Botanical names, also known as scientific names, follow a binomial nomenclature – a two-part system for naming and categorizing plants that was originally developed by the Swedish botanist and physician Carl Linnaeus in 1758.
This system consists of the genus, a higher taxonomic (classification) rank that groups closely related species, followed by the species, which refers to a group of similar organisms capable of interbreeding.
These taxonomic names not only categorize plants, but also convey information about them.
For example, in the case of the White Willow tree, with the botanical name Salix alba, we see that:
- The first part of the name, “Salix” indicates it belongs to the willow genus (group).
- The specific epithet, “alba” identifies the type of willow species, and describes it as having a white appearance.
In botanical nomenclature, the species names often describe various plant characteristics. These terms are typically derived from Latin, but sometimes from Greek or other languages, and may also use surnames to honour the botanists who discovered the plants.
Understanding these botanical terms is valuable to gardeners, offering insights into a plant’s distinctive features and characteristics.
Here is a comprehensive list of botanical terms commonly found in plant species names, arranged alphabetically, along with their meanings:
A
- abietina – related to fir trees
- abrotanifolia – with leaves like Artemisia (wormwood)
- acaulis – stemless
- acephala – without a head (referring to kale and other non-heading cabbage varieties)
- acutifolia – sharp-leaved
- alba – white
- alpina – from the Alps
- altissima – very tall
- amara – bitter
- ambigua – ambiguous, uncertain
- amblycarpa – blunt-fruited
- amplexicaulis – with stem-clasping leaves
- angustifolia – narrow-leaved
- annua – annual
- arctica – from the Arctic
- argentea – silvery
- arvensis – of the field
- aurantiaca – orange
- aurantiaca – orange-colored
- aurea – golden, yellow
- australis – from the south (not necessarily Australia)
- autumnalis – of autumn
- azurea – blue
B - barbata – bearded
- bicolor – two-colored
- bipinnata – twice pinnate
- bracteata – with bracts
- brevifolia – short-leaved
- brevipes – short-stalked
C - caerulea – blue
- caespitosa – dense
- californica – from California
- campanulata – bell-shaped
- campestris – of the field
- canadensis – from Canada
- capensis – from the Cape, South Africa
- capillaris – hair-like or thread-like
- caroliniana – from the Carolinas
- castanea – chestnut-colored
- caudata – with a tail-like appendage
- centifolia – hundred-petaled
- chamaedrys – ground oak
- chinensis – from China
- chrysantha – yellow
- ciliaris – fringed with hairs
- coccifera – bearing scarlet berries
- coccinea – red
- coerulea – blue
- compacta – compact
- cordata – heart-shaped
- cordifolia – heart-shaped leaves
- coronata – crowned
- crassifolia – thick-leaved
- crispa – curled or wavy
- crispus – curled or wrinkled
- cuneata – wedge-shaped
- cylindracea – cylindrical
- cylindrica – cylindrical
D - decidua – deciduous
- decumbens – reclining, lying down, sprawling or trailing along the ground
- densiflora – dense-flowered
- dentata – toothed
- denticulata – toothed
- depressa – flattened or pressed down
- diffusa – spreading or diffuse
- digitata – (leaves) like a hand, with 5 lobes
- diphylla – two-leaved
- discolor – of different colors
E - edulis – edible
- effusa – spreading
- elata – tall, elevated
- elatior – taller or more elevated
- elegans – elegant
- elliptica – elliptical
- ensifolia – sword-shaped leaves
- equisetiformis – resembling horsetails
- esculenta – edible
F - farinosa – floury, powdery
- fasciculata – clustered
- fastigiata – upright or columnar in growth
- filiformis – thread-like
- flava – yellow
- flora plena – with double flowers
- floribunda – abundantly flowering
- foetida – with an unpleasant smell
- fragrans – fragrant
- fusca – dark brown
- fusiformis – spindle-shaped
G - gigantea – gigantic
- glabra – smooth
- glandulosa – glandular
- glauca – bluish or covered with a whitish bloom
- glomerata – clustered
- graminifolia – grass-leaved
- grandiflora – large-flowered
H - hastata – spear-shaped or halberd-shaped
- helianthoides – resembling sunflowers
- heterantha – different-flowered
- heterophylla – variable leaves
- hirsuta – hairy
- hispida – bristly
- humilis – short
- hybrida – hybrid
- hyemalis – of winter
- hypoleuca – with a white or pale underside
I - imberbis – beardless
- incana – grayish-white
- incarnata – flesh-colored
- incisa – deeply cut
- indica – from India
- inermis – without spines
- intricata – intricate, complex
- involucrata – having an involucre
J-K - japonica – from Japan
L - laevigata – smooth
- laevis – smooth
- lanceolata – lance-shaped (leaves)
- lasiocarpa – woolly-fruited
- latifolia – wide-leaved
- laxa – loose, not dense
- laxiflora – lax-flowered
- leptophylla – slender-leaved
- linearis – linear, narrow
- littoralis – coastal, shore-dwelling
- longiflora – with long flowers
- longifolia – with long leaves
- lucida – shiny
- lucidula – somewhat shiny
- lutea – yellow
- luteola – somewhat yellow
- lyrata – lyre-shaped
M - macrantha – large flowered
- macrocarpa – with large fruits
- macrophylla – with large leaves
- macrorrhiza – with large roots
- maculata – spotted
- magellanica – from the Straits of Magellan
- majus – bigger
- maritima – growing near the sea
- micrantha – small flowered
- microphylla – with small leaves
- millefolia – with many (thousands of) leaves
- minima – smallest
- mollis – soft
- mollissima – very soft
- monstrosa – monstrous, abnormal
- montana – from mountains
- multiflora – many-flowered
N - nana – small
- nigra – black
- nitida – shining
- nudiflora – naked-flowered
O - oblongifolia – oblong-leaved
- obtusa – blunt
- odorata – fragrant
- odoratissima – most fragrant
- officinalis – with herbal uses
- officinarum – used in medicine
- orbicularis – round
- orientalis – eastern, from the East
- ovata – oval-shaped
P - pallens – pale or becoming pale
- pallida – cream
- palustris – from marshes
- paniculata – paniculate, in panicles
- paradoxa – paradoxical, unusual
- parviflora – small-flowered
- parvifolia – with small leaves
- pauciflora – few-flowered
- paucifolia – with few leaves
- pedata – foot-shaped, referring to lobed leaves resembling a bird’s foot
- pedunculata – with a long stalk
- peltata – shield-shaped
- pendula – hanging
- penduliflora – hanging flowers
- peregrina – foreign or exotic
- perennis – perennial
- peruviana – from Peru
- phyllostachys – leaf spike
- pilosella – with fine hairs
- pinifolia – pine-like leaves
- pinnata – with pinnate leaves
- pinnatifida – pinnately divided or lobed
- platycarpa – broad-fruited
- plectranthoides – resembling the genus Plectranthus
- plicata – folded or pleated
- plumosa – feathery
- polyphylla – with many leaves, leafy
- praecox – early, of spring
- pratensis – of meadows
- prostrata – prostrate
- pseudacorus – false acorus (sweet flag)
- puberula – slightly hairy
- pubescens – pubescent, downy, covered with fine short hairs
- pulcherrima – most beautiful
- pumila – dwarf
- pumila – small
- punctata – spotted
- punctulata – spotted
- punica – red
- punicea – purplish-red
- purpurascens – becoming purple
- purpurata – purple
- purpurea – deep pink
- pygmaea – small
Q - quadrifolia – four-leaved
- quadrifurca – four-forked
- quercifolia – oak-leaved
- quercina – oak-like
- quinquenervia – five-veined
R - radicans – rooting
- ramosa – branched
- recta – erect
- recurvata – recurved or curved backward
- repanda – wavy-margined
- repens – creeping
- reticulata – net-veined
- retusa – blunt, notched
- rigens – stiff, rigid
- rigida – rigid or stiff
- rosea – rose pink, rosy
- rosmarinifolia – rosemary-like leaves
- rotundifolia – round-leaved
- rubella – somewhat red
- rubra – red
- rufa – reddish-brown
- rugosa – wrinkled or rough
- rupestris – of hills, rock-dwelling
S - sagittata – arrow-shaped
- salicifolia – willow-like leaves
- saligna – willow-like
- sanguinea – blood-red
- sarmentosum – producing sarments, long, trailing or creeping stems
- sativa – cultivated
- saxatilis – of rocks
- scabra – rough to the touch
- scandens – climbing or scrambling upwards
- scaposa – with a scape (leafless stalk)
- scariosa – thin and dry
- semperviva – perennial
- serotina – late-flowering
- serpyllifolia – thyme-leaved
- serrata – serrated
- sessiliflora – without a stalk
- sibirica – from Siberia
- silvestris – of the woods
- sinensis – from China
- spathulata – spoon-shaped
- spicata – spiked
- spinosa – spiny
- spiralis – spiral
- stellata – star-like, starry
- stolonifera – producing stolons
- stricta – upright or erect
- subulata – awl-shaped
- suphurea – yellow
- sylvatica – woodland
- sylvestris – of woods
T - tardiflora – late-flowering
- tenuifolia – thin-leaved, with thin, narrow leaves
- tetragona – four-angled
- tinctoria – used for dyeing or having properties used in dye production
- tomentosa – covered in dense hairs (tomentum)
- tortuosa – twisted or contorted
- triangularis – triangular
- trichocarpa – with hairy fruit
- trifoliata – with three leaflets
- trinervia – three-veined
- tripartita – divided into three parts
- truncata – truncated or cut off
- tuberosa – tuberous
U - uliginosa – marsh-loving
- umbellata – flowers in an umbel
- undulata – wavy-edged, wavy-margined
- uniflora – single-flowered, with one flower
V - valeriana – named after the genus Valerian
- venusta – charming or beautiful
- vermicularis – worm-like
- vermiculata – worm-like, twisted
- vernalis – of spring
- vesicaria – bladder-like
- villosa – hairy
- virescens – becoming green
- virgata – slender, wand-like, twiggy
- virgatum – twiggy or wand-like
- viridis – green
- viscosa – sticky
- vulcanica – associated with volcanoes
- vulgaris – common
W-X - xanthocarpa – with yellow fruits
- xanthophylla – yellow-leaved
- xerophila – drought-loving
Y-Z - zeylanica – from Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
- zygopetala – yoke-petaled
If you know of any more botanical name terms that are not listed here, please let us know and we’ll add them in!