Large Conifer Species, Tiny Selections

A recent Flora Wonder blog focused on some curious plant oddities that one can find in our arboretum. These are living creatures that fascinate flora aficionados such as myself, while I'm fully aware that most seeking to plant a tree would prefer something more normal, green and vigorous, a bush or tree that gets the job done, and one that maybe flowers once a year besides.

Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Julian'

Well, I've grown plenty of normal green plants, millions I suppose, but I'm always fascinated by the range of size variation that the plantsman encounters while he toils to make a living. On the wall above my desk is a photo of Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Julian', a miniature “Giant redwood” discovered by Nelis Kools of Deurne, The Netherlands. Kools houses the national Dutch collection of Sequoia, Sequoiadendron and Metasequoia, so naturally he would be fascinated with the most massive genus on earth and also with its tiniest cultivar. As P.T. Barnum did with the dwarf human Tom Thumb, perhaps Kools could charge the public a euro each to see his little runt. Remember that a humongous trunk section of the General Noble tree was displayed at the 1893 World's Exposition in Chicago, and many a Midwesterner doubted its authenticity, but they all enjoyed the freak show. Years ago a Dutch grower visited my nursery and he brought a 'Julian' as a gift from Kools, but the visitor was already a week in America and the little plant was completely dry and did not survive, so I've never owned a 'Julian', and at this point I don't really care.

Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Little Stan'

Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Little Stan'

Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Little Stan'

But, I have succeeded with another Kools redwood seedling, Sequoiadendron giganteum 'Little Stan', and it's actually in our production...propagated by rooted cuttings in winter. It is a little faster than 'Julian', but 'Little Stan' is still only 24-30” tall in 10 years. The dwarf is blue-green in color and juvenile in appearance, in other words not with normal Sequoiadendron foliage. I would rate 'Little Stan's' winter hardiness at USDA zone 8 (10 F), even though it has survived at 5 F, but the issue is how much damage the juvenile foliage can endure, and if the gardener wants to deal with an unsightly tree. In any case the grower should probably not propagate 'Little Stan' by grafting onto seedling rootstock, as that might – probably would – push the dwarf into more vigorous, uncharacteristic growth. Indeed, I had an older specimen in my Conifer Field, at about 15 years of age that was on its own roots; sadly the bottom “Little Stan” portion died and the top shot upward about 4' of normal Sequoiadendron growth. I reported (with photo above) the disaster to Kools, and that provided even further proof to him that America is just way too aggressive. I dumped the entire “ruined” tree, although in hindsight I probably should have kept it for “scientific reasons.”

Sequoia sempervirens

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'

Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca'

I admire the art of bonsai as much as anyone; but my grandmother didn't – she deemed that the wire used to create “contortions” was akin to “crippling children.” I ummed and nodded, not wanting to create controversy, but I disagreed because, as I said previously, I'm fascinated to explore the extremes in the Kingdom Plantae. Imagine the tallest tree on earth, Sequoia sempervirens, rendered in vastly reduced form via bonsai. Or, consider another enormous species, Cedrus atlantica, and its well-known 'Glauca' cultivar thriving in a shallow dish as the specimen (photo above) does at the Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection in Washington state. I doubt that the casual visitors to this “Reduction Park” are aware of the enormity of the subject species in their native haunts.

Abies procera 'Glauca'

Abies procera 'Blaue Hexe'

The “true firs” are in the Abies genus, a name from ancient Latin that means the “rising one,” referring to a tall tree or ship. The tallest species of Abies on earth, A. procera (“Noble fir”), comes from the mountains of Oregon and Washington, and the specific epithet means “very tall or long.” The world champion (at 278') grew at Yellow Jacket Creek in Washington state, but a few years ago it lost its top 27' in a wind storm; nevertheless it remains as the champion tree because of its bulk. Contrast that behemoth with one of the tiniest conifers, the cultivar 'Blaue Hexe' which means a “blue witch” in German. Hexe is short for Hexenbesen meaning “witch's broom,” and the introduction originated in the 1960s at Boehlje Nursery of Westerstede, Germany. My oldest specimen was devastated in our record heat (116 F) last June, and though it wasn't technically dead, it was edited anyway because I couldn't stand to see it in misery. Fortunately I also grow a few in containers in the shade and they survived with no damage.

Picea sitchensis

Picea sitchensis 'Sugarloaf'

Picea sitchensis 'Silberzwerg'

Even taller than the Noble fir is the “Sitka spruce,” Picea sitchensis, another West coast native that is the third tallest tree (96m, 317 ft), behind only Sequoia sempervirens (379 ft) and Pseudotsuga menziesii (329 ft). Native Americans made great use of the species before the white man showed up to “discover” it, namely Archibald Menzies in 1792, then introduced by David Douglas in 1831. We have grown a number of cultivars – 'Papoose', 'Tenas' and 'Wiesje' – and they more or less look alike, and all readily strike root from winter cuttings. To my knowledge they originated from witch's broom mutations, and when on their own roots they form round balls at less than 3' in height and width. Another dwarf is 'Sugarloaf'*, a seedling discovered on Sugarloaf Mountain by the late Bill Janssen of Washington state. The only cultivar currently in our production is 'Silberzwerg' (“Silver dwarf”) because it displays more glittery pizzazz than the others. It was found as a witch's broom at Oltman's Nursery, eastern Friesland, Germany.

*The origin of this cultivar is an example of the numerous false assertions/assumptions made in the recent publication of the Royal Horticultural Society's Encyclopedia of Conifers which states that it was “introduced by Buchholz & Buchholz Nursery, OR, USA.” It was not.

Metasequoia fossil

Metasequoia glyptostroboides

The Metasequoia genus was discovered by T. Kan in central China in 1941 and it was introduced to cultivation in 1947. Previously it had only been known from fossil record, so the “living relic” created a stir in the botanic community. Portland, Oregon's Hoyt Arboretum was among the first to plant the monotypic genus and a plaque celebrates the fact that the Hoyt tree was the first in the Western hemisphere to produce cones in “about 6 million years.” I have a crappy little rock with a Metasequoia fossil from the Columbia River Gorge, but the foliar imprint is not clearly obvious, at least not for me. Apparently its previous existence in Oregon was made known when a fisherman ducked for cover under a cliff during a downpour and found the fossils. I wish I knew the location as I would like to see them for myself, and I also wish I could see the living stand in China, but that probably won't happen. While the Hoyt tree was allegedly the first to cone, I wonder where one can find the largest specimen outside of China. Umm?

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Miss Grace'

Metasequoia is an extremely vigorous conifer, obviously too large for most landscapes, but fortunately we now have dwarf cultivars that are horticulturally worthy. Our 'Miss Grace' was of witch's broom origin while the similar 'Bonsai' was discovered as a seedling. The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs describes 'Miss Grace' as “a small, elegant cultivar with a compact habit and weeping branches...” but if you saw the original graft they might change that description.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'North Light'

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'North Light'

Buchholz was the first American company to produce Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'North Light' (AKA 'Schirrmann's Nordlicht'). Hillier describes it as “A very compact selection, though too recent an introduction to judge ultimate height.” Well, I can help with that. Posing in front of 'North Light' is my 5' 4” tall wife. I don't remember the exact year I received the first scions, but I guess 13-15 years ago, and they were sent by the aforementioned Nelis Kools. The German Winifried Schirrmann discovered the witch's broom on the variegated cultivar 'White Spot', and it was Kools who first introduced 'North Light'. Everyone agrees that the mutation is more garden worthy than the host mother, but you can see it is quite vigorous too. Kools saw my plants two years ago and he declared them to be the largest in the world, and I think it pained him a little that his had not grown as much. Hillier describes the colour accurately: “The foliage emerges creamy white before turning a soft pale green.” I mention again that we scorched at 116 F last June when the foliage was more white, but 'North Light' kept on shining with absolutely no damage.

Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Daweswood Tawny Fleece'

A new “Dawn redwood” cultivar for me, Metasequoia glyptostroboides 'Daweswood Tawny Fleece', has an awkwardly long name but so far I like the plant. I expect it will be equally vigorous as 'North Light' judging by my first grafts. Last winter's scions were literally the size of toothpicks and today they are almost one foot wide. Of course plants are pushed in the greenhouse with fertilizer and lots of water...or maybe I'm just a damn great grower. The “Daweswood” part to the cultivar name is due to its discovery as a witch's broom at the Dawes Arboretum in Newark, Ohio.

Tsuga canadensis

Tsuga canadensis is the eastern counterpart to our western hemlock, Tsuga heterophylla. They are specifically separated for valid (boring) botanical reasons, but to most of us they are huge evergreens that look alike. T. canadensis is native to Canada – duh – but the range also extends from Canada to Maine, south to Georgia and Alabama. Keith Rushforth in Conifers makes an interesting observation: “The species is extremely tolerant of shading. All of the current season's growth, including the leading shoot, is pendulous and this is considered to be an adaptation to shady sites, as it allows an increased interception of the available light. The leading shoot only becomes firm and woody during the autumn/winter period, when the broadleaved trees are leafless.”

Tsuga canadensis 'Betty Rose'

Tsuga canadensis 'Betty Rose'

The Canadian hemlock species is well-known for a couple of hundred cultivar selections that originated as witch's broom mutations or as unusual seedlings. Maybe my favorite of the dwarves is 'Betty Rose' which produces cream-white, and sometimes pinkish new growth. It is described in the literature as miniature, petite etc. but my oldest specimen (cutting grown) is nearly 10' tall and about 7' wide at 40 years old. It is happily sited in the original Display Garden with afternoon shade and it escaped any damage from our June hellish heat blast. “The original plant was found in the wild in 1973 near Vanceboro, Maine by Francis J Heckman of Amber, Pennsylvania and named for his wife,” according to the American Conifer Society website. I encourage you to visit this site – after first finishing my blog! – and you can see the late Mr. Heckman standing next to the original that's planted in front of his house. I only wish that old Heckman would have moved aside and let dear Betty Rose pose instead. Betty Rose – what a lovely name.

Tsuga canadensis 'Cole's Prostrate'

Another Tsuga canadensis favorite is 'Cole's' or 'Cole's Prostrate', a very slow creeping selection that was collected in the wild by H.R. Cole in 1929 from Mt. Madison, New Hampshire and transplanted to his nursery in Massachusetts. In the photo above Haruko is posing next to an old specimen at the Arboretum Trompenburg in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. I don't know how old their plant is, but the photo was taken B.O.C. (Before Our Children) which was nearly twenty years ago. Hopefully it still thrives.

Tsuga heterophylla

Tsuga heterophylla is the largest species of hemlock and is the state tree of Washington (Oregon's is the “Douglas fir,” Pseudotsuga menziesii). While Tsuga canadensis can reach 175' (53.3m), the Western hemlock can grow to 258' (78.9m) in height, and the latter species can live to over 1200 years. The champion grows in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in California, so it's obviously attempting to keep up with its redwood brethren.

Tsuga heterophylla

When I was twenty, tired of being poor with a student loan, I dropped out of college to work for good pay at a lumber mill. My co-workers were uneducated ruffians, but I was able to gain their respect by working my ass off, and I am probably the only human in the history of lumber mills to work for two years straight, never late or missing a day. Anyway, manning the chain where you pulled each board onto its proper pile, I could always tell the hemlock from the Douglas fir because the Tsuga was half again more heavy. Fortunately only one out of about 100 was a hemlock.

Tsuga heterophylla 'Thorsen'

Perhaps the best known cultivar of Eastern hemlock is 'Pendula', “Sargent's Weeping hemlock.” But our Western hemlock has a weeper too, named 'Thorsen' (AKA 'Thorsen's Weeping'), and it is much more refined than its Eastern counterpart. It can be grown as a spreading groundcover or staked into a small weeping tree, and in the collection we grow them both ways. Staked trees are generally more valuable, so we grow ours to about 4' tall then top the leader. In 10 years the pretty green pillar will be about 2' wide. 'Thorsen' appeared in the trade in the mid 1980s and I got my start from the late Dick Bush of Canby, Oregon, a noted hemlock collector. Maybe he knew of the cultivar's origin, but no one else seems to.

As I walk through my gardens I see numerous cultivars that could have been added to this blog – large species with tiny selections, and maybe another day I'll limit discussion to just evergreen and deciduous broadleaved species. I'll repeat the story of the visitor from long ago: he didn't really care for my nursery because nothing looked...“normal.”

Speaking Specifically

 

Picea glauca 'Pendula'

Ginkgo biloba 'Chi Chi'

Ginkgo biloba 'Chi Chi'

Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon'

Because of my obsession with plants, my two youngest girls are ahead of the curve with botanic classification. They know that Acer shirasawanum 'Autumn Moon' – Saya's favorite – is commonly called a Japanese maple, but they're also familiar with the binomial nomenclature system that was first advanced by Linnaeus. Due to the plant labels around our home, combined with young children's curious minds and active brains, Harumi was spouting "Picea glauca 'Pendula', Ginkgo biloba 'Chi Chi'" etc. at age two.* They were delighted to learn that animals – from ants to elephants – are classified the same way. For example, the "Giant Panda" is known in China as daxiongmao, or "big bear cat," but scientifically as Ailuropoda melanoleuca, literally meaning "black and white cat-foot."

*My three older children were certain that I had brainwashed her.

Sequoiadendron giganteum

Chief Sequoyah

Sir Arthur Wellesley, First Duke of Wellington

Many botanic species names can be fascinating, as they reveal something interesting about the discoverer, or the botanist, or the location of the species, or something about the plant and so on. The origin of the word species is from Latin specere, meaning "to look," then it evolved to mean "a particular sort, kind or type." Sequoiadendron giganteum – the "giant redwood" – was given its specific name for obvious reasons. Why the genus name was selected, honoring a Cherokee chief who invented an alphabet for his people, a man who never ever saw a giant redwood, is more of a mystery. The British are still irked that Wellingtonia lost out due to the trivial detail that the name had already been used for another plant, but they still commonly call it Wellingtonia anyway. Even in The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, a sentence in the Sequoiadendron description contains wellingtonia, oddly with a lower-case w.

Abies cephalonica 'Meyer's Dwarf'

Abies cephalonica is the "Greek Fir" and was named for Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian Islands off of western Greece. At the top of the island's tallest mountain – Mount Ainos at 1628 m (5,341 ft.) – is a natural park with Abies cephalonica, but it is also distributed throughout Greece, and I saw it years ago on Mount Olympus. Cephalonica is related to Abies bornmuelleriana and Abies equi-trojani, the latter known as the "Trojan Fir" from which the Trojan Horse was constructed. The botanist who named cephalonica was the Scotsman John Claudius Loudon (1783-1843), who was also a garden designer. Unfortunately Louden was afflicted by rheumatism and arthritis, and then he had is right shoulder amputated due to a botched operation to fix his broken arm and had to learn to write with the left hand. Later he had to cure himself of an opium addiction which he developed to endure his pains.

Rhododendron exasperatum

Rhododendron exasperatum

Some plant people still believe the untruth about the naming of Rhododendron exasperatum, that botanists were exasperated with their efforts to know where to place it in the Rhododendron scheme of classification. Actually it was named by Harry Tagg in 1930 for its rough-ribbed leaves. Exasperate is from the Latin verb exasperare which is based on asper for "rough." Spiritus asper is a medical term for "rough breathing."

 

Picea orientalis

Picea orientalis

Where is the orient? I would describe it as places like Japan, Korea or China. When I began my career I assumed that Picea orientalis was from one of these countries, but I later read that it comes from the Caucasus Mountains of southern Russia and in northeastern Turkey. At one point for Europeans that was way east, the place where the sun rises. Orior is Latin for "rise," and later oriens meant "east." "It's all relative," Einstein used to say, noting that the Chinese considered their land to be at the center of earth's surface. The term opposite of orient is occident, from Latin occido, "to fall" or "set." Thuja occidentalis occurs in eastern North America, so it's not west for me, but it is a western tree if compared with Thuja orientalis from Japan and China. On the other hand, I fly west when travelling to Japan, to the Land of the Rising Sun, to the Far East. On the one hand is a thumb, four fingers and a pencil.

Picea orientalis 'Aureospicata'

Picea orientalis 'Aureospicata'

Picea orientalis is a favorite species for me, though I've never seen it in the wild. We grow a number of cultivars, from tiny dwarves to large uprights. My first cultivar was 'Aureospicata', and I had to drive all the way to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island to buy it from a German nurseryman. I still have it in the original Display Garden and it is now over 40 feet tall. This old-timer cones prolifically, and scattered throughout the garden are seedlings, some green, some golden and some, like 'Aureospicata', with butter-yellow new growth, later evolving to green. We are trialing one we have named 'Lemon Drop' which appears to be more dwarf; but time will tell for we propagate by grafting onto vigorous Picea abies, the "Norway Spruce." Don't take me to task for naming a plant that is not fully tested, because I do it all the time. We have to call it something, and code names or numbers are not as easy to deal with. Besides, I might give one to a plant friend to try even before we're ready for general release.

Picea orientalis 'Sulphur Flush'

Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb'

Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb'

And that's what happened with Picea orientalis 'Skylands'. This golden cultivar was found at Skylands Farm in New Jersey in the 1950's. But then it was also marketed as 'Aurea Compacta' by nurseries apparently enamored with Latin. We also grow Picea orientalis 'Sulphur Flush' which is the same as 'Silver Seedling', but which name is correct? Picea orientalis 'Tom Thumb' is a golden miniature, a cute little bun, but it is also marketed as 'Tom Thumb Gold'. Again which? 'Tom Thumb', with or without the Gold, was discovered as a witch's broom on a 'Skylands', also in New Jersey. It was originally propagated by John Verkade who named it 'Compacta Aurea Tom Thumb' which is as invalid as you can get.

Picea pungens 'Hoopsii'

Picea pungens 'Globosa'

I have cut scions and grafted many thousands of Picea pungens, so I know the species well. I wondered why the species got its name, for it doesn't have a particularly strong smell, not like Viburnum foetida or Passiflora foetida. (foetida is from Latin foetidus, and in France one name is merde du Diable, or "Devil's faeces"). Back to the pungens "Colorado Spruce," the species name is derived from Latin pungere which refers to the sharp-pricking needles, not the smell. The root is similar to Latin pugnus for "fist" (in Greek pygme) and pugnar "to fight." I've had a pugnacious relationship with the Picea pungens cultivars for years, as I never wear gloves when I cut scions or graft. Back in the old days I would cut hundreds of Picea pungens 'Hoopsii' or 'Globosa' and my hands would be pricked to red.

Acer shirasawanum

Gen ichi Koidzumi (1883-1953) was a Japanese botanist who researched Acers, among other plants. He is the one who coined the shirasawanum name in honor of Homi Shirasawa (1868-1947). Sometimes Homi is referred to as Yasuyoshi Shirasawa, but I don't have an explanation for that. In any case Shirasawa worked under Tomitaro Makino, the Father of Japanese Botany. According to Antoine Le Hardy De Beaulieu in An Illustrated Guide to Maples, the epithet is from shirasawanus and then to shirasawanum. According to my research, there are three genders that a Latin name can belong to: masculine, feminine and neuter. There are exceptions to the rule, but generic names ending in us are usually masculine, while names ending in um are usually neuter. I don't know if this rule-of-thumb applies to specific names as well, or how it has anything to do with Shirasawa's maple. I invite a smarty-pants to respond and set me straight, for I am rather dim when it comes to botanical matters.

Daphne cneorum 'Exima'

Daphne cneorum 'Alba'

Daphne cneorum 'Ruby Glow'

Cneorum is an odd species name – as in Daphne cneorum (the rose Daphne) – since it is saddled with its silent "c."* It is from cneoron, the Greek name for Daphne gnidium, a poisonous evergreen shrub with green foliage and white flowers. D. cneorum is low, compact and more cute than D. gnidium – in my opinion – and is native to the mountains of central and southern Europe. We don't propagate the cultivars anymore; I threw in the towel as they can be touchy in pots, and my irrigation crew tended to drown the plants. At least we still have some nice specimens in the garden.

*There are some who think it is properly pronounced as suh-nor-um. Perhaps a Greek scholar could weigh in.

Apollo and Daphne

Daphne means "laurel" in Greek, and in myth she was a nymph who was turned into a laurel tree by her father, to save her from being ravaged by Apollo. I may do the same with my young daughters.

Daphne bholua

Daphne bholua paper making

Daphne bholua paper making

Daphne bholua paper making

Daphne bholua – pronounced bo-lu-a* is a Himalayan species, and it has special meaning for me as I have seen it in the wild. Back when I was sturdy and vigorous I was on a trek in the Mt. Makalu (5^th highest mountain in the world) area. Overtaking us on the trail were dozens of porters with their heavy awkward loads of bholua tied to their backs. Later we caught up with them near the village processing center. The common name for D. bholua is "Paper Daphne," and that is exactly what was being manufactured. All important documents, such as marriage contracts, property deeds etc. are on the Daphne paper. Back in the capital of Kathmandu I purchased a few sheets as a souvenir at the stationers shop. The owner probably had no clue where I had just come from and why I wanted the more expensive Daphne paper.

*The origin of the name bholua is the Nepalese name for the plant, bhulu-swa.

Beta vulgaris ssp. cicla

Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Rubra'

Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Alba'

There are a number of plants with the specific name of vulgaris, such as Beta vulgaris ssp. cicla (Swiss chard), Calluna vulgaris 'Robert Chapman' (Robert Chapman heather) and Pulsatilla vulgaris 'Alba' (white Pasque flower), and none of these plants are vulgar at all. Vulgaris is derived from Latin vulgus for common, ordinary people, and I guess that at times the common people can be quite indecent, coarse or obscene. Medically you can be afflicted with Acne (another Greek word) vulgaris, Verruca vulgaris (warts), and other skin diseases like Vitiligo vulgaris where patches of skin can lose its pigmentation.

Mahonia aquifolium

Flag of Mexico

A little hobby I have is to ask plantspeople what the specific name aquifolium is referring to, as in Mahonia aquifolium. Invariably they respond that the foliage has a "wet" look. That's what I used to assume as well, but actually it refers to the spiny barbs on the leaves. One could say that these barbs resemble an eagle's beak, and in Spanish the word for eagle is aquila. The Mexican flag contains a vertical tricolor of green, white and red. In the center is the national coat of arms, and an eagle is holding a serpent in its talons. The eagle is perched atop a prickly-pear cactus, and that atop a rock in a lake. All due to an Aztec legend that their Gods told them to build a city where an eagle was eating a serpent, and now it is the present-day site of Mexico City. What is confusing is that aqui or aqua is Latin for water. Aqui also means here in Spanish, as in Estoy aqui, or "I am here." Some botanists insist that Mahonia aquifolium, the "Oregon Grape," should be Berberis aquifolium, and it's true that this plant is in the Berberidaceae family. In any case Mahonia was named by Thomas Nuttall for plant nursery owner and friend Bernard McMahon in 1818. McMahon (1775-1816) is credited with publishing America's first seed catalog. He was also a friend of Thomas Jefferson, and some of the Lewis and Clark Expedition planning was done in his home, and upon the expedition's return, McMahon germinated and distributed plants from the trip.

Sisyrinchium douglasii

Fritillaria pudica

Venus pudica

Many visitors to Oregon probably restrict themselves to Portland and the Willamette Valley where the grass and trees are green, but the bulk of Oregon – to the east of the Cascade Mountains – is a far different country. The Douglas Fir and Western Hemlocks give way to Ponderosa Pine, and at Kathryn Creek on the Washington side is a nature reserve that I like to visit at least once a year. Every season is different, but if you arrive at the right time (usually mid-March) you will see the "Douglas Blue Eye Grass," Sisyrinchium douglasii, and if you keep a sharp eye you may even stumble onto a white-flowered form. Of course, the species honors David Douglas, the famous Scottish plantsman. You might also find a wildflower more rare than the Blue Eye Grass, Fritillaria pudica growing on steep slopes. This charming sweetheart in the Liliaceae family features butter-yellow flowers on nodding stems. You have to stoop and lift up the flowers to see inside this low-growing bulb. Pudica is the feminine form of pudico which means "modest," and in western art it is a classic pose – the Venus pudica – where one hand covers the woman's private parts. Men are not depicted as so modest, although the member size can vary greatly.

Lilium martagon 'Claude Shride'

Some other species names that I find interesting: Lilium martagon is the "Turk's Cap Lily," coming from a Turkish word meaning "cap" or "turban" due to the reflexed petals.

Myrteola nummularifolia

Myrteola nummularifolia – the specific name means "like a coin" (Latin nummus), and nummulus is diminutive of nummus.

Quercus robur 'Butterbee'

Quercus robur was named for its reddish hardwood, from Latin ruber for "red."

Punica granatum 'State Fair'

Punica granatum (Pomegranate) is from Latin granum for "grain" or "seed," and granatus "having many seeds."

Quercus suber

Quercus suber is the Latin name for the outer-bark of the "Cork-Oak," from the Greek syphar for wrinkled skin.

Rhododendron clementinae

Rhododendron clementinae was named for the Scottish plant explorer George Forrest's wife, Clementina Traill.

By the way, I occasionally refer to the botanical family that a genus belongs to, as in Berberidaceae for the Mahonia genus. These families are not a part of the binomial system of nomenclature, but are groups of genera, and their names occur by adding the suffix aceae to a name of a genus of that family. But keep in mind that the botanical classification of plants is never finished, never absolute, but is an ongoing process that merely reveals our current understanding of a plant.

Plant is Latin planta for "sprout" or "cutting," and then went into Old English plante for a young tree or shrub newly planted, or an herb newly planted.

I don't want to come across as a plant policeman, or as a nomenclatural Nazi, but rather as an aficionado of plant names. Nomen is German for "name," and after all I am of Germanic origin, so nomenclature is my particular lingua.*

*Tongue in Latin.