Specific Epithets Part 4: The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, 9th Edition

 

I'll finish my four-part review of The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs 9^th Edition, inspired by a section in the book near the end called Botanical Names, and in particular I'll discuss specific epithets. An epithet is a descriptive name for a person or thing and it comes from the Greek epitethenai, meaning “to add on.” Epi is “in addition” and tithenai is “to put, to place.” The rules, according to Hillier, state: “The term epithet is used here rather than name because, unlike generic names, species names will not stand on their own.” Then examples from ten different groups are given, and I'll discuss plant examples from each group.

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'

Dipteronia sinensis

For a Geographical epithet, 14 examples are listed and I am familiar with all of them, so there's nothing to be learned. Australe(is) is “southern,” boreale(is) is “northern,” occidentale(is) is “western,” orientale(is) is “eastern” etc; and of course atlantica is “from the Atlas Mountains” and himalaicus is “from the Himalaya.” japonica(um)(us), sinense(is), californica(um)(us) – you know the drill.

Platanus hispanica 'Suttneri'

There are a number of hispanica epithets, for example Fraxinus hispanica (ash), Quercus hispanica (oak) and Platanus hispanica (plane), all indicating that they come from Spain, but I've never grown any of them, and given my age I probably never will. Platanus x hispanica is the “London plane” which Hillier calls “A large, noble park tree.” It has been known since 1663 and is thought to be a hybrid between P. occidentalis and P. orientalis. It was once called P. x acerifolia due to the palmate leaves, although there's no maple species that grows as large as the London plane. If I ever did grow one it would probably be the variegated selection 'Suttneri' which Hillier describes as “A striking form with large leaves boldly variegated creamy white.” The one tree that I have seen displayed a cleaner, more white trunk than the type.

Cirsium arvense

Equisetum arvense

The second grouping of epithets are those describing habitat. Not surprisingly sylvatica(um)(us) is “of, or forming woods,” palustre(is) is “of swamps or marshes” and aquatica(um)(us) is “of water or growing by water.” Most of you already know those three examples, but do you know arvense(is)? It means “of fields or cultivated land,” and I have two unwelcome arvense species on my lands that are the devil to get rid of: Circium arvense, the “Canadian Thistle,” and Equisetum arvense, the “Common Horsetail.” If either of these two get established in a container the only way I deal with it is to throw the baby out with the bathwater, and it somewhat shocks the employees how cavalier I can be about it. And no, you can't take the plant home, take a weedless one home instead.

Clematis montana var. wilsonii

Clematis montana var. wilsonii

E.H. Wilson

My favorite epithet describing habitat is montana, “of mountains,” because that's where I am most happy. When younger I undertook a number of trips to the Himalaya, and if the destination was the western Himalaya the journey began in the low-elevation hell-hole of Delhi, India, and if it was the eastern Himalays, one usually began in the worse hell-hole of Calcutta (now called Kolkata, and which was always named so in Bengali). A favorite montana plant for me is Clematis montana var. wilsonii, and yes, it is our same E.H. Wilson who makes an appearance in nearly every Flora Wonder Blog. There are pink and red C. montana cultivars but I prefer the pure white – with yellowish anthers – of the Wilson form which flowers later and is allegedly chocolate scented. Hillier relates that this variety was introduced in 1907 from central China, “one of whose collections was received from Veitch Nurseries, Exeter, by Hergest Croft Gardens, Herefordshire, where it is still growing.” I was at Hergest Croft about 15 years ago, but it was in the fall, so I didn't notice this historic plant. Clematis is the Greek name for several climbing plants, and is a diminutive of klema, meaning “vine shoot.” You say Clématis, I say Clemátis, Tomayto, Tomahto...

Pinus sylvestris 'Glauca Fastigiata'

Betula nana

The first nursery where I worked sold over 1 million plants per year, and while the plants had names – such as mugo pine, alberta spruce, Tam juniper and the like – never did we use the botanic names. Later I worked at the Dutchman's nursery where we would learn quickly and use names regularly that described a plant's habit. Nana(um)(us) meant “dwarf,” pendula(um)(us) was “weeping” and fastigiata(um)(us) meant “erect branching” and was usually accompanied by a narrow form. One non-plant person actually questioned my use of the word habit to describe a plant's shape, like the plant behaved poorly because it had bad habits. I just responded that in the trade the cognoscenti all knew what it meant.

Paeonia suffruticosa 'Hohki'

If one encounters the specific epithet fruticosa(um)(us) there is the possibility to assume that the plant produces showy, or even edible fruits, but not so. It means “shrubby” and/or “dwarf,” from Latin fruticosus, from frutex for “shrub.” Don't confuse that with the epithet suffruticosa(um)(us) which means “woody at the base” but remaining herbaceous (softer) above, which is Latin for “sub” + fruticose.

Acer macrophyllum

Acer macrophyllum 'Golden Riddle'

Hillier teaches us that phylla(um)(us) and folia(um)(us) mean “leaved,” and those epithets are often used for species that are named for the appearance of their leaves. Leaf description was frequently used in the naming of Acer species such as A. argutum for “sharp,” A. x coriaceum for “leathery” leaves, A. crataegifolium for leaves that resemble the hawthorn, carpinifolium for Carpinus-like leaves and many others. Acer macrophyllum, our “Oregon maple,” is noteworthy as the largest-growing of the Acer genus, and the leaves are the largest of any Acer species as well.

Corymbia maculata

Maculata is an interesting epithet and it describes leaves that are spotted or blotched. The photo of Eucalyptus maculata was taken in a Los Angeles-area arboretum, but I don't remember any spotting on the leaves, but maybe that's because I hate Eucalyptus foliage anyway. The arboretum should update their labels, however, because now it is classified as Corymbia maculata, but still in the Myrtaceae family. The “Spotted gum” was first described by William Jackson Hooker in 1844 as a Eucalyptus, but apparently back then it also referred to spotting on the trunk. I wasn't as observant as Hooker, because while I remember the trunk being attractive in coloration, I don't recall any spotting on the trunk either.

Dactylorhiza maculata

Maculata is derived from Latin macula, to “stain, spot or blemish,” and its absolutely the spotted leaves on the orchid Dactylorhiza maculata that accounts for the specific epithet. The generic name is from Greek daklylos meaning “finger” and rhiza for “root.” Linnaeus knew it and originally called it Orchis maculata, and then it was changed in 1962. In German it is wonderfully known as Geflecktes knabenkraut, and I suppose your imagination of that translation is as accurate as mine. Scientifically though, this is how Dactylorhiza maculata is classified:

Kingdom Plantae

Clade Tracheophytes

Clade Angiosperms

Clade Monocots

Order Asparagales <-------

Family Orchidaceae

Genus Dactylorhiza

Species maculata

Consider the Order Asparagales: there are an estimated 26,000 species, and besides the Dactylorhiza maculata, the Asparagus that you eat (Asparagus officinalis), day lilies, iris, garlic and vanilla are all in the Order.

Smilacina racemosa

Hillier offers 15 specific epithets that describe flowers, and I suppose that the lay-person could identify most of them because their Latin roots are in use with our English. Some examples are nudiflora(um)(us) for “naked, without leaves,” grandiflora(um)(us) for “large flowered,” pauciflora(um)(us) for “few-flowered” and triflora(um)(us) for “flowers in three.” A common epithet is racemosa(um)(us), and we have a number of species in the collection so-named. Smilacina racemosa is a pleasant woodland plant with pure white flowers held in a raceme. One page before the specific epithet listing are 9 simple drawings that name plant parts, such as panicle, cyme, umbel, raceme etc. I didn't want to steal directly from The Manual – even though I frequently plagiarize words and sentences from it – so I asked my wife to make the above drawing. She went one better than Hillier by including our family dog. The common name for the plant is “Solomon's Plume,” but before you try to pronounce and remember the genus word Smilacina, it has now been renamed Maianthemum racemosum, a new name that I'll forget by the time I end this sentence.

Rhododendron lacteum

Rhododendron lacteum

Epithets describing colour is another Hillier 9^th grouping, most of which I know well, such as alba(um)(us), aurea(um)(us), nigra(um)(us), etc. A fun name is lactea(um)(us) and it doesn't mean just “white,” rather it is “milk-white,” and Rhododendron lacteum is the plant example given. Maybe the milk has gone sour because the flower is a little dirty with some yellow in the throat.

Matucana aurantiaca

A colour epithet that I wouldn't have known without Hillier's help is aurantiaca(um)(us) and it means “orange.” That color...er, colour is not common in my landscape, and in fact the photo above was taken in a California arboretum, probably the Huntington Arboretum in San Marino, California, and it is of Matucana aurantiaca. It is a genus of cacti only native to Peru, mostly along the Maranon River, and discovered near the town of...Matucana.

Pimelea ferruginea 'Bonne Petite'

Another interesting colour is ferruginea which means “rust-colored,” and the example Hillier gives is for Rhododendron ferrugineum, the “Alpen rose” or “Snow rose” which is a shrub that grows above tree-line in the Alps, and which happens to be the type species for the genus. It is the undersides of the leaves which are colored rust-brown, so they are ferruginous. There is another ferruginous species and it is for the Pimelea genus, the “Pink rice flower” plant which is native to coastal western Australia. The Pimelea is another plant that I do not grow, but I saw a Thymelaeaceae specimen at the impressive University of California Santa Cruz Arboretum about 10 years ago, and the cultivar 'Bonne Petite' was most impressive. The generic name is New Latin, from Greek pimele for “lard” which probably refers to the oily seeds; which, if so, demonstrates how petty-minded the botanists of yore could be.

Brugmansia species

Aime Bonpland

Alexander Von Humboldt

Ok, let's get to the 7^th Hillier category – hang in there – its epithets that describe aromas and scents. There's some that I have never heard of such as suaveolens, and Stop! Don't read further – do you know what that means? Of course you don't, but now continue reading: it means “sweet-scented,” and the plant example Hillier gives is Brugmansia suaveolens. I have had a few Brugmansia specimens in the collection, never for sale, but they were fun, although I don't recall any particular scent. They took up a lot of wide-reaching greenhouse space, and when the heater failed and they died one winter I was actually relieved. Brugmansia, though, is a fantastic genus that was first described by my heroes Humboldt and Bonpland, the intrepid German and French explorers who documented the flora and geology and geography of South America in the early 1800s. Linnaeus first classified the genus in 1753 as Datura arborea, but then in 1805 it was moved into Brugmansia and named for the Dutch naturalist Sebald Justinus Brugmans. I describe Brugmansia as fantastic because the “Angel's Trumpet” is one of the most toxic of all ornamental plants and amazingly all of its species are known only in cultivation, and no wild plants have ever been confirmed. Hillier claims there are five species, others say seven, but the B. suaveolens is from southeast Brazil. The genus is considered as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN Red List, and it's a pertinent example where human cultivation has ensured their survival, and perhaps it serves as a reminder that humans do more than just make life go extinct.

Liriodendron tulipifera

Liriodendron tulipifera 'Little Volunteer'

Liriodendron chinense

The 8^th Hillier category is epithets alluding to other plants, and some examples are jasminea for “jasmine-like,” liliiflora for “lily-flowered,” salicifolia(um)(us) for “willow-leaved” and tulipifera for “tulip bearing.” I generally don't care for allusions with plant names, and it seems like the botanist was being lazy. Concerning tulipifera, I have seen Liriodendron tulipifera in the wild in one of the great hardwood forests of Michigan, but I grow only one cultivar – 'Little Volunteer' – which is much smaller and more compact than the type. According to Hillier: “The North American tulip tree was considered monotypic until, at the beginning of the 20^th century, a second and very similar species was discovered in China.” Guess who?, E.H. Wilson introduced the rare Chinese species from Sichuan in 1901. Probably a better botanic name could have been chosen, as Liriodendron is Greek for “lily tree,” so the binomial name is rather silly with “lily tree bringing forth tulips.”

Viburnum davidii 'Longleaf'

Viburnum davidii 'Longleaf'

Pinus armandii

Commemorative epithets used to be common among botanists. They loved to honor each other with plant names, and in other cases the plant discoverer tried to curry favor with his financial sponsor, and sometimes the specific epithet honors the finder's wife, as Frank Kingdon-Ward did with Lilium mackliniae. I think it was an interesting practice to use the first name of the plant hunter, as was the case with the French missionary Armand David for Pinus armandi, and his last name for Viburnum davidii.* E.H. Wilson introduced the Viburnum in 1904, while the Pinus was introduced in 1895 and both plants were named by the botanist Adrian Rene Franchet (1834-1900). The portly Franchet specialized in the flora of Japan and China when the goods were arriving by the boatload, and he himself was epithetinized with the Chinese flower Swertia franchetiana.

*Someone please explain why the Viburnum has two ii's, and the Pinus only one i, unless it is a Hillier typo.

Rhododendron exasperatum

Rhododendron exasperatum

Finally, the 10^th grouping is for miscellaneous epithets. Ambigua(um)(us), as with Ribes ambiguum, means of “doubtful identity,” and confusa(um)(us) is “confused identity.” One might assume that Rhododenron exasperatum caused the naming botanist Harry Frank Tagg (1874-1933) fits with its classification. Actually the Rhododendron was named for its rough-ribbed leaves. Exasperate is from the Latin verb exasperare which is based on asper for “rough.”

Enough! Enough of The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, 9^th edition. This concludes the 4^th Flora Wonder Blog about the new (2019) edition, although there's fodder within the 637 pages for plenty more. It is my plant Bible and I consult it almost daily, and though there are mistakes they are few and insignificant. Sorry if I come across as negative at times, and I'm actually going to purchase another copy so I don't have to haul the heavy brick back and forth from home and office.