was commissioned a major in the new provisional army, but that was disbanded in 1800 and he was discharged. Two years after he was married in 1805, the new United States Army was formed and he received a commission as a Lieutenant, and then was promoted to Captain in 1808, serving  in the War of 1812. In 1814 he moved his family to the District of Columbia, began making land acquisitions, and built a house. He began growing grapes and started cultivating the Catawba variety. By 1823 he had 22 varieties of grapes under cultivation at what he called "The Vineyard" and that same year published A Memoir on the Cultivation of the Vine in America and the Best Mode of Making Wine, the first book ever published on American viticulture. The botanist Liberty Hyde Bailey called the Catawba grape "the first great American grape," and Adlum came to be known as the "father of American viticulture." Despite having only modest success at winemaking, he became a national expert and wrote extensively in agricultural journals, lobbying agricultural societies and the federal government to acknowledge viticulture as a scientific discipline. Lack of success in the winery business though caused him to come close to poverty, and he was forced to claim a minuscule pension for his Revolutionary War service (which he had long refused to do) in order to provide for his family. His last major attempt at writing was a book called Adlum on Making Wine, which he tried unsuccessfully to pursuade the government to purchase as a textbook, but this did not produce great profits, and by 1830 he no longer was writing for agricultural journals. He died at “The Vineyard” in 1836. The genus Adlumia was published by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1821 and is called climbing fumitory.

adpressip'ilis: uncertain derivation. The epithet adpressus means "pressed together, lying flat against," and according to Jaeger's Source-book the suffix -ilis is either an adjectival suffix added to the root of Latin words to indicate "capability, worth or character," or to denote "related to or derived from."

adpres'sum: pressed against or lying flat against, as in the case of hairs on some plant stems or scales on cones.

adseptentrionesvergent'ulum: this is not an epithet in the Virginia flora and is included here merely for the whimsical reason that in the 1.25 million scientific names for plants in The Plant List database compiled cooperatively by Kew Gardens and the Missouri Botanical Garden, Ornithogalum adseptentrionesvergentulum is the longest. It is a South African species and the specific epithet means "inclined toward the north."

adsper'sa: sprayed, sprinkled, from Latin , meaning "sprinkled or strewn," referring to the small pigment spots observed on preserved specimens.

adve'na: adventive, newly arrived, therefore not native.

Aegopo'dium: goat's foot, probably for the leaf shape. The genus Aegopodium is commonly called goatweed and was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus.

aegyptia'ca: Egyptian.

aegyp'tium: of or from Egypt or having something else to with Egypt.

aem'ula: rivalling, imitating, from Latin aemulatio, "rivalry, emulation, competition," and before that from some Proto-Indo-European root.

aequal'is: resembling, like, equal, uniform.

Aeschyno'mene: from Greek aischynomenē, "sensitive plant," from aischynē, "ugly or causing shame," and -menē (from menos, "mind"), alluding to the fact that the leafstalks droop when touched. Gledhill says: "deformed-moon" with no explanation. The genus Aeschynomene was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called joint-vetch.

Aes'culus: the Latin name for a kind of oak bearing edible acorns but applied by Carl Linnaeus to this genus. The genus Aesculus was published in 1753 by Linnaeus and is called buckeye.

aestivali'formis: from aestivalis, "pertaining to summer," and forma, "shape, figure, appearance, nature."

aestiva'lis: pertaining to summer. Compare hiemalis, "pertaining to winter," vernalis, "pertaining to spring," and autumnalis, "pertaining to autumn." The species Carex arestivaliformis is called summer sedge.

aes'tivum: flowering, ripening or developing in summer.

affin'is: related or similar to.

Agali'nis: "remarkable flax," from Greek aga-, "very or much," and genus Linum, alluding to the resemblance of stems and leaves. Merriam-Webster says pretty much the same thing, borrowed from New Latin, from Greek aga-, an intensifying prefix (going back to the Indo-European word for "large, great") plus New Latin -linis (derivative of Latin līnum, "flax." The genus Agalinis was published by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1836 and is called false foxglove.

Agasta'che: from agan, "very much," and stachys, "an ear of corn or wheat," having many spikes. The genus Agastache was published in 1762 by John Clayton and is called giant hyssop.

Agerati'na: diminutive of Ageratum, which is from the Greek ageratos or ageraton and means "not growing old" in allusion to the flowers which retain their color for a long time. The genus Ageratina was published in 1841 by Édouard Spach and is called white snakeroot.

aggrega'ta: from Latin aggregatus, "flocking together," growing in groups, clustered, joined together, like the strawberry and raspberry which are aggregate fruits being the product of several ovaries.

ag'nus-cas'tus: lamb of heaven, the A. Vogel Plant Encyclopedia says "The plant's name resulted from a series of misinterpretations.  Theophrastus and Dioscorides called the bush ágonos, the ’a‘ negating ‘gonos’ which means progeny, therefore "infertile." In the course of time, this word became agnós, meaning "holy, pure, chaste." Pliny used the Latin word for chastity, castitas, to describe the plant. Agnós was in turn misinterpreted as the Latin agnus, meaning "lamb," which resulted in the plant becoming known as "chaste lamb."

-a'go: a Latin substantival suffix used to indicate a resemblance or property, usually signifying resemblance to the word that precedes it.

agremo'ne: apparently a Greek word for plants that supposedly cured cataracts of the eyes. There is an herb called agrimony, Agrimonia eupatoria, that may derive its name from this word.

agres'tis: growing in the fields.

Agrimo'nia: both the Jepson Manual and Munz's Flora of Southern California posit that this name is derived from the Greek argema, an eye-disease, because of its supposed medicinal value. Another possibility is that it is a misrendering of some other epithet, perhaps argemone, an old name used by Dioscorides and Pliny for the poppy, or argemonion, a name Dioscorides applied to the Anenome. These two derivations could actually relate to the same thing because argemone is supposedly a word given by the Greeks to plants which were healing to the eyes. Umberto Quattrocchi also suggests the less likely explanation that it could be from the Greek agros, "field or open land," and monos, "alone, lonely." But Flora of North America says "from Greek Argemone from argemos, cataract of the eye, alluding to the supposed curative properties of the plant for eye disease." And another source says that the Greek word argemone means "that which heals the eye." Pliny the Elder referred to Agrimony as "an herb of princely authorite" and the Ancient Romans used it to treat everything from eye ailments to disorders of the liver and kidneys. The genus Agrimonia was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called simply agrimony.

Agrostem'ma: from the Greek agros, "field," and stemma, "crown or garland." The genus Agrostemma was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called corncockle.

Agros'tis: the Latin and Greek names for a type of grass, from Greek agron or agros, "field or pasture," undoubtedly a root word for "agriculture," referring to its habitat. The genus Agrostis was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called bentgrass.

Ailan'thus: from a Moluccan name ailanto meaning "sky tree." The genus Ailanthus was published in 1788 by René Louiche Desfontaines. and is called tree-of-heaven.

Ai'ra: Starn says from the classical Greek name for another plant that Gledhill suggests might have been darnel (Lolium temulentum), a crop weed. The genus Aira was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called hairgrass.

aja'cis: named for Ajax, the Greek hero who committed suicide at the siege of Troy during a fit of pique because the armour of Achilles was awarded to Odysseus. Supposedly a non-California species named Delphinium ajacis received the name because certain markings on the flower appeared like the Greek letters of Ajax's name.

Aju'ga: ancient and obscure origin. One source, A Modern Herbal, published 1931, says that Linnaeus applied the name in the belief that the plant was that referred to by Pliny and others by a very similar name, probably corrupted from abija, meaning to 'drive away'; as the plant was used to treat some diseases, and this is echoed by Gledhill who says: "Scribonius Largus' corrupted Latin for abortifacient (in Pliny, abigo, to drive away). The Online Virtual Flora of Wisconsin says on a page about Ajuga reptans, which is a species in the Virginia Flora, that Ajuga is an obscure name meaning creeping, but this may be a confusion because reptans means "creeping." Another source claims that "The etymological root of the binomial name Ajuga is possibly derived from the Latin a ‘without’ and jugum‘yolk’, in reference to the calyx lobes being equal," and more than one source including Umberto Quattrocchi suggest this derivation. The Illustrated Dictionary of Southern African Plant Names has this: "Possibly Greek a-, 'without,' and zygo, zygon (Latin jugum), 'yoke.' Linnaeus imaginatively named it Ajuga, meaning ‘has no ox’s yoke’, because the buds on the spike are not connected. This has been interpreted variously as an allusion to the fact that the calyx is not divided and is in fact a single petal, or that the sepals surrounding the buds are not connected, or that this is a reference to the apparently missing upper corolla lip." Common names for members of this genus are bugleweed, ground pine, carpet bugle or just bugle. The same source as mentioned above, A Modern Herbal, states that some early writers called the plant Bugula and that may be the source of the English common name of Bugle. The genus Ajuga was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

Akeb'ia: Latinized version of the Japanese name akebi for these twining shrubs, derived from akeru, "to open," and mi, "fruit", due to how its fruit splits open when ripe. The genus Akebia was published by Joseph Decaisne in 1837 and is simply called akebia.

alabamen'sis: of or from Alabama.

ala'ta/ala'tum/ala'tus: from the Latin alatus, "winged," thus with appendaged wings or flanges, usually the stems or leaf petioles.

al'ba: from Latin album, "bright, white."

al'bidum: white.

albico'ma: white-haired.

Albiz'ia: sometimes spelled Albizzia, and named after Filippo del Albizzi, 18th century Florentine nobleman and naturalist who introduced the plant Albizia julibrissin into cultivation in 1749. The Albizzi family was a Florentine family originally based in Arezzo, who were rivals of the Medici and Alberti families. The genus Albizia was published in 1772 by Antonio Durazzini and is called silk tree.

al'ba/al'bum/al'bus: bright, dead white, diminutive of Latin albus, white.

al'bida/albidum: white.

albolutes'cens: whitish-yellow, although one website gives the common name of greenwhite sedge for Carex albolutescens.

albursi'na: named after White Bear Lake in east central Minnesota, where Carex albursina was first found by Edmund Sheldon in the 1890s, and called white bear sedge. Name derived from alba, "white." and ursa, "bear."

Al'cea: from the Greek alkea or alkaia and the Latin alcea, "a kind of mallow." The genus Alcea was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called hollyhock.

Alchemil'la: takes its Latin name from some plant valued for its use in alchemy, and is a diminutive of alchemia, “alchemy," from a belief in the power of the drops that are distinctively formed on the leaves of the plant. With the common name of lady's mantle or alchémille, FNA says "Arabic name alkemelyeh, perhaps alluding to alchemists' interest in reputed marvelous powers of its dew." The genus Alchemilla was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus.

alepp'icum: of or from the city of Aleppo in Syria.

Ale'tris: FNA says from the Greek aletris, a female slave who ground corn or meal, alluding to the mealy texture of the perianths. The genus Aletris was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called colicroot. A website of the USDA says "The name colic root refers to the root of this plant being used to treat colic (excessive crying), among other ailments like indigestion and lack of appetite. It contains the steroid saponin.

-alis: Latin adjectival suffix meaning belonging to or pertaining to something (e.g. dorsalis, "dorsal" from dorsum, "back"; autumnalis, "pertaining to autumn, autumnal" from autumnus, "autumn"; occidentalis, "having to do with the West" from occidens, "west"), takes the form -aris after stems which end in 'l' as in stellaris, fascicularis and avicularis.

Alis'ma: a Greek name some say from Celtic for a water plant and alluding to the habitat in which it grows. Wikipedia notes that "Copóg Phádraig ("Patrick's leaf") is the Irish name for the water-plantain. It is reputed to ward off fairies." The genus Alisma was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called water-plantain.

alleghanien'se/alleghenien'sis: of or from the Allegheny Mountains.

al'lenii: named for Timothy Field Allen (1837-1902), American physician, botanist and plant collector, one of the seven

Allens whose names are on North American plants. He was born in Westminster, Vermont, and graduated with an A.B. degree from Amherst College in 1858. He subsequently received the degree of A.M. from the same institution, and then graduated M.D. in 1861 from the University of the City of New York and in the same year commenced practice at Brooklyn, N.Y. He served during the American Civil War as an assistant surgeon with the Union Army (1862-1864).  He early adopted homeopathy, and in 1865 he received the degree of M.D. from the Homeopathic (Hahnemann) Medical College, of

Philadelphia, establishing himself in New York City, which remained the field of his labors for nearly forty years. In 1867 he became professor of materia medica in the New York Homeopathic College, and from 1882 was its Dean. For many years he was surgeon to the New York Ophthalmic Hospital, and was largely instrumental in the establishment of the Laura Franklin Free Hospital for Children and the Flower Free Surgical Hospital in New York City which he was instrumental in establishing. It was one of the first teaching hospitals in the country owned by a medical college that also provided free treatment to the poor, and Allen was family physician to Roswell P. Flower, who would later become governor of New York. He was one of the editors of the New York Journal of Homeopathy (1873-1875), and later edited an Encyclopedia of Pure Materia Medica in ten volumes (1875-1879). He was also the author of A Handbook of Materia Medica and Homeopathic Therapeutics published at Philadelphia in 1879. Early in his medical career, like many doctors of the time, he became a botanical enthusiast, and maintained his interest in this branch of scientific study in spite of his arduous professional work. He was one of the founders and curator of the Torrey Botanical Club; indeed, he is commonly credited with having been the first to suggest the organization of the Club under the name of New York Botanical Club, now one of the strongest scientific societies of New York City. He was the first to occupy the office of vice-president in the Club, and was re-elected annually until his death nearly thirty years later. Most of his contributions to botanical periodical literature appeared in the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club, although there were several in other magazines, notably one in the American Naturalist for May, 1882. In 1889 the club launched a public appeal to establish the New York Botanical Garden and Allen served on the committee with Nathaniel Lord Britton, Addison Brown, Thomas Hogg, Charles Arthur Hollick, John Strong Newberry, Henry Hurd Rusby and E.merson Ellick Sterns. He became interested in algae and for many years he was almost the only American student of these plants. His most important printed contribution to this subject was The Characeae of America, issued in parts from 1888 to 1896. By correspondence, by exchange, by purchase, and by paying the expenses of collectors in North America, South America, and Japan, Allen brought together one of the finest accumulations of specimens and books relating to the Characeae in existence; all these he presented to the New York Botanical Garden the year before his death, when failing health made it impossible for him to study them further. His botanical work was by no means confined entirely to the Characeae; several species of plants, named in his honor, bear witness to the breadth of his interest in botany, including Danthonia alleni, Erigonum alleni, and Kneiffia alleni. He was married and had six children. He died in New York City.

allia'ceum: like onion or garlic in flavor or appearance.

Alliar'ia: Flora of North America says from genus Allium, "garlic or onion," and the Latin –aria, "connection," alluding to odor of the crushed plant. The genus Alliaria is called garlic mustard and was published in 1759 by Philipp Conrad Fabricius based on a previous description by Lorenz Heister.

Al'lium: Latin for "garlic." Carl Linnaeus first described the genus Allium in 1753. Some sources refer to the Greek aleo, "to avoid" by reason of the smell of garlic. The genus is called garlic, onion, leek or ramps.

alnifo'lia: with leaves like Alnus, the alder.

Al'nus/al'nus: the classical Latin name for the alder. The oldest fossil pollen that can be identified as Alnus is from northern Bohemia, dating to the late Paleocene, around 58 million years ago. The species Frangula alnus commonly known as alder buckthorn, glossy buckthorn, or breaking buckthorn is native to Europe but is also introduced and naturalized in eastern North America. The genus Alnus was published by Philip Miller in 1754 and is commonly known as alder.

aloifo'lia: with leaves like Aloe.

alopecuro'ides: resembling the genus Alopecurus.

Alopecur'us: from the Greek alopekouros, meaning a grass like a fox's tail, in turn from alopex, "fox," and oura, "a tail," from the paniculate form of the spike. The genus Alopecurus was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called foxtail grass.

alpi'na: of an alpine origin or habit, of high, snow-capped mountains, from Latin alpes, "The Alps."

al'sine: a name used by Theophrastus for a chickweed-like plant. There is also a genus Alsine.

also'des: of woodland, of sacred groves. One of the common names of Poa alsodes is grove bluegrass.

Alternanther'a: from alternans, "alternating," and anthera, "anther," in reference to the alernate anthers that are barren. The genus Alternanthera is commonly called chaff-flower or joyweed and was published in 1775 by Pehr Forsskål.

alterniflor'a: with alternating flowers. The inflorescence is a panicle bearing flowers and seeds on only one side of the stalk. The species Spartina alterniflora occupies a narrow band of habitat in tidal marshes and salt flats just above mean high tide level, and is common in the maritime and lower estuarine zones of the coastal plains. I wonder therefore whether the specific epithet refers to the 'alternating' salt and brackish water to which this species has become adapted.

alternifo'lia: with alternate leaves.

Althae'a: from the Greek althaino, "to cure," from the use of some species as medicines. The genus Althaea was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called marsh-mallow.

altis'sima/altis'simum/altis'simus: very tall, tallest.

altomontan'um: refers to high altitudes. Vaccinium altomontanum is a frequent resident of grassy balds, heath balds, high elevation forests and woodlands.

Alysicar'pus: from Greek alysis, halysis or halusis, "chain or fetter," and karpos, "fruit." CasaBio says "The pod is constricted between each seed (moniliforme). The pods are chain-like."

alysso'ides: resembling genus Alyssum.

Alys'sum: from the Greek a-, "not or without," and lyssa, "madness," it was said to cure rabies. This is another of those names that I have wondered about the derivation of. It was used loosely to denote various medicinal herbs from the mid 16th century. Alyssum is both a Latin generic name and a common name, so when people mention ‘alyssum,’ it’s important to know whether they are taling about the genus Alyssum or simply the plant commonly called alyssum.  There are about a hundred species in the genus which is in the mustard family, with the highest diversity in the Mediterranean region. Several other genera, most notably Lobularia, are closely related and were formerly included in it. Other meanngs of the ‘lyssa’ part of the root are “rage, fury, or madness,” giving alyssum the sense of “without madness.” It’s funny that such a sweet little flower would have this kind of a name. Alyssum is a type of European flowering plant and the name comes from the Greek alysson which is perhaps the neuter of adjective alyssos, "curing madness." Some relate the word lyssa with lykos, “wolf,” and others see a connection with words having to do with light, in reference to the glittering eyes of the mad.  Stearn says it has been called madwort, and was regarded as a specific against madness and the bites of mad dogs. It may have been thought at one time that it was a remedy for dogs with rabies. Alyssum is also a plant with a role to play in witchcraft. Dedicated practitioners claim alyssum will help deflect unfriendly spells. Alyssum is also thought by some to help cultivate calmness and avoid anger, and is said to protect an individual from heated encounters. The genus Alyssum was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called alyssum or madwort.

Amaran'thus: from the Greek amarantos, "unfading," referring to the long-lasting flowers. The genus Amaranthus was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called amaranth or pigweed.

amar'ulum: somewhat bitter, from amarum and -ulum, a Latin adjectival suffix used as a diminutive.

amar'a/amar'um: bitter to the taste.

am'bigens: doubtful, of uncertain relationship, from the Latin ambi, "both, either or any together."

ambig'ua/ambig'uus: uncertain, doubtful, from Latin ambiguus, “moving from side to side, of doubtful nature," from ambigere, “to go about, wander, doubt.”

Ambro'sia: Greek for "food of the gods." The genus Ambrosia was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called ragweed.

ambrosio'ides: like the genus Ambrosia.

Amelan'chier: from amelancier, an old French Provencal common name applied to A. ovalis. The common name serviceberry comes from 'sarvis' or 'servis berry' because of its resemblance to Sorbus domestica, the service tree. Amelanchier has various other common names including shadbush, shadwood, shadblow, wild pear, juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum, wild plum and chuckley pear. The genus Amelanchier was published in 1789 by Friedrich Kasimir Medikus and is called serviceberry, sarvis, shadbush, or juneberry.

america'na/america'num/america'nus: American, of or from America.

Amianth'ium: from Greek amiantos, "unsoiled," and anthos, "flower," alluding to the glandless tepals. The genus Amianthium was published by Asa Gray in 1837 and is called fly-poison, crow-poison, st. elmo's-feather and staggergrass.

Amman'ia: named for Paul Ammann (1634-1691), a German botanist and professor at Leipzig who wrote on South American plants. He was born at Breslau and received the degree of doctor of physic from the University of Leipzig in 1662. In 1664 he was admitted a member of the society Naturae Curiosorum. Shortly afterwards he was chosen as extraordinary professor of medicine in the above-mentioned university. and in 1674 was promoted to the botanical chair, which he exchanged in 1682 for the chair of physiology. He was also director of the medical garden.  He authored Supellex Botanica in 1675, an enumeration of the medical plants in the garden and others in the vicinity. He also produced Medecina Critica (1670), Paraenesis ad Docentes Occupata Circa Institutionum Medicarum Emendationem (1673), Irenicum Numae Pompilii cum Hippocrate (1689), and Character Naturalis Plantarum (1676). He died at Leipzig in 1691. The genus Ammannia was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called redstem or ammannia.

Ammophil'a: sand-loving, growing in sandy places. The genus Ammophila was published in 1809 by Nicolaus Thomas Host and is called beach grass.

amo'mum: Latinized from Greek amomon, a kind of aromatic Indian spice plant.

Amor'pha: from a Greek word amorphos signifying "deformed," an allusion to the single petal of the flower. The genus Amorpha was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called indigo-bush or leadplant.

Ampela'mus: from Greek ampelos, "vine." The genus Ampelamus was published in 1819 by Constantine Rafinesque.

ampelopra'sum: from the Greek ampelos meaning "vine," and prason meaning "leek." The species Allium ampeloprasum is called wild leek.

Ampelop'sis: from Greek ampelos, "vine or grapevine," and -opsis, "similarity, resembling, appearance." The genus Ampelopsis was published by André Michaux in 1803 and is called peppervine.

Amphia'chyris: The Flora of North America website says that this name derives from Greek amphi-, "around," and achyron, "chaff or husks," alluding to the ring of pappus elements. The genus Amphiachyris is called broomweed and was published in 1840 by Thomas Nuttall.

amphib'ia: amphibious, suited for or adapted to growing on land or in the water.

amphibo'la: from the Greek amphibolos, meaning "ambiguous or doubtful."

Amphicar'paea: from Greek amphi, "both or double.' Amphicarpaea often spelled Amphicarpa is Greek for “two-seeded,” referring to the two types of flowers or seeds, above and below ground. The genus Amphicarpaea was published by Stephen Elliott in 1818 and is called hog-peanut.

amphicar'pon: without finding anything certain about the meaning or derivation of this name, I can only assume that it relates to other similar epithets like Amphicarpum (see below) or amphicarpos, which Gledhill says means "with bent pods."

Amphicar'pum: from the Greek amphi, “both or double,” and karpos, “fruit,” alluding to plants that form both aerial and subterranean spikelets. The genus Amphicarpum was published by Karl Sigismund Kunth in 1829 and is called peanut-grass.

amplexicaul'e/amplexicaul'is: embracing or clasping the stem.

amplexifo'lius: leaf-clasping.

amplifo'lia: large-leaved, from the Latin ampli or amplus, "large, spacious," and folia, "leaves."

Amson'ia: named for Dr. John Amson (1698-?), of Gloucester Co. and thereabouts, a Virginia physician, amateur botanist, and gentleman farmer who apparently had settled there from England. It is difficult to describe the eponymy of this name due to lack of relevant records. The genus Amsonia was first published in 1788 by a man named Thomas Walter who gave no derivation or eponymy for the name. Walter was a British-born American botanist best known for his work Flora Caroliniana. As early as 1830, the name Amsonia was associated with a “Charles Amason, an American traveller.” This eponomy was soon adopted by other British and continental sources, but the name was changed from Amason to Amson by Joseph Paxton, and many editions of Gray’s Manual and other sources included the name of “Charles Amson.” By the beginning of the 20th century, skepticism had arisen about the name of “Charles” Amson inasmuch as no records of such a person, a “traveller in America,” could be produced. The first idea that Amsonia might have been named for a physician was alluded to in John Clayton’s unpublished manuscript on the plants of Virginia, and gradually over the course of succeeding decades took hold. Eventually references began to turn up about a Dr. John Amson of Gloucester County and Williamsburg who was said to be a friend of John Clayton. Little that is definitive is known about his early life before he began practicing medicine but it is possible that he received a degree from the University at Rheims in France in 1722. As early as 1746 he served as an Alderman and then as Mayor of Williamsburg from 1750 to 1751. It is uncertain when he died but it was likely sometime between 1761 and 1765. One website, CasaBio.org, gives 1763 with no source material. Wikipedia provides this interesting story about how the genus came to be named Amsonia. “In 1760, a perennial flower was named after Amson. It came about after then-Colonel George Washington, on campaign during the French and Indian War, contracted what he believed to be the consumption, called tuburculosis today. In 1758, on his way to Williamsburg, Washington sought a definitive answer as to his illness, stopped for a medical consultation at the Governor's Palace, where Dr. Amson lived on the north-west edge of town. Amson diagnosed Washington with a common cold and convinced him he was not going to die. To commemorate Amson, John Clayton, clerk of courts for Gloucester County, named the genus Amsonia after the doctor, and sent the seeds to botanist John Bartram for his seed and plant business.” In fact it is likely that Washington had dysentery and almost certain that he travelled to Williamsburg specifically to consult doctors there so it was not a fortuitous meeting with Amson whose reputation had spread widely.  Much of the information given was gleaned from a 2004 article by James S. Pringle in SIDA, Contributions to Botany, entitled History and Eponomy of the Genus Name Amsonia. The thinness of the material regarding the life of Dr. John Amson is a good example of how difficult it sometimes is to find out who various genera are named for.