| Flora of Southern Africa | East Cape Photo Gallery |
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| Photo Identifications L-R: Pelargonium alchemilloides, Cyrtanthus macowanii, Ipomoea crassipes, Moraea alticola, Monopsis decipiens, Hibiscus trionum, Grewia occidentalis. |
| Plant Names H-O |
Note: The generic names in italics are outdated names, and where applicable their new names are given at the bottom of the entry. Hainardia (Poaceae): the CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names says, "presumably after P. Hainardi, a Swiss phytogeographer." Hakea (Proteaceae): named for the German promoter
of botany Baron Christian Ludwig von Hake (1745-1818). Halleria (Scrophulariaceae): named after the Swiss botanist Albrecht von Haller (1708-1777), physician, poet, experimental physiologist, professor of botany at Göttingen and founder of the Göttingen University herbarium. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Hallia (Fabaceae): honors the Swedish botanist
and physician Birger Mårten Hall (1741-1841). Hallianthus (Mesembryanthemaceae): named for the
English gardener Harry Hall (1906-1986), collector of succulent plants,
worked at Kew Gardens 1930-1933, Curator of the Darrah Cactus Collection
at Manchester 1933-1947, and horticulturist at the famed Kirstenbosch
Botanical Garden at Cape Town 1947-1968. He was a major explorer of
Euphorbias in South Africa. He was awarded a Fellow of the Cactus and
Succulent Society of America in 1981. The CRC World Dictionary of Plant
Names adds this fascinating (if true) footnote, that he died by hanging
in South Africa, but Professor Len Newton has informed me that he died of natural causes. Hammeria (Mesembryanthemaceae): named for the American
pianist, horticulturist and Mesemb specialist Steven A. Hammer, foremost
authority on and monographer of the genus Conophytum. Harrisia (Cactaceae): named for the Irish botanist William H. Harris (1860-1920), gardener and plant collector, student of the flora of Jamaica, Fellow of the Linnaean Society, and from 1908 to 1917 the Superintendent of the Public Gardens and Plantations in Jamaica. Hartogia (Celastraceae): honors the German plant collector and gardener Johan Hartog (1663-1722), worked in Sri Lanka and Cape Town. There is also a fairly large genus Hartogia in the Rutaceae family in South Africa. Hartogiella (Celastraceae): see Hartogia. Hartwegia (Orchidaceae): after the German botanist
Karl Theodore Hartweg (1812-1871), botanical explorer and plant collector
in North, Central and South America. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant
Names) Harveya (Scrophulariaceae): named for the renowned Irish-born botanist William Henry Harvey (1811-1866), algologist and pioneer of South African systematic botany, Colonial Treasurer-General of the Cape Colony, Keeper of the herbarium at Trinity College, Dublin, professor of botany to the Royal Dublin Society and at Trinity College, Dublin, Fellow of the Linnaean and Royal Societies, co-author with Dr. O.W. Sonder of Hamburg of the first three volumes of Flora capensis from 1860-1865. He came to the Cape when he was 23 years old and stayed about four years before he returned to Ireland. harveyana (Asclepias, Gymnosporia): see Harveya. Haumaniastrum (Lamiaceae): named for Belgian botanist Lucien Hauman (1880-1965). Haworthia (Asphodelaceae): the genus is named after the English entomologist, botanist and authority on succulents and Lepidoptera, Adrian Hardy Haworth (1768-1833). haworthii (Kleinia, Senecio, Tetragonia): this plant was
originally described by esteemed plantsman-botanist Adrian Haworth in
1803 as Cacalia tomentosa, the specific epithet 'tomentosa' referring
to the hairy, fleshy, cylindrical leaves. The name was later changed
to Senecio haworthii in honor of Haworth. haygarthii (Anthericum, Cerpopegia, Chlorophytum, Helichrysum, Senecio, Streptocarpus): after Walter Haygarth (1862-1950), a plant collector who worked with John Medley Wood. (Elsa Pooley) Hebenstretia (Scrophulariaceae): named after Johann Christian Hebenstreit (1720-1791), a professor of medicine at Leipzig and also of botany at St Petersburg. (PlantzAfrica) Hedwigia (Burseraceae): honors the German botanist and physician Johann Hedwig (1730-1799). Heeria (Anacardiaceae): honors the Swiss paleobotanist
and entomologist Oswald von Heer (1809- Heimia (Lythraceae): dedicated to the German physician Ernst Ledwig Heim (1747-1834), student of mosses. Heinsia (Rubiaceae): this genus was named for the
Dutch philologist Daniel Heinsius (1580-1655). Hellmuthia (Cyperaceae): presumably after Hellmuth, a friend of Ernest Gottlieb von Steudel (1783-1856), the genus author. (Hugh Clarke) helmutii (Lithops): for Helmut E. Meyer, horticulturist at Stellenbosch University Botanic Garden. (Eggli & Newton) Herbertus (Herbertiaceae): ??? Hereroa (Mesembryanthemaceae): named for the Herero people, Bantu speakers of southwestern Africa. Hermannia (Sterculiaceae): honors the German-born
Dutch botanist Paul Hermann (1646-1695), herbalist, professor of botany
at Leyden, traveller and explorer in Africa, India and Sri Lanka, plant
collector at the Cape. Herrea (Mesembryanthemaceae): see herrei. Herschelia (Orchidaceae): named for the English astronomer Sir John Frederick William Herschel (1792-1871) who named the seven then-known moons of Saturn and the four then-known moons of Uranus. He was the son of the famous astronomer Sir William Herschel 1738-1822) who discovered the planet Uranus. "In 1833 Herschel travelled to South Africa in order to catalogue the stars, nebulae, and other objects of the southern skies.[2] This was to be a completion as well as extension of the survey of the northern heavens undertaken initially by his father William Herschel. He arrived in Cape Town on 15 January 1834. Amongst his other observations during this time was that of the return of Comet Halley. However, in addition to his astronomical work, this voyage to a far corner of the British empire also gave Herschel an escape from the pressures under which he found himself in London, where he was one of the most sought-after of all British men of science. While in southern Africa, he engaged in a broad variety of scientific pursuits free from a sense of strong obligations to a larger scientific community. It was, he later recalled, probably the happiest time in his life." (from Wikipedia) Herschelianthe (Orchidaceae): see Herschelia. Hertia (Asteraceae): honors German physician Joannes Casimirus Hertius. Hessea (Amaryllidaceae): named either for botanical traveller Paul Hesse or Christian Henrich Friedrich Hesse (1772-1837), a Lutheran minister who came to Cape Town from Hanover and grew succulents. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Hewittia (Convolvulaceae): honors the English zoologist John Hewitt (1880-1961), a naturalist who was from 1905 to 1908 the Curator of the Sarawak Museum, and from 1910 to 1958 the Director of the Albany Museum in Grahamstown, the second oldest museum in southern Africa. Heywoodia (Euphorbiaceae): named for a Mr. A.W. Heywood, who was Conservator of Forests in the Transkei region of South Africa and author of Cape Woods and Forests. Hiernia (Scrophulariaceae): named for the British
botanist and plant collector William Philip Hiern (1839-1925), Fellow
of the Linnaean and Royal Societies. Hilleria (Phytolaccaceae): honors the German botanist
Matthaeus Hiller (1646-1725), professor at the University of Tübingen. Hirschfeldia (Brassicaceae): named after the German
horticulturist Christian Caius Lorenz Hirschfeld (1742-1792). Hoffmannseggia (Fabaceae): named after the German
botanist Johann Centurius, Count Von Hoffmansegg (1766-1849), entomologist,
ornithologist, a traveller and co-author of a flora of Portugal entitled Flore portugaise. Holmskioldia (Verbenaceae): honors the Danish botanist
and physician Theodor Holm (Holmskjold) (1732-1794). Holubia (Pedaliaceae): named after Dr. Emil Holub
(1847-1902), author, physician, naturalist and traveller in southern
Africa. There is also a genus Holubia in the Gentianaceae family named
for the same individual, but it is not present in southern Africa. Hoodia (Apocynaceae): after British surgeon Dr. William Chamberlain
Hood (1790-1879) who lived in South Lambeth, London, and collected succulents. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names, Egglie & Newton). Other sources like PlantzAfrica say the name honors succulent grower Mr. Van Hood Hookeriopsis (Pilotrichaceae): see hookeri. horsfallii (Eulophia): the specific epithet 'horsfallii' honors the nineteenth century British horticulturist Mr. J.B. Horsfall, who cultivated and flowered the type material of this species, collected in West Africa, in his glasshouse in England, and which was beautifully illustrated in Curtis's Botanical Magazine in 1865. (PlantzAfrica) Hoslundia (Lamiaceae): was named for the Danish botanist Ole Haaslund-Schmidt (Smith) (d. 1802), a naturalist. traveller and plant collector in Ghana. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Hottonia (Scrophulariaceae): honors the Dutch botanist
and physician Pieter Hotton (1648-1709), professor of botany and member
of the Royal Society of London. Hugonia (Linaceae): commemorates a certain Augustus
Johannes Hugo (?-1753). Humea (Asteraceae): named after Lady Amelia Hume (1751-1809), an English amateur botanist. Huperzia (Lycopodiaceae): honors the German botanist
and physician Johann Peter Huperz (1771-1816), a fern horticulturist.
(CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Huttonaea (Orchidaceae): named for the collector
of the type specimen, Mrs. Henry (Caroline) Hutton, a plant collector with her husband in South
Africa. Ibbetsonia (Fabaceae): after Mrs. Agnes Ibbetson (1757-1823), British vegetable physiologist who contributed dozens of articles on the microscopic structure and physiology of plants to Nicholson's Journal and the Philosophical Magazine between 1800 and 1822. (Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 10) Ihlenfeldtia (Mesembryanthemaceae): named after
German botanist Dr. Hans-Dieter Ihlenfeldt (1932- ), Professor of Botany at Hamburg, who conducted succulent
plant research in South Africa. Imperata (Poaceae): named after Ferante Imperato
(1550-1625), an Italian apothecary and author of Dell'historia naturale. Inezia (Asteraceae): honors the South African botanist
and plant collector Inez Clare Verdoorn (1896-1989), co-author of Wildflowers
of the Transvaal. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Ingenhoussia (Fabaceae): ??? Iphigenia (Colchicaceae): named after Iphigeneia, in Greek mythology the daughter of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra. Iris (Iridaceae): named for the Greek goddess of
the rainbow and messenger of the gods. jaarsveldii (Anginon): after South African horticulturist and plant collector Ernst Jacobus van Jaarsveld (1953). Jacobsenia (Mesembryanthemaceae): commemorates
the German horticulturist and botanist Hermann Johannes Heinrich Jacobsen
(1898-1978), specialist in succulent plants, author of many books on succulents, and Curator of the Kiel
Botanical Garden. (Eggli & Newton) Jacquesfelixia (Poaceae): honors the French botanist Henri Jacques-Félix (1907- ), explorer and plant collector in West Africa. Jacquemontia (Convolvulaceae): named for the French
naturalist Victor V. Jacquemont (1801-1832), explorer, plant collector,
botanist, made collections for the Royal Museum of Paris. (CRC World
Dictionary of Plant Names) "Born in Paris on August 8, 1801, the
youngest of four sons of Venceslas Jacquemont and Rose Laisné,
Victor Jacquemont was one of the rising stars of French natural history
in the 1820's and an archetype for the scientist in the Romantic era.
Combining youth, genius, and a rhapsodic love of nature with a life
filled with masculine affection, star-crossed romance, and exotic climes,
Jacquemont epitomized the romantic intellectual right up to the time
of his untimely death in the Himalayas. In a career in which ill fortune
and good fortune walked hand in hand, the figure of Jacquemont has all
but overshadowed his substantial scientific accomplishments. The surviving
correspondence of the ill-starred French botanist, Victor Jacquemont
and his friend, Pierre Achille Marie Chaper (1795-1874) consists of
106 letters pertaining to the development of Jacquemont's scientific
career and their personal and social commitments." (website of
the American Philosophical Society) Jaegerina (Pterobryaceae): ??? Jamesbrittenia (Scrophulariaceae): was named after James Britten, a British botanist (1846-1924), and Keeper of Botany of important collections at the British Museum during the 1800’s. (Hugh Clarke) Jamesoniella (Jungermanniaceae): named as is genus Jamesonia for Scottish botanist William Jameson (1796-1873)."William Jameson was born in Edinburgh in 1796 and studied at Edinburgh's Royal College of Surgeons ca. 1814-1818. Between 1818 and 1826, he made several voyages as a ship's surgeon, first to Baffin's Bay and later to South America. In 1826 he settled in Quito, Ecuador, and in the following year he was appointed professor of chemistry and botany at the University there. He was made assayer to the mint in 1832 and director in 1861. In 1869 he went back to Edinburgh (by way of Argentina) to visit his sons, and returned to Ecuador in 1872. He died shortly thereafter. Jameson carried out botanical investigations at Baffin's Bay, in Ecuador, and in other South American countries; corresponded with Scottish and English botanists; sent plant specimens back to Great Britain (possibly elsewhere?); and published articles in a half dozen British and Scottish botanical journals. In 1864 he was appointed by the Ecuadorean government to write a flora of Ecuador. Volumes 1 and 2 of his Synopsis Plantarum Aequatoriensium (in Spanish) were published in 1865, but the work was not completed. [The British Museum has the text of the unpublished 3rd volume, p. 1-136; the U.S. Department of Agriculture Library has a Photostat of this.] Jameson apparently also continued his studies of chemistry, as one would expect from his position as assayer to the mint. The biographical sources consulted did not mention any correspondence with chemists or any publications on chemistry, but the Gray Herbarium archives contain what appears to be a manuscript for a text on chemistry, probably never published." (Harvard University) jamesonii (Gerbera): the species was named after Robert Jameson who collected live specimens while on a prospecting expedition to the Barberton district in 1884, even though the species had been collected on three earlier occasions by other people. Jaumea (Asteraceae): commemorates the French botanist
Jean Henri Jaume Saint-Hilaire (1772-1845). (CRC World Dictionary of
Plant Names) Jensenia (Pallaviciniaceae): ??? Jensenobotrya (Mesembryanthemaceae): named after
a certain Mr. Emil Jensen (1889-1963), a farmer and amateur botanist who had emigrated to Namibia from Germany. Jordaaniella (Aizoaceae): was named for Professor Pieter Gerhardus Jordaan (1913-1987), Professor of Botany at the University of Stellenbosch in 1984 and a specialist in the Proteaceae. josephinae (Brunsvigia): the specific name 'josephinae' was named in honor of the Empress Josephine, Napoleon's first wife. (PlantzAfrica) josephinae (Felicia): named after Dr.
Josephine (Jo) Beyers, assistant curator of the Compton Herbarium. (PlantzAfrica) Julbernardia (Fabaceae): honors a Mr. Jules Bernard, a former governor of Gabon. Jumellea (Orchidaceae): dedicated to the noted French botanist Henri Lucien Jumelle (1866-1935), plant physiologist and plant collector in West Africa and Madagascar, Director of the Musée Colonial of Marseille. Jungermannia (Jungermanniaceae): after Ludwig Jungermann
(1572-1653), a professor of botany in Giessen and Altdorf bei Nürnberg. junodii (Anisopappus, Anthericum, Helichrysum, Monodora, Senecio): honors Rev. Henri Alexandre Junod (1863–1934), a Swiss missionary stationed
for much of his career at Shiluvane in Limpopo Provinc . His collection
of plants from there, the lowveld of Mpumalanga and parts of Mozambique,
is an important early historical record of the flora of these areas.
(PlantzAfrica) Author of Life of a South African Tribe. (Elsa Pooley) Juratzkaea (Stereophyllaceae): ??? Juttadinteria (Mesembryanthemaceae): named after Mrs. Helena Jutta Dinter (née Schilde), wife of German botanist and explorer Moritz Kurt Dinter. juttae (Aloe, Chapmanolirion, Cissus, Cyphostemma, Hoodia, Stapelia): see Juttadinteria. Kaempferia (Zingiberaceae): honors German physician
Engelbert Kaempfer (1651-1716), traveller, naturalist, 1685-1693 East
India Co., secretary of the Swedish embassy to Russia, and physician
to the Count of Lippe. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Kamiesbergia (Amaryllidaceae): possibly referring
to the Kamiesberg Mountains and not to a person. Kaulfussia (Asteraceae): after German botanist Georg Friedrich Kaulfuss (1786-1830), author and professor of botany. Keetia (Rubiaceae): honors the South African botanist
and plant collector Dr. Johan Diederik Möhr Keet (1882-1967), former
Director of Forestry. Kensitia (Mesembryanthemaceae): commemorates the
South African botanist Harriet Margaret Louisa Bolus (née Kensit) (1877-1970), daughter-in-law of Harry Bolus. Kickxia (Scrophulariaceae): named after the Belgian botanist Jean Kickx (Sr.) (1775-1831), apothecary, professor of botany, pharmacy and minerology at a medical school in Brussels, and was the author of Flora bruxellensis, published in Brussels in 1812. Kiggelaria (Flacourtiaceae): named after the Dutch botanist Francois (Franz) Kiggelaer (1648-1722?), traveller, plant collector, curator of Dutch plant collector Simon van Beaumont's garden (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) and author of Horti Beaumontii Catalogus (1690), which listed Cape plants (Hugh Clarke) Kindbergia (Brachytheciaceae): after Swedish bryologist Nils Conrad Kindberg (1832-1910). Kirkia (Simaroubaceae): named in honor of Sir John
Kirk (1832-1922), a famous Scottish explorer and a naturalist, physician,
keen botanist, companion to David Livingstone, and British administrator
in Zanzibar. (PlantzAfrica and Wikipedia) Klattia (Iridaceae): honors the German botanist Friedrich Wilhelm Klatt (1825-1897), a high school teacher in Hamburg. Kleinia (Asteraceae): the genus is named after
the distinguished German scientist Dr. Jacob Theodor Klein (1685-1759),
taxonomist, zoologist, botanical collector and member of the Royal Society
of London. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Klingia (Amaryllidaceae): honors Erich Kling (d. 1892), traveller, explorer, naturalist in West Africa, Army officer, and plant collector. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Kniphofia (Asphodelaceae): named for J.H. Kniphof
(1704-1763), a professor of medicine at Erfurt University in Germany.
(PlantzAfrica) Knowltonia (Ranunculaceae): named in honor of horticulturist
Thomas Knowlton (1691-1781), an English botanist and Curator of the
Botanic Garden at Eltham. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Kobresia (Cyperaceae): named for the Austrian botanist Paul von Kobres (1747-1823), plant collector, patron and promoter of botany. Kochia (Chenopodiaceae): honors the German botanist and physician Wilhelm Daniel Joseph Koch (1771-1849), professor of botany at Erlangen. Koeleria (Poaceae): named for the German botanist
and physician Georg Ludwig Koeler (1765-1807), pharmacologist and writer on grasses. Kohautia (Rubiaceae): named after inventor and plant collector
Francisci (Franz) Kohaut (?-1822). Kolleria (Aizoaceae): ??? Kosteletzkya (Malvaceae): honors the Czech botanist and physician Vincenz Franz Kosteletzky (1801-1887), professor of botany. Kotschya (Fabaceae): dedicated to the Austrian
botanist Carl (Karl) Georg Theodor Kotschy (1813-1866), traveller and plant
collector, botanical explorer in the Orient, and Curator of the Herbarium
of the Vienna Natural History Museum. Kraussia (Rubiaceae): honors the German botanist and traveller Christian Ferdinand Friedrich von Krausse (1812-1890), zoologist and plant collector in South Africa, associated with Stuttgart Natural History Museum. He came to the Cape in 1838; he did much plant collecting in Natal in 1839 and 1840. (Hugh Clarke in part) kraussiana (Euphorbia, Gnidia, Jamesbrittenia, Tephrosia, Xylotheca): see Kraussia. kraussii (Aster, Agathaea, Aloe, Asplenium, Bartramia, Cussonia, Disparago, Doria, Erigeron, Ethulia, Gazania, Gerbera, Helichrysum, Hertia, Juncus, Justicia, Nidorella, Salacia, Scilla, Teucrium, Tripteris, Venidium, Vernonia, Webbia, Wurmbea): see Kraussia. Krebsia (Apocynaceae): honors the German apothecary and botanical collector Georg Ludwig Engelhard Krebs (1792-1844), naturalist at the Cape (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) and apothecary who for more than 20 years collected South African fauna and flora material for the Natural History Museum, Berlin. (Hugh Clarke) krebsiana (Asparagopsis, Gazania, Rhus, Searsia): see Krebsia. krookii (Euryops, Helichrysum, Heteromma, Kniphofia, Nidorella, Pentheriella, Pimpinella): named for Swedish botanist and plant collector P. Krook (fl. 1894-1905). Kyllinga (Cyperaceae): honors the Danish botanist Peder Kylling (c.1640-1696), apothecary and author. Labourdonnaisia (Sapotaceae): named for the French Count Bertrand François Mahé de La Bourdonnais, Governor of Mauritius, and a patron of botany. Lachenalia (Hyacinthaceae): commemorates the Swiss botanist Professor Werner de Lachenal (1739–1800) who was stationed at the University of Basel during the late 18th century. (PlantzAfrica) Laggera (Asteraceae): after the Swiss physician
and botanist Dr. Franz Josef Lagger (1802-1870). Lamarckia (Poaceae): named for the great French
scientist Jean Baptiste Antoine Pierre de Monnet de Lamarck (1744-1829),
biologist, naturalist, paleontologist, conchologist, botanist at the
Jardin des Plantes in Paris, professor of zoology at the Museum d'Histoire
Naturelle in Paris, author of Flore françoise and Philosophie
Zoologique. Lancisia (Asteraceae): commemorates the Italian clinician Giovanni Maria Lancisi (1654-1720), professor of anatomy and medicine, epidemiologist, and physician to Popes Innocent XI, Innocent XII, and Clement XI. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Landolphia (Apocynaceae): named after Jean Francois Landolphe (1747-1825), commander of an expedition to the Niger delta. Landtia (Asteraceae): named for Jergen Landt, author
of A Description of the Faroe Islands. Lapeirousia (Iridaceae): dedicated to the French botanist and minerologist Philippe Picot de Lapeyrouse (Lapeirouse) Baron de Bazus (1744-1818), professor of natural history at Toulouse University. Laportea (Urticaceae): possibly named for the English-born French naturalist François Louis Nompar de Caumat de Laporte Castelnau (1810-1880), entomologist, plant collector in Florida and South America, spent a couple of years at the Cape, then was French Consul in Australia. Larochea (Crassulaceae): ??? Launaea (Asteraceae): named after French lawyer Jean Claude Mien Mordant de Launay (c.1750-1816), librarian at Museum d'Histoire Naturelle in Paris, and editor and author of horticultural works. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names, Elsa Pooley) Laurembergia (Haloragaceae): named after the German botanist Peter Lauremberg (1585-1639). Laurentia (Lobeliaceae): honors either the 17th
century Italian physician and botanist Marco Antonio Laurenti, professor
of medicine and philosophy at Bologna University, or the French botanist
Jean Laurent. Lavatera (Malvaceae): named after the Lavater brothers,
Johann Heinrich (1611-1691) and Johann Jacob? (1594-1636), Swiss physicians
and naturalists. Lavrania (Apocynaceae): honors the Greek-born South African botanist and plant collector
John J. Lavranos (1926- ). (Eggli & Newton) Lebeckia (Fabaceae): genus named by Thunberg after a Mr. H.J. Lebeck, botanist, traveller and plant collector. Lecomptedoxa (Sapotaceae): named after the French botanist Paul Henri Lemcomte (1856-1934). Ledebouria (Hyacinthaceae): honors the German botanist Carl Friedrich von Ledebour (1785-1851), professor of botany, traveller and plant collector. Ledermanniella (Podostemaceae): named for the Swiss
horticulturist Carl Ludwig Ledermann (1875-1958), traveller and explorer,
plant collector in West Africa. Leersia (Poaceae): commemorates the German botanist
and apothecary Johann Georg Daniel Leers (1727-1774). lehmannii (Encephalartos): this cycad
is named in honor of Professor Johann Georg Christian Lehmann, a nineteenth century
German botanist who described several cycad species in 1834 and established
the genus Encephalartos (PlantzAfrica), and plant collector and director of the Hamburg Botanic Garden. (Hugh Clarke) Leipoldtia (Mesembryanthemaceae): commemorates
the South African physician Christiaan Frederik Louis Leipoldt (1880-1947),
poet and writer, editor of the South African News, traveller
and plant collector especially of aloes and succulents. Lespedeza (Fabaceae): named for patron of botany
Vincente Manuel de Céspedes, Spanish Governor of Eastern Florida. Letestuella (Podostemaceae): named for French Colonial
Administrator Georges Marie Patrice Charles Le Testu (1877-1967). levynsiae (Crassula, Nivenia, Selago): after botanist Dr. Margaret Rutherford Bryan Levyns née Michell (1890-1975), prominent phytogeographer, botanist and taxonomist, lecturer in the Botany Department at the University of Cape Town between c.1955 and 1970, published A Guide to the Flora of the Cape Peninsula in 1929. In 1923 she married John Levyns, later Assistant Provincial Secretary of the Cape Province who was on the council of the Botanical Society of South Africa. Leysera (Asteraceae): named for the German botanist Friedrich Wilhelm von Leysser (1731-1815). (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Lichtensteinia (Apiaceae): named after the German
zoologist and botanist Martin Heinrich Karl von Lichtenstein (1780-1857),
naturalist, traveller, surgeon, director of the Zoological Garden in
Berlin, author, botanical explorer in the Cape, and friend of Poleman
(see Polemannia). (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Lidbeckia (Asteraceae): honors the Swedish botanist Eric Gustav Lidbeck (1724-1803), professor of natural history. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Lightfootia (Campanulaceae): commemorates the British
botanist Reverend John Lightfoot (1735-1788), conchologist and lichenologist,
Fellow of the Royal Society, one of the original Fellows of the Linnaean
Society, author of Flora scotica. There is also a genus Lightfootia in the Rubiaceae, but not in South Africa. Lindernia (Scrophulariaceae): named for the German botanist, author and physician Franz Balthazar von Lindern (1682-1755). lindleyana (Disperis): see lindleyanaum. Lindneria (Hyacinthaceae): I have encountered references that say that this genus is named either after a Paul Lindner (1861-1945) or a Dr. E. Lindner, but David Hollombe has provided me with a source that gives a Mr. O. Lindner of Brussels as the individual honored with the name, probably Otto Lindner (1852-1915), German-born agent for Leopold II of Belgium. Lindsaea (Dennstaedtiaceae): named for the Jamaican
botanist John Lindsay (1785-1803), correspondent of Sir Joseph Banks
and author. Linociera (Oleaceae): named for the 16th century French physician and botanist Geoffroy Linocier, author of Histoire des Plantes. [Now in genus Chionanthus] Lintonia (Poaceae): named for a Mr. A. Linton, a plant collector in East Africa. David Hollombe sent me the following from Veterinary Medicine: A Guide to Historical Sources By Pamela Hunter: The type of Lintonia was collected at Nairobi, most likely by "Andrew Linton of Gilmanscleugh, Selkirk, agriculturalist in the late nineteenth century before appointment at the School of Agriculture in Cairo, He appears to have worked as Director of Agriculture at government farms in Nairobi and Naivasha in the East Africa Protectorate during the early 1900's. He also researched, wrote and corresponded about veterinary medicine and animal disease. Linton died in 1951." Lippia (Verbenaceae): honors the French-born Italian naturalist Augustin Lippi (1678-1705), botanist, physician and traveller, botanical collector in Egypt, murdered in Abyssinia. The date of his death has been variously given as 1701, 1705 and 1709. Littonia (Colchicaceae): dedicated to the Irish
physician Samuel Litton (1781-1847), professor of botany at Dublin and
librarian of the Royal Dublin Society. Lobelia (Lobeliaceae): named for the Flemish botanist Mathias de L'Obel (1538-1616), traveller, plant collector, physician to William, Prince of Orange, and botanist and physician to King James I of England. Lochnera (Apocynaceae): named after the German
botanist Michael Friedrich Lochner von Hummelstein (1662-1720), physician
and writer. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Loddigesia (Fabaceae): honors the English botanist
Conrad L. Loddiges (1738-1826), horticulturist, gardener and nurseryman,
introduced many new American species to Great Britain. Loeseneriella (Celastraceae): named for the German botanist Ludwig Eduard Theodor Loesener (1865-1941). Loethainia (Fabaceae): ??? Loudetia (Poaceae): possibly named for a certain
Dr. Loudet, a German dentist? Luckhoffia (Apocynaceae): commemorates the South African botanical artist Carl August Lückhoff (1914-1960), photographer, medical practitioner, naturalist, died Cape Town. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Lüderitzia (Malvaceae): after August Lüderitz ( (1838-1922), German merchant and collector who came to the Cape in 1884, younger brother of Franz Adolf Eduard Lüderitz. (Gunn & Codd) Ludwigia (Onagraceae): named by Linnaeus for the German botanist
and physician Christian Gottlieb Ludwig (1709-1773), a plant collector
and professor of medicine at Leipzig, who went on an expedition to North
Africa. Lysimachia (Primulaceae): named for Lysimachos, King of Thrace. Macadamia (Proteaceae): named for the Australian
chemist John Macadam (1827-1865). Macfadyena (Bignoniaceae): after the Scottish botanist Dr. James Macfadyen (1798 [or 1800]-1850), physician, Fellow of the Linnaean Society, and author of the incomplete Flora of Jamaica. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Mackaya (Acanthaceae): named for the Scottish botanist and gardener James Townsend Mackay (1775-1862), first curator of the Trinity College Dublin Botanic Garden from 1804 until his death, and author of Flora Hibernica. mackenii (Apodolirion, Asclepias, Berkheya, Cyrtanthus, Eriospermum, Gomphocarpus, Haemanthus, Oeceoclades, Pachycarpus, Peponium, Periglossum, Stobaea): the species
name 'mackenii' honors Mark J. McKen (1823-1872), a pioneer collector in KwaZulu-Natal
who became the first curator of the Durban Botanic Garden in 1851. (PlantzAfrica) Maclura (Moraceae): honors the Scottish-born North American geologist William Maclure (1763-1840), agriculturist, traveller, one of the founders and then President of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. macmasteri (Ceropegia, Cyrtanthus): named after the amateur botanist, sheep breeding authority and bulb grower Cameron McMaster for his invaluable contributions to the Eastern Cape flora. Cameron McMaster did the follow-up work to locate where the Cyrtanthus grew and obtained specimens, so the necessary documentation could be done for verifying and naming this rarely seen species. Macowania (Asteraceae): see macowanii. macowanii (Alepidea, Aloe, Anthericum, Apodolirion, Asparagus, Buxella, Buxus, Crinum, Cyrtanthus, Gomphocarpus, Isoglossa, Kniphofia, Leucadendron, Merxmuellera, Notobuxus, Protoasparagus, Rhus, Schizoglossum, Senecio, Stapelia, Tritoma): the species name 'macowanii' honors Dr. Peter MacOwan (1830-1909), one of the first professors of botany in Cape Town, Director
of the Cape Town Botanic Gardens, later Professor of Botany at the South African College, and Government Botanist in charge of the
Herbarium until 1905. He collected a specimen of Leucadendron macowanii in the Wynberg area in the southwestern
Cape around 1883. Mahernia (Malvaceae): an inexact anagram of Hermannia (see Hermannia). Mannia (Simaroubaceae): named for the German botanist
Gustav Mann (1836-1916), Kew gardener, plant collector, botanical explorer,
1863-1891 Indian Forest Service, 1859-1862 on William Balfour Baikie's
Niger expedition. Marattia (Marattiaceae): named for the Italian botanist Giovanni Francesco Maratti (1723-1777), clergyman and professor at Rome University. Marchantia (Marchantiaceae): ??? Markhamia (Bignoniaceae): named for the British traveller Sir Clements Robert Markham, botanist, geographer, explorer, plant collector, 1844-1851 in the Royal Navy, president of the Royal Geographical Society and introducer of Cinchona into India, fellow of the Linnaean Society, fellow of the Royal Society, played an active role in preparations for Scott's Discovery voyage 1901-1904 and the expedition of 1910-1912. Marlothia (Rhamnaceae): named for the South African
botanist Hermann Wilhelm Rudolf Marloth (1855-1931), pharmacist, chemist,
botanical explorer and plant collector. marlothii (Aloe, Annesorhiza, Aptosimum, Asplenium, Barleria, Brunia, Caralluma, Chlorophytum, Commiphora, Cycloptychis, Dicliptera, Dinteracanthus, Dipcadi, Euryops, Heliophila, Helipterum, Larryleachia, Lavrania, Lobostemon, Megalochlamys, Polemannia, Quaqua, Rhus, Ruellia, Searsia, Sisymbrium, Stapelia, Syncarpha, Trichocaulon): see Marlothia. Marlothistella (Mesembryanthemaceae): see Marlothia. Marsdenia (Apocynaceae): named for the Irish-born
British traveller and plant collector William Marsden (1754-1836), numismatist,
British East India Co. Marsilea (Marsileaceae): honors the noted Italian botanist and naturalist Luigi Ferdinando Marsili (Marsigli) (1658-1730), mycologist, traveller, Fellow of the Royal Society. Martynia (Pedaliaceae): commemorates London physician
and botanist John Martyn (1699-1768), professor of botany at Cambridge,
Fellow of the Royal Society, founded the Botanical Society of London. masoniorum/masonorum (Crocosmia, Nerine): the species is named in honor of the Edwardian artist, Marianne Mason and her brother Edward Mason, of St. Bede's College in Umtata, who collected the species in 1911. Plants were cultivated at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden the following year from corms brought to Britain by Marianne Mason. (PlantzAfrica) Massonia (Hyacinthaceae): dedicated to British
gardener Francis Masson (1741-1805), plant collector for Kew Gardens,
traveller to the Cape, Canary Islands and Azores, West Indies, North
America and North Africa. Explored with Thunberg, sent specimens to
Joseph Banks, Fellow of the Linnaean Society. Mastersiella (Restionaceae): dedicated to the English botanist and physician Maxwell Tylden Masters (1833-1907), Fellow of the Linnaean and Royal Societies, and restio specialist at Kew Botanical Gardens for the latter half of the 19th century (Hugh Clarke in part) mathewsii (Dewinterella, Gemmaria, Hessea, Lachenalia): the species
is named after Mr. Joseph William Mathews (1871-1949), the first Curator of Kirstenbosch Botanical
Garden. Matthiola (Brassicaceae): named for the Italian botanist and herbalist Pietro Andrea Gregorio Mattioli (c.1500/1501-1577), physician to Maximilian II and to Ferdinand I of Austria. maudiae (Bolusiella): ??? Maughaniella (Mesembryanthemaceae): apparently named for a certain Dr. H. Maughan Brown. maughamii (Balanites): named in honor of Reginald Charles Fulke Maugham (1866- ?), the British Consul at Lourenco Marques (now Maputu), who sent specimens of this tree to Kew in 1911. (PlantzAfrica) maughanii (Caralluma, Haworthia, Pectinaria): named for Dr. Herbert Maughan Brown (fl. late 1920's-1930's), South African physician and plant collector. (Eggli & Newton) Mauhlia (Agapanthaceae): named for a patriotic
Swede and zealous promoter of natural science named Mauhle. Maurocenia (Celastraceae): according to the CRC
World Dictionary of Plant Names, "presumably honoring the Venetian
Senator G.F. Morosini (1658-1739), a patron of botany." meintjesii (Decabelone, Stapelia, Tavaresia): this could be a place name (Meintjes Kop in Pretoria), or a personal name. According to Eggli & Newton, there is a C.C.C. Meintjes (fl. early 1960's) who was a South African architect interested in succulents who is also commemorated with Stapelia meintjesii, but I don't know if that's who D. meintjesii is named for, although it would seem likely to be the case. Melpomene (Grammitidaceae): in mythology, Melpomene
was a songstress and the muse of tragedy. She was the daughter of Zeus
and her sisters included Calliope (muse of poetry), Clio (muse of history),
Euterpe (muse of flute playing), Terpsichore (muse of dancing), Erato
(muse of erotic poetry), Thalia (muse of comedy), Polyhymnia (muse of
hymns), and Urania (muse of astronomy). Merciera (Campanulaceae): Alphonse De Candolle named the genus in honor of the French botanist Phillip Mercier in 1830. (PlantzAfrica) Mercurialis (Euphorbiaceae): presumably for the
god Mercury. Merremia (Convolvulaceae): honors the German naturalist and botanist Basius Merrem (1761-1824), mathematician and professor of political economy at Marburg. Merwilla (Hyacinthaceae): this genus has been named after F. van der Merwe, a botanist who worked on this family. (PlantzAfrica) Merxmuellera (Poaceae): refers to the German botanist
Hermann Merxmüller (1920-1988). Professor of botany at the University of Munich, also Director of the Muncih Botanical Gardens, conducted many expeditions to Africa, and discovered more than 100 new species of flowers. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant
Names) Metzleria (Dicranaceae): After Giseke-Metzler, professor of natural history in England around 1813. Alternate spelling used by the author was Mezleria. (W.P.U. Jackson) meyeri (Aloe, Cheiridopsis, Conophytum, Lithops, Mesembryanthemum, Meyerophytum, Stomatium): for Louis G. Meyer (1867-1958), German clergyman, explorer, and plant and insect collector in South Africa. (Eggli & Newton) Meyerophytum (Mesembryanthemaceae): see meyeri (Aloe et. al.) Mielichhoferia (Mniaceae): named for the Austrian botanist Mathias Mielichhofer (1772-1847). Mikania (Asteraceae): named after the Bohemian
botanist and professor of botany at Prague Joseph Gottfried Mikans (1743-1814). (CRC World Dictionary
of Plant Names) Milicia (Moraceae): named for a certain Mr. Milicia, an administrator in Mozambique. millari (Diaphananthe): after Harold Millar who discovered this species in the early 1900's. (Elsa Pooley) Millettia (Fabaceae): named after Charles Millet
of the East India Company in Canton, China (1792-1873). Moenchia (Caryophyllaceae): dedicated to the German
botanist and pharmacist Conrad Moench (1744-1805), chemist, professor
of botany at the Collegium Medicum Carolinianum at Kessel, and founder
of the Marburg Botanic Garden. Mohria (Anemiaceae): honors the German botanist Daniel Matthias Heinrich Mohr (1780-1808), professor of philosophy at Kiel, plant collector and author. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Monniera (Scrophulariaceae): ??? Monsonia (Geraniaceae): named for Lady Ann Monson
(née Vane) (1714-1776), great-granddaughter of Charles
II, botanical collector at the Cape and in Bengal, and correspondent
of Linnaeus. Montbretia (Iridaceae): named for the French botanist
Antoine François Ernest Coquebert de Montbret (1781-1801), with
Napoleon in Egypt 1798. Montinia (Montiniaceae): honors the Swedish botanist
and physician Lars Jonasson Montin (1723-1785), botanical collector
and pupil of Linnaeus. moorei (Crinum): Crinum moorei was described by 19th century botanist, Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, while
he was director of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in London. According
to Verdoorn (1961) his description was based on plants grown by Dr.
David Moore (1838-1879), after whom he named it. Dr. Moore, director
of the Glasnevin Botanical Gardens in Dublin, received the seed from
a British soldier named Webb who collected it in KwaZulu-Natal during
the 1860's. (PlantzAfrica) "David Moore's contribution to the Gardens,
to its plant collections and to its reputation nationally and internationally
is unsurpassed. His interests and abilities were wide ranging; he had
studied the flora of Antrim and Derry, fungi, algae, lichens, bryophytes,
ferns and flowering plants, before taking up his post at Glasnevin.
While at Glasnevin he developed links with Botanic Gardens in Britain,
in Europe and in Australia (his brother Charles became Director at Sydney).
Moore used the great interest in plants that existed among the estate
owners and owners of large gardens in Ireland to expand trial grounds
for rare plants not expected to thrive at Glasnevin. The collections
at Kilmacurragh, Headford and Fota, for example, attest to this. It
was David Moore who first noted potato blight in Ireland at Glasnevin
on 20th August 1845 and predicted that the impact on the potato crop
would lead to famine in Ireland. He continued to investigate the cause
of the blight and correctly identified it as a fungus but narrowly missed
finding a remedy. David Moore was succeeded by his son Frederick, who
was made Curator at the age of twenty-two. Some of the gardening establishment
figures of the day were sceptical that such a young man would be up
to the job. Frederick Moore soon justified his appointment and went
on to establish Glasnevin as one of the great gardens of the world.
In due course he was knighted for his services to horticulture."
(website of Glasnevin Botanical Garden) Moquinia (Loranthaceae): named for the French botanist Christian Horace Bénédict Alfred Moquin-Tandon (1804-1863), naturalist, pupil of A.P. de Candolle, Director of the Botanic Garden of Toulouse 1834-1853, professor of botany at the Faculté de Médecine at Paris, and one of the founders of the Société Botanique de France. Moquiniella (Loranthaceae): see Moquinia. Moraea (Iridaceae): the name Morea was originally
intended by Philip Miller to commemorate the British amateur botanist
and natural historian Robert More (1703-1780), traveller, friend of
Linnaeus, and Fellow of the Royal Society of London, but apparently
he changed the name to honor Dr. Johan Moraeus, the town physician of
Falun and father of Sara Elizabeth Moraea, wife of Linnaeus. Mossia (Mesembryanthemaceae): honors the British
botanist Charles Edward Moss (1870-1930), Curator of the Cambridge Herbarium,
professor of botany at the South African School of Mines and Technology which later became the University of Witwatersrand, plant collector and botanical explorer, Fellow
of the Linnaean Society, died in South Africa. mostertii (Ixia): named after Louis Mostert,
a keen and interested landowner in the Wolseley area. (PlantzAfrica) Muiria (Mesembryanthemaceae): see muirii. muirii (Aloe, Eroeda, Euryops, Lobostemon, Lysichlamys, Oedera,
Salvia, Senecio, Stoebe): the first collection
of plants of Salvia muirii was made in 1915 by Scottish
naturalist and physician Dr. John Muir (1874-1947),
an enthusiastic plant collector who lived in the southern Cape and who
contributed greatly to our knowledge of the plants of this area. (PlantzAfrica) Mundia (Polygalacaee): honors Johannes Ludwig Leopold Mund (1791-1831), a Prussian pharmacist and plant collector who arrived in the Cape in 1815. [Now in genus Nylandtia] mundii (Bupleurum, Scolopia, Thaminophyllum): see Mundia. Muraltia (Polygalaceae): named for the Swiss surgeon and botanist Johannes von Muralt (1645-1733), anatomist, professor of medicine at Zürich. Murdannia (Commelinaceae): honors the Indian plant
collector Murdann Ali (Aly), keeper of the Herbarium at Saharanpur Botanic
Garden and expert on Himalayan flora. naegelsbachii (Blepharis): According to the Aluka website, its collector was named Naegelsbach, and the Harvard University Herbarium Index of Botanists lists an E. Naegelsbach with no dates. Blepharis naegelsbachii = Blepharis obmitrata. nebrownii (Caralluma, Piaranthus):
named for Nicholas Edward Brown (1849-1934), a taxonomist based at Kew
Herbarium. "Nicholas Edward Brown was an English plant taxonomist
and authority on succulents, Asclepiadaceae, Mesembryanthemaceae, Labiatae
and Cape plants. He started work as an assistant in the Herbarium at
Kew in 1873, and was Assistant Keeper from 1909-1914. His drawings of
succulent plants were made in connection with his revision of the genus Mesembryanthemum, which appeared in 1931, and are accompanied
by detailed annotations. He was the author of important works on plant
taxonomy particularly succulent plants. He was awarded the Capt. Scott
Memorial Medal by the South African Biological Society in recognition
of his work on South African flora, and in 1932 an honorary D.Sc. was
conferred on him by the University of the Witwatersrand. His publications
appeared mainly in the Kew Bull. and in Flora Capensis."
(Wikipedia) Neesenbeckia (Cyperaceae): named for the German
botanist and physician Christian Gottfried Nees von Esenbeck (1776-1858),
professor of botany and botanical collector, who described about 7,000 plant species, almost as many as Linnaeus; his special interest was fungi. (Hugh Clarke in part) Negria (Gesneriaceae): named for the Italian geographer and politician Cristoforo Negri (1809-1896). Nelia (Mesembryanthemaceae): named after the South
African botanist Gert Cornelius Nel (1885-1950), plant collector and
cactus specialist, professor of botany at Stellenbosch University 1921-1950. Nelsonia (Acanthaceae): named for David Nelson,
botanist on the infamous voyage of Captain Bligh's Bounty, a
gardener at Kew Gardens who was employed by Joseph Banks to collect
specimens. He was also an assistant botanist on Captain Cook's third
and last voyage 1776-1780. Neobakeria (Hyacinthaceae): named for the British botanist John Gilbert Baker (1834-1920), botanical collector at the Herbarium of Kew Gardens, Fellow of the Royal and Linnaean Societies. Neoboivinella (Sapotaceae): honors the French botanist Louis Hyacinthe Boivin (1808-1852), traveller and plant collector. Neobolusia (Orchidaceae): see Bolusanthus. Neodregia (Colchicaceae): after C. F. Drège, an apothecary and plant collector in the area around Port Elizabeth. Neohenricia (Mesembryanthemaceae): named for the Swiss plant physiologist Marguerite Gertrude Anna Henrici (1892-1971), plant collector. Neoluederitzia (Zygophyllaceae): named for Franz Adolph Eduard Lüderitz (1834-1896), brother of botanical collector August Lüderitz. (Gunn & Codd) Neomuellera (Lamiaceae): named for the Swiss botanist Jean Mueller (1828-1896), Curator of the Candolle herbarium 1851-1869, Curator of the B. Delessert herbarium 1869-1896, Director of the Genève Botanic Garden, professor of botany 1871-1889. Neopatersonia (Hyacinthaceae): honors Mrs. Florence Mary Paterson (née Hallack) (1869-1936), botanical collector, wife of Mr. T.V. Paterson of South Africa. Neorosea (Rubiaceae): named for the 19th century German apothecary Valentin Rose. Neptunia (Fabaceae): named after Neptune, in Roman mythology the god of water, then after his identification with Poseidon in Greek mythology became the god of the sea. Nerine (Amaryllidaceae): named after Nerine, in mythology a sea-nymph or nereid, daughter of Doris and Nereus, and granddaughter of Oceanus and Tethys. Nesaea (Lythraceae): in Greek mythology, Nesaea or Nesaie was a sea nymph, one of the Neriads. Nestlera (Asteraceae): honors the Alsatian botanist Chrétien Géofroy Nestler (1778-1832), professor of botany and pharmacy. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Neumannia (Flacourtiaceae): named for French gardener
J.H.F. Neumann (1800-1858). Nevillea (Restionaceae): named for Neville Pillans, see entries for pillansii. Newtonia (Fabaceae): commemorates Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727). (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Nicandra (Solanaceae): honors the Greek botanist
and physician Nikander of Colophon (c.100-150 AD), poet and medical
writer. Nicolasia (Asteraceae): named for Kew Gardens botanist Dr. Nicholas Edward Brown (1849-1934), see nebrownii. Nicolsonia (Fabaceae): commemorates Père Jean Barthélemy Maximilien Nicolson (1734-1773), a Dominican priest and superior in Haiti. Nicotiana (Solanaceae): dedicated to the French diplomat Jean Nicot (1530-1600), ambassador to Portugal, introduced tobacco into France and Portugal. Niebuhria (Capparaceae): honors the German-born Danish botanist Carsten Niebuhr (1733-1815), traveller and explorer, sole survivor of Pehr Forsskål's expedition to Arabia, member of the Royal Society of Göttingen. Nierembergia (Solanaceae): commemorates the Spanish Jesuit Juan Eusebio Nieremberg (1595-1658). Nivenia (Iridaceae): named after James (David) Niven (c. 1774-1826/1827), an avid gardener and plant collector. The seed of N. corymbosa was collected by Niven on one of his journeys to Cape Town, and the seed was raised in the garden of his patron, George Hibbert, in Clapham, London. Plants flowered there for the first time in 1805 and were described as Witsenia corymbosa. (PlantzAfrica) Niven was gardener at the Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh and at Syon House, Middlesex. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Nolletia (Asteraceae): honors the French clergyman Jean Antoine Nollet (1700-1770), the first professor of experimental physics at the University of Paris. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) "He constructed one of the first electrometers and developed a theory of electrical attraction and repulsion that supposed the existence of a continuous flow of electrical matter between charged bodies." (Answers.com) Noltea (Rhamnaceae): named after the German botanist
and physician Ernst Ferdinand Nolte (1791-1875), professor of botany
at the University of Kiel. Nuxia (Buddlejaceae): was named in honor of M. Jean Baptiste François de Lanux (1702-1772), a French amateur botanist on Reunion Island. (PlantzAfrica) Nylandtia (Polygalaceae): this plant was first described as Polygala spinosa by Linnaeus in 1751 and 1753. The Belgian botanist, Barthelemy Dumortier (1822) recognized that this species belongs to a genus different from Polygala and named it Nylandtia in honor of Pierre Nylandt, a Dutch botanist. (PlantzAfrica) Nymania (Meliaceae): this genus was named after the Swedish botanist Carl Fredrik Nyman (1820-1893). There is also a genus Nymania in the Euphorbiaceae family named for the same botanist but it does not appear in South Africa. Nymphaea (Nymphaeaceae): in Greek mythology nymphaia referred to a water nymph. oatesii (Anthericum, Erica, Hebenstretia): named after naturalist and traveller Frank Oates (1840-1875). (Elsa Pooley) obermeyerae (Blepharis, Hemizygia): the species name 'obermeyerae' commemorate Miss Anna Amelia Obermeyer (later to become Mrs. Amelia Mauve), a botanist at the National Herbarium, Pretoria, who first collected this plant in 1931. The plant was described by Ashby in the Journal of Botany (London) in1935. (PlantzAfrica) Oberonia (Orchidaceae): named after Oberon, the mythological King of the Fairies and husband of Titania. obrienii (Cyrtanthus): after James O'Brien (1842-1930), an English orchid grower. Odyssea (Poaceae): named for Odysseus also known
as Ulysses. Ohlendorffia (Scrophulariaceae): one internet source says this is named after Holstein botanist Dr. C. F. Ohlendorff Oldenburgia (Asteraceae): named after Franz Pehr Oldenburg (1740-1774), plant collector for Kew Gardens, and a companion of the botanists Thunberg and Masson on their travels to South Africa. Oldenburg died of fever in Madagascar in 1774. (PlantzAfrica) Oldenlandia (Rubiaceae): named for the Danish botanist and physician Henrik (Hendrik) Bernard Oldenland (c.1663-1699), naturalist and plant collector at the Cape, Curator-Superintendent of the Botanical Garden of the Dutch East India Company. Date of death also given as 1697. (CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names) Olinia (Oliniaceae): honors the Swedish botanist
Johan Hendrik Olin (1769-1824), student of Thunberg and author. Oliverella (Loranthaceae): dedicated to the British
botanist Daniel Oliver (1830-1916), worked at the Kew Herbarium, professor
of botany at University College, London, Fellow of the Royal and Linnaean
Societies. Orphium (Gentianaceae): named for the mythological Orpheus, a Greek poet and musician, and one of the Argonauts. Osmunda (Osmundaceae): uncertain attribution, may not relate to a person's name. ottoniana (Polystachya): after Friedrich Otton, Garden Director of Schoneberg, Germany in 1800's. (Elsa Pooley) ottonis (Ehrharta): after Eduard Otto (1812-1885), botanical collector in Cuba and Venezuela; later, curator of Hamburg botanic garden; or his father Frederich Otto (1782-1856), curator of the Berlin Botanic Garden (Hugh Clarke) Ottosonderia (Mesembryanthemaceae): named for the
German botanist and pharmacist Otto Wilhelm Sonder (1812-1881), botanical
explorer and plant collector, co-author with William H. Harvey of the
first three volumes of Flora capensis.
© 2006-2009 M. Charters, Sierra Madre, CA.
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