an-: before a vowel, a Greek prefix meaning "not, without, less," e.g. anantherus, "without anthers."

-ana: suffix given to a personal name to convert it into an adjectival commemorative epithet to be attached to a generic name that is feminine in gender, thus Puccinellia nuttalliana.

anagallid'ea: uncertain derivation, but probably having a similarity to genus Anagallis.

Anag'allis: from two Greek words, ana, "again," and agallein, "to delight in," since the flowers open each time the sun strikes them and we can enjoy them anew each day. The genus Anagallis was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called pimpernel.

anag'allis-aqua'tica: water Anagallis or water speedwell.

Anaph'alis: from the Greek name of a similar plant, or, FNA suggests perhaps derived from the generic name Gnaphalium. The genus Anaphalis is called pearly everlasting and was published by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1837.

an'ceps: two-headed; also sometimes meaning doubtful, uncertain.

Anchu'sa: from the Latin name anchusa, derived from the Greek ankousa or ankhousa, for a plant used as a cosmetic or as an emollient to soothe and soften the skin. One website, Eflora, says "Anchusa is from a Greek word meaning to paint or dye (another species is Dyer’s Bugloss (A. tinctoria)." The genus Anchusa was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called bugloss.

ancistrochae'tus: from Greek ancistro-, which in compound words means hooked or barbed, and chaete, "bristle, crest, mane or foliage."

Andrograph'is: from the Greek andros, "a man," and graphis, "stylus, pencil, paintbrush," from graphein, "to write," alluding to the form of the filaments. The genus Andrographis was published by Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck in 1832 and is called false waterwillow.

Andropo'gon: from the Greek andros, "a man," and pogon, "beard," referring to the hairs on the spikelets of some of these grass species. The genus Andropogon was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called broomsedge or bluestem.

Ane'mone: an ancient Greek name derived from anemos, "wind," the genus being commonly called windflower. The genus Anemone was published by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1818 and is called just anemone.

Anemonel'la: diminutive of Anemone. The genus Anemonella was published by Édouard Spach in 1838 and is called rue-anemone.

A'nethum: from the Greek name anison for dill, and meaning "to calm or soothe." The genus Anethum was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

Angel'ica: Latin for "angelic," referring to the medicinal properties of the plant, which are said to have been revealed to a monk by an angel who told him it was a cure for the plague. More than 60 species of medicinal plants belong to the genus Angelica. Many of these species have long been used in ancient traditional medicine systems, especially in the Far East. Various herbal preparations containing Angelica species are available over-the-counter, not only in the Far Eastern countries, but also in western countries like the USA, the UK, Germany, etc. For centuries many species of this genus have been used traditionally as anti-inflammatory, diuretic, expectorant and diaphoretic, and as a remedy for colds, flu, influenza, hepatitis, arthritis, indigestion, coughs, chronic bronchitis, pleurisy, typhoid, headaches, wind, fever, colic, travel sickness, rheumatism, bacterial and fungal infections and diseases of the urinary organs. The genus Angelica was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

ang'licum: of England, English.

angular'is: see angulatus below.

angula'ta/angula'tus: having angles or corners, or with angular lobes.

angusta'ta: narrow or narrowed.

angustifo'lia/angustifo'lium/angustifo'lius: having narrow foliage, from Latin angustus, "narrow."

angust'ior: narrower.

angus'tum: from Latin angustus, "narrow."

annec'tens: alternative form of adnectens, "fastening upon, binding to." Wikipedia says "The species epithet annectens is derived from the Latin words ad-, "towards" and nectens, "tying, linking, joining or connecting," in reference to the fossil's phylogenetic implications."

annoti'num: one year old, of the previous year.

ann'ua/ann'uum/ann'uus: annual, yearly, that which returns, recurs, or happens every year.

an'nulum: a ring, a ringlike part, band, or space, a growth ring, as on the cross section of a tree trunk, that can be used to estimate age. Dichanthelium annulum is called ringed witchgrass and the common name refers to the densely hairy ring or "beard" of white hairs at the stem nodes.

Ano'da: according to Stearns, a Sinhalese (Ceylonese) name for a species of Abutilon. Umberto Quattrocchi gives two alternative etymologies: (1) "from the Greek a, "without," and odous, odontos, "a tooth," for the leaves; and (2) from the Greek a, "without," and the Latin nodus, "a joint or node," since the flowering stems lack nodes. The genus Anoda was published by Antonio José Cavanilles in 1785 and is called anoda.

anom'alum: deviating from the normal or usual, anomalous.

anon'yma: none of my usual sources give an etymology for this epithet, but I assume it is derived from the Greek anonymos, "namesless, unknown."

Antennar'ia: from the Latin antenna, because of the resemblance of the male flowers to insect antennae. The genus Antennaria is called pussytoes and was published by Joseph Gaertner in 1791.

antennariifo'lia: with leaves like genus Antennaria.

anthela'tus: from the Greek anthelion, the downy plume of the reed.

An'themis: from the Greek anthemon, "flower," for their profuse blooming, and the Greek name for Chamaemelum nobile, of which chamomile tea is made. The genus Anthemis is called chamomile and was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus.

Anthoxan'thum: from Greek anthos, "a flower," and xanthos, "yellow," alluding to the color of the spikelets when ripe. The genus Anthoxanthum was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called vernal grass.

Anthris'cus: from the Latin anthriscus and Greek anthriskos, names for chervil, and possibly for another but unidentified plant. It has been suggested that it may be connected to the Greek ather, the "beard" of grain. The genus Anthriscus is common called chervil and was published by Christiaan Henrik Persoon in 1805.

Anticle'a: the only thing I can find about the generic epithet Anticlea is mythological. Anticlea was the daughter of Autolycus and Amphithea, and granddaughter of the god Hermes. She was Queen of Ithaca, the spouse of King Laertes, with whom she had a son, the famous hero Odysseus. One note I uncovered was that anticlea (Ἀντίκλει) in ancient Greek means “without fame.” The genus Anticlea was published by Karl Sigismund Kunth in 1843 and is called death-camas.

antirrhin'a: one of the meanings of the Greek anti is "like, resembling" and rhina means "nose." The reason that there is a double R in the epithet antirrhina is that there is a spelling convention in Greek that says that if a stem element begins with the letter rho (the 17th letter in the Greek alphabet and a letter that is equivalent to an English R) and is preceded by an element that ends in a simple vowel, the rho or R is doubled. In this case the stem element is rhina and it is preceded by an element that ends in a simple vowel, ie. anti, thus the R is doubled. This convention goes back to ancient Greek which was eventually adopted by botanical Latin and modern English. But interestingly, I just ran across a genus in the Virginia flora, Callirhoe, which would seem to fit the requirements for a double R, but it doesn't, however another genus in the Flora, Chaenorrhinum, does, just showing that botanical nomenclature is as inconsistent as everything else.

Antirrhi'num: nose-like, from the Greek anti, "like, resembling," and rhis or rhinon, "nose," alluding to the appearance of the flower, which looks like the snout of a dragon (or other animal). The common name "snapdragon" originates from the flower's reaction to having their throats squeezed, which causes the "mouth" of the flower to snap open like a dragon's mouth. This was a name used by Dioscorides. The genus Antirrhinum was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

-a'nus: “of, pertaining to,” a suffix forming an adjective.

apari'ne: a Greek name for the plant called cleavers, goosegrass, catchfly bedstraw or stckywilly. The Greek apairo, which means to “lay hold of” or “seize,” gives the species name aparine its meaning, since this species tends to climb and cling to other plants.

aparino'ides: resembling the genus Aparine.

A'phanes: from the Greek aphanes, "obscure, inconspicuous, unseen, invisible," alluding to the inconspicuous nature of the plants and/or flowers. The genus Aphanes was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called parsley-piert.

aphyl'la: leafless, from the Greek a, "without," and phyllon, "leaf."

Ap'ios: from the Greek apios, "a pear," from the shape of the tubers which were eaten sometimes by indigenous Americans. The genus Apios was published in 1759 by Philipp Conrad Fabricius and is called potato bean or groundnut because of the seeds that ripen underground.

Aplec'trum: from the Greek a-, "without," and plectron, "spur" The genus Aplectrum was published by John Torrey in 1818 and is called puttyroot, referring to the mucilaginous fluid which can be removed from the tubers when they are crushed, or adam-and-eve plant. One explanation for the latter name is that one corm bears the leaf or leaves, the other produces the bloom stem, and another is that old roots (Adam) give rise to new roots (Eve), and yet another posits a fanciful allusion to the bridge of tissue connecting two corms, like Eve developing from Adam's rib.

apo'dum: footless, sessile, without a stalk.

appalachia'na/appala'chica: of or from the Appalachians. Carex appalachica is called Appalachian sedge,

appres'sa: pressed close to or lying flat against.

ap'rica: sun-loving, open to the sun, from the Latin apricus, "sunny, open to the light."

aquat'ica/aquat'icum: found in the water, relating to water.

aqua'tilis: growing in or near water.

Aquile'gia: from the Latin aquila, "an eagle," referring to the shape of the petals which is said to be like an eagle's claw. The genus Aquilegia was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and is called columbine.

ara'bica: of or from Arabia.

Arabidop'sis: from the Greek Arabis and -opsis, "resembling Arabis." The genus Arabidopsis was published in 1842 by Gustav Heynhold and is called mouse-ear cress.

Ar'abis: derivation obscure. Some say a Greek word used for "mustard" or "cress," others the Greek word for Arabia, perhaps referring to the ability of these plants to grow in rocky or sandy soils. Arabis is called rock cress and was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

Arach'is: coined by Linnaeus and used by Galen from an ancient Greek name arachus or arakhos for a leguminous plant. Another website says "The term Arachis derives from the Greek arachos, a plant of legumes mentioned by Aristophanes, Hipparchus and Theophrastus." Common names include peanut, groundnut, monkeynut and earthnut, and Stearn mentions that "After flowering the stalks bend down and push the fruits into the soil where they develop and ripen."

Ara'lia: Latinization of an old French-Canadian or American-Indian name aralie, possibly from Iroquois. The genus Aralia was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

arbor'ea: derived from Latin for "tree" and alluding to a tree-like habit of growth.

arbores'cens: woody or tree-like, becoming like a tree.

arbor'ea/arbor'eum: tending to be woody, growing in tree-like form.

Arctostaph'ylos: from two Greek words arktos, "bear," and staphule, "a bunch of grapes," referring to the common name of the first-known species, and also perhaps alluding to bears feeding on the grape-like fruits. The genus Arctostaphylos was published by Michel Adanson in 1763 and is called bearberry or manzanita.

arcta'ta: I think that the root of this epithet is arktos, "bear," but I can't find any definite explanation. The species Carex arctata is called the drooping wood sedge, drooping woodland sedge or black sedge.

Arct'ium: from the Greek arction, the name of a plant taken from arctos, "bear," because of the rough involucre. The genus Arctium is called burdock and was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

Arenar'ia/arenar'ia: from the Latin arena, "sand," referring to the sandy habitats of many species. The genus Arenaria is called sandwort and was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus.

arenico'la: dwelling on or in sand, from Latin arēna for "sand," and the suffix -cola or -colo for "inhabiting, to inhabit."

Arethu'sa: derived from the Greek Arethusa, a mythical river nymph, and a name literally meaning "The Waterer." Wikipedia provides the mythological background. "In Greek mythology, Arethusa was a nymph who fled from her home in Arcadia beneath the sea and came up as a fresh water fountain on the island of Ortygia in Syracuse, Sicily. The myth of her transformation begins in Arcadia when she came across a clear stream and began bathing, not knowing it was the river god Alpheus, who flowed down from Arcadia through Elis to the sea. He fell in love during their encounter, but she fled after discovering his presence and intentions, as she wished to remain a chaste attendant of Artemis. After a long chase, she prayed to her goddess to ask for protection. Artemis hid her in a cloud, but Alpheus was persistent. She began to perspire profusely from fear, and soon transformed into a stream. Artemis then broke the ground allowing Arethusa another attempt to flee. Her stream traveled under the sea to the island of Ortygia, but Alpheus flowed through the sea to reach her and mingle with her waters." The genus Arethusa was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus who was fond of mythological references and is called dragon's-mouth, bog-rose or just arethusa.

Argem'one: from the Greek argemos, "a white spot (cataract) on the eye," which this plant was once supposed to cure. David Hollombe adds the following: "The Greek Argemone is Papaver argemone. Linnaeus 'recycled' the name for the American genus. I have read stories of our Argemone being used medicinally in place of P. argemone in India, resulting in glaucoma because of the differing alkaloids in the two plants." FNA adds "a poppylike herb mentioned by Pliny." The genus Argemone was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

argen'tea: silvery.

argillico'la: living on clay soils, from Greek argillos, "white clay, potter's earth," and -cola, "dwelling on or in."

ar'guens: derivation uncertain, apparently the present participle of arguo, "asserting, accusing, blaming, denouncing," although another source gives "boat-shaped" as the meaning.

argu'ta: sharp-toothed, referring to the toothed leaves.

argyran'tha: silver flower, from argyros, "silver," and anthos, "flower." The species Carex argyrantha is called silvery-flowered sedge.

argyrin'ea: another name meaning 'silvery.'

argyroco'ma: silver-haired. Common names for Paronychia argyrocoma are silvery whitlow-wart, silver nailwort and silverling.

-ar'ia/ar'ius: a suffix meaning "pertaining to, a thing like or connected to something" (e.g. stellaria, a thing like or pertaining to a star).

arifo'lia: with leaves like genus Arum.

-aris: 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.

Arisae'ma: Stearn says: "from Greek aris or aron, "arum," and haima, "blood," either used in the sense of relationship, i.e. "akin to arum," or referring to flecks on the spathe of original species." SEINet says haima means blood, referring to the blotchy red leaf color of some species. FNA partly concurs by saying "from Greek aris, plant name used by Pliny, and haima, blood, in reference to the red-spotted leaves of some species." The genus Arisaema was published by Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in 1831 and is called jack-in-the-pulpit and indian-turnip (another name which I discourage the use of).

arista'ta/arista'tum: with a long, bristle-like tip, bearded, from Latin arista, "hair."

Aris'tida: from the Latin arista for "awn," the bristle-like appendage at the tip or dorsal surface of a grass floret's lemma. The genus Aristida was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus. The genus is among those colloquially called three-awns wiregrasses, speargrasses and needlegrasses.

aristo'sum: with a strong beard, heavily awned.

Arive'la: origin and meaning obscure. One of the names chosen in 1838 by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque who seemed to like choosing names that no one knew the derivation of.

arkansan'a/arkansan'um: of or from Arkansas.

armenia'ca: of or from Armenia, Western Asia.

armer'ia: Latinized from the old French name armoires for a cluster-headed dianthus, this is also the Latin name for the Dianthus.

Armora'cia: from the classical Latin name armoracia and ancient Greek armorakia for the horseradish used by Columela and Pliny. FNA says "Ancient Greek name for horseradish, or perhaps Celtic ar, "near," mor, "sea," and rich, "against," alluding to its habitat. Another website says "The term armoracia comes from armoricus, Breton; Armorica is an area of ​​Brittany, where the plant was cultivated." The genus Armoracia was published by Gottfried Gaertner, Bernhard Meyer, and Johannes Scherbius in 1800.

Ar'nica: means "lamb's skin," in reference to the soft, hairy leaves. The genus Arnica was published by Carl Linneaus in 1753 and is just called arnica.

Arnoglos'sum: from the Greek word arnos meaning "lamb," and glossum meaning "tongue" and is the ancient name for some species of Plantago. The genus Arnoglossum is called Indian-plantain by those who don't shun this name and was published by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1817.

aromat'ica: fragrant, aromatic.

Aro'nia: derived from aria, the Greek name for whitebeam (formerly a species of Sorbus), alluding to the resemblance to chokeberry fruits. Often mistakenly called chokecherries, the aronia berries are known as chokeberries because of their sharp, mouth-drying effect. All three species of the genus are present in eastern North America. The genus Aronia was published by Friedrich Kasimir Medikus in 1789 and is called chokeberry.

Arrhenath'erum: one website says this name comes from the Greek words arrhen for "male" and ather for "awn," the upper floret being staminate and awned. A second posits that it is from the Greek arrhen, "masculine," and ather, "edge," alluding to the edge of the male foil. A third says the term Arrhenatherum derives from the Greek árren, "male," and from athér, "remain," for the long remains of the spikelet male flower. And yet a fourth claims that it is derived from the Greek arrhen, "male or masculine," and anther, "bristle," referring to the bristly awns on the male flowers. So everyone agrees on the first part but not on the second part. The genus Arrhenatherum was published by Ambroise Marie François Joseph Palisot de Beauvois in 1812 and is called false oatgrass or buttongrass.

Artemis'ia: referring to the Greek goddess Artemis who so benefited from a plant of this family that she gave it her own name. This was also the old Latin name given to the mugwort or wormwoods. An alternative though less likely possibility for the derivation of this name is that it comes from Queen Artemisia of Halicarnassus in Asia Minor (Turkey), sister and wife of King Mausolus, who ruled after his death from 352 to 350 B.C.E. and built during her short reign one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, which she unfortunately did not live to see the completion of. The genus Artemisia is called yarrow and was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

Arthrax'on: Gledhill says jointed stem. Root words are Greek arthron, "a joint," and axon, "an axle or axis," which could be interpreted as a stem. The genus Arthraxon was published by Ambroise Marie François Joseph Palisot de Beauvois in 1812 and is called joint-head grass or carpetgrass. The common name refers to this species' ability to root at each node that contacts the ground.

articula'ta/articula'tus: jointed, as in plants such as bamboos and horsetails.

Arun'cus: according to Umberto Quattrocchi, "from Latin aruncus, "the beard of the goat," a classical name used by Pliny for herbs commonly known as 'goat's beard'." And FNA says: "from Greek arunkos, 'goat’s beard,' alluding to showy fingerlike clusters forming feathery flowers." The genus Aruncus was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1758 and is called goat's-beard.

arundina'cea/arundina'ceum/arundina'ceus: resembling a reed, Arundo-like.

Arundinar'ia: from the Latin arundo, "a reed." Stearn adds "Southern cane of the cane brakes of the southeast United States." Arundinaria is the only bamboo that is native to the United States. Wikipedia says that "Two of the three species currently placed in the genus, Arundinaria gigantea and Arundinaria tecta, were first described scientifically by Thomas Walter in his 1788 Flora Caroliniana. Walter placed them in the grass genus Arundo. In 1803, the French botanist André Michaux, unaware of the flora prepared by Walter, also published a description of the canes he encountered. Michaux recognised only one species, but created a new monotypic genus for it: Arundinaria macrosperma Michx. The name of the genus he used is derived from the same Latin word used by Walter for the plants he described; namely arundo, meaning reed."

Arun'do: from Latin arundo, "a reed." Currently considered to be one of the worst invasive species globally, Arundo donax has also been widely utilized by man across Eurasia for millennia. One of its main uses is as an energy crop, which are plants that are produced with the express purpose of using their biomass energetically and at the same time reduce carbon dioxide emission. Giant reed is one of the most promising crops for energy production in the Mediterranean climate of Europe and Africa, where it has shown advantages as an indigenous crop with durable yields, and resistant to long drought periods. Arundo donax is a strong candidate for use as a renewable biofuel source because of its fast growth rate, its ability to grow for 20 to 25 years without replanting. and its ability to grow in different soil types and climatic conditions. Studies in the European Union have identified A. donax as the most productive and lowest impact of all energy biomass crops. Arundo donax has been cultivated throughout Asia, southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East for thousands of years. Ancient Egyptians wrapped their dead in the leaves. The canes contain silica, perhaps the reason for their durability, and have been used to make fishing rods, and walking sticks. Mature reeds are used in construction as raw material, given their excellent properties and tubular shape. Its resemblance to bamboo permits their combination in buildings, though Arundo is more flexible. A. donax is still the principal source material of reed makers for clarinets, saxophones, oboes, bassoons, bagpipes, and other woodwind instruments. The genus Arundo was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called giant reed.

arven'se/arven'sis: of the fields, living in the fields, from Latin arvensis, of the fields, meadows or grasslands."

asarifo'lia: with leaves like Asarum or wild ginger.

Asarum: from Asaron, the Greek name for this genus used by Dioscorides. The genus Asarum is called wild ginger and was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

Asclep'ias: named for the Greco-Roman god of medicine and healing Asklepios or Aslepius. He was the son of Apollo and the mortal princess Coronis, although some sources claim he was born of Apollo with no woman being involved. The website Britannica says: “The Centaur Chiron taught him the art of healing. At length Zeus (the King of the gods), afraid that Asclepius might render all men immortal, slew him with a thunderbolt. Apollo slew the Cyclopes who had made the thunderbolt and was then forced by Zeus to serve Admetus. Homer, in the Iliad, mentions him only as a skillful physician and the father of two Greek doctors at Troy, Machaon and Podalirius; in later times, however, he was honoured as a hero and eventually worshiped as a god. The cult began in Thessaly but spread to many parts of Greece. Because it was supposed that Asclepius effected cures of the sick in dreams, the practice of sleeping in his temples in Epidaurus in South Greece became common. In 293 BC his cult spread to Rome, where he was worshiped as Aesculapius. Asclepius was frequently represented standing, dressed in a long cloak, with bare breast; his usual attribute was a staff with a serpent coiled around it. This staff is the only true symbol of medicine. A similar but unrelated emblem, the caduceus, with its winged staff and intertwined serpents, is frequently used as a medical emblem but is without medical relevance since it represents the magic wand of Hermes, or Mercury, the messenger of the gods and the patron of trade.” The Virginia Native Plant Society provides this interesting note: “Dioscorides, the Greek physician who wrote his Materia Medica in the first century A.D., first used [the name] Asclepias, but he was describing a plant other than milkweed, which does not grow in Europe. Possibly he was describing European dogbane (Vincetoxicum hirundinarie) which is an Apocynum species.” Linnaeus published the name in 1753. And the USDA notes that: “Some of the milkweed species have a history of medicinal use including common milkweed (wart removal and lung diseases), and butterfly weed, A. tuberosa (also known as pleurisy root, used for pleurisy and other lung disease).” Linnaeus published the name in 1753. It is typically called milkweed.

ash'ei: named for William Willard Ashe (1872-1932), forester, dendrologist, botanist, conservationist, prolific collector of

		plant specimens, and an early proponent of conservationism in the Southern United States. He was born the oldest of nine children at Elmwood, the family home in Raleigh. His father was a Confederate captain during the American Civil War, as well as a respected historian and member of the North Carolina legislature. His grandfather, William Shepperd Ashe, was a member of the North Carolina state senate who also served as a United States Congressman from 1849 to 1855. W.W. Ashe was also a descendant of Samuel Ashe, the ninth Governor of North Carolina. He spent much of his childhood

exploring the nearby woods and fields looking for natural curiosities. He quickly took to collecting plant specimens, and by the time he entered college, Ashe required a two-story building to house his entire collection. Ashe was schooled at home by his mother and great-aunt before entering the Raleigh Male Academy. In 1887 at the age of 15 he entered the University of North Carolina and graduated with a bachelor's degree in 1891. One year later, he received an MS in botany and geology from Cornell University. Ashe also took an interest in ornithology during his college years and amassed an impressive collection of eggs and stuffed birds. He spent most of his professional life working in forestry, though he continued to practice botany in his spare time. He was appointed forester for the North Carolina Geological Survey at the age of 19. He was employed by the survey from 1892 to 1905 and worked with his colleagues there to make North Carolina a model of southern conservation, and he surveyed the state's forests with Gifford Pinchot. He also undertook special projects for the newly formed United States Forest Service, joined the service full-time in 1905, and worked there until his death in 1932. He held several prestigious positions during his tenure with the Service, working his way up from forest assistant to assistant district forester and senior forest inspector. He later served as the Chief of the Forest Service's land acquisition force for the eastern and southern regions of the United States. He named the species Crataegus margaretta  and Quercus margaretta in honor of his wife Margaret Haywood Henry Wilcox. He created many new taxa and published 510 plant names during his life. To date, the University of North Carolina Herbarium has entered over 2,340 of his collected specimens into their database. Additionally, eight species have been named in his honor and bear the eponym ashei.

Asimi'na: Stearn says the Latinized version of what is said to be the French form of the Indian name of this North American genus, which is called paw-paw and was published by Michel Adanson in 1753.

Aspar'agus: an ancient Greek name originally from the Persian asparag, meaning "sprout" or "shoot." The genus Asparagus was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called asparagus.

as'per/as'pera: rough.

asperifo'lia: rough-leaved.

asphodelo'ides: resembling genus Asphodelus.

Asplen'ium: from the Greek a, "without," and spleen, "spleen." The genus Asplenium was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called spleenwort.

asprel'lum: with rough scales.

As'ter: from the Greek aster, "a star," describing the radiate heads of the flowers. The genus Aster was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is just called aster.

asteris'cus: from Greek asteriskos, "little star."

astero'ides: resembling aster.

Astil'be: from the Greek a-, "without," and stilbe, "brightness," alluding to the dullness of the leaves of the type species. The genus Astilbe was published by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1825 and is called false goat's-beard.

Astrag'alus: from the Greek astragalos meaning "ankle bone" and an early name applied to some plants in this family because of the shape of the seeds. The genus Astragalus was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called milkvetch, rattleweed or locoweed.

atamas'ca: the spelling of the specific epithet for the species Zephyranthes atamasco, in the Flora of Virginia, atamasca, is apparently an orthographic variant to atamasco, which would appear to be a more accepted spelling for this taxon according to IPNI, Tropicos, World Flora Online, David Gledhill and others. However, Wikipedia provides this explanation: "The scientific name of this species has a somewhat complex history. In 1753, in the first edition of Species Plantarum, Carl Linnaeus placed it in the genus Amaryllis using the epithet "Atamasca" (the capital "A" showing that this was intended as a noun, not an adjective). However, in the second edition of Species Plantarum, he changed the spelling to "Atamasco" (again with a capital "A"). "Atamasco" is the Native American name. When in 1821, William Herbert transferred the species to his genus Zephyranthes he used Linnaeus's later spelling for the epithet, i.e. Zephyranthes atamasco, this being the type species of the genus. Many sources have used this spelling subsequently. However, the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants conserves the type of Zephyranthes using the spelling atamasca." The plant is called atamasco lily or rain lily. In addition, the website of the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks says "Atamasco is a Native American word that has two origin stories: one being described to mean under grass, in reference to the location of the bulb under grass-like leaves, and the other meaning stained with red." And the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center says "The species name, derived from a Powhatan word meaning "stained with red," describes the flower."

athero'des: Gledhill says "bristle-eared," from the Greek ather, "a beard or awn of a grain of wheat," and the -odes suffix indicating resemblance, although where "ear" comes in I don't know.

atlan'tica/atlan'ticum: atlantic, of the Atlantic, presumably referring to areas that are more coastal than inland.

At'riplex: an ancient Latin name for this plant. A website called Simon Online (referring to a Simon of Genoa) says "Latin atriplex, or in a more ancient form atriplexum, also atreplex in Oribasius, is the name of a kitchen vegetable, "orach(e)". The Latin word is ultimately an adoption from Greek, distorted by folk etymologies like interpreting the first element as ater, atrum, "black, dark" and the latter part as triplex, "thrice," perhaps because its leaves can be seen as triangular." The genus Atriplex was published in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus.

atropurpur'ea: dark purple, from the Latin words āter, "dark," and purpura, "purple."

atroru'bens: dark red.

atrovi'rens: very dark green.

-atum/-atus: the suffix ending can have several meanings: (1) used to form adjectives from nouns indicating the possession of a thing or feature, e.g. barbatus, barba (beard) and -atus, "bearded, having a beard," or togatus, toga (toga) and -atus, "clad in a toga, having a toga; (2) used to form adjectives from other adjectives, especially color names, with the sense "wearing [adjective] (-colored) clothes," e.g. albatus, alba (white) and -atus, "clothed in white," or atratus, ater (black) and -atus, "clothed in black;" (3) used to form adjectives from nouns indicating a resemblance or likeness to the noun, e.g. reticulatus, reticulum (small net) and -atus, "reticulated, netlike," or viratus, vir (man) and -atus, "manly, manful."

auranti'acum: orange, orange-yellow or orange-red.

aur'ea: golden, from Latin aurum, "gold."

Aureolar'ia: from Latin aureolus, "golden," and -arius, "possession," alluding to the corolla. The genus Aureolaria was published by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque in 1837 and is called yellow false foxglove or oak-leach.

aureolen'sis: from Latin aureolus, "golden," and -ensis, a Latin adjectival suffix used to indicate belonging to, country of origin, place of growth or habitat. The species Carex aureolensis is called golden cattail sedge.

aureosulca'ta: having golden grooves, from the Latin aurea meaning "golden" and sulcus meaning "furrow or groove."

auricula'ta/auricula'tum: eared, having ear-like structures, lobes or appendages, from Latin auris, "ear," and -atus, "having, provided with."

Aurin'ia: Stearn says from aureus, "golden," and FNA confirms this by saying from "Latin aurum, "gold," and -inia, "colored," alluding to the flower," but Gledhill says "of-the-breeze, plants of montane crags."

austra'lis: southern (compare borealis, "northern," occidentalis, "western," and orientalis, "eastern").

austri'na: southern.

austrodeflex'a: the southern relative of Carex deflexa, from austro, "southern," and deflexa, "bent, or turned abruptly downward at a sharp angle as the buds and sepals are." The ranges of C. deflexa and C. austrodeflexa do not overlap. The former is a plant of arctic-boreal and north temperate regions, in the east extending southward to southern New England and disjunctly to the high Appalachians of West Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia; the latter is confined to the coastal plain from southeastern Virginia to northwestern Florida, southwestern Alabama, and northwestern Louisiana.

austrolucor'um: of southern woods.

austromontan'a: of the southern mountains.

autumna'le/autumna'lis: from the Latin autumnus and the adjectival suffix -alis meaning "pertaining to," thus, "of or pertaining to the autumn, usually flowering then."

Ave'na: Latin for oats. The genus Avena was published by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and is called oats.

avena'ceum: oat-like, resembling Avena, from Avena and -eum, denoting similarity.

avicula're: relating to small birds, eaten by small birds, of unknown application.

a'vium: from the Latin avium, "a desert, a place of wildness," and avius, "deserted, solitary, out of the way, remote, trackless, untrodden," from the root via, "way," and the prefix 'a-' for "without." Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names also gives "of the birds" for avium presumably from the root avis, "bird," but I think the former etymology is probably more correct.

axillar'is: axillary, positioned in the leaf axils.

azed'arach: according to Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names, this is a contracted form of a Persian vernacular name, azaddhirakt, for the noble tree, Melia azedarach. Wikipedia adds: The species azedarach is from the French 'azédarac' which in turn is from the Persian 'āzād dirakht' (ازادرخت ) meaning 'free- or noble tree'." Melia azedarach, a species in the mahogany family, has been known by the common names chinaberry tree, pride of India, bead-tree, Cape lilac, syringa berrytree, Persian lilac, Indian lilac, or white cedar. As a personal aside, my family used to have a pride of India tree in the front yard of our house in Bermuda where I spent my first ten years.