Latin Botanical Terms
abbreviatus
Short
acuminatus
Long tapering (gradually narrowed) point
acutifolius
Having sharp leaves
adpressus
Pressed together, pressed against
adscendens
Rising, going up
aerius
Of the air, as air-roots
affinus
Related, connected, having an affinity
africanus
From Africa
alatus
Winged
albescens
Pale, whitish
albidus, albus
White
albiflorus
Having white flowers
alpinus
Of the alpines, mountains
alternus
Alternating, not directly opposite
altus
Altitude, tall
amabilis
Amiable, lovely
amphibius
Adaptable either to land or water
angulosus
Angled, turning every which way
angustifolius
With narrow leaves (rarely used term, more commonly used one is nerifolius)
aquaticus
Of the water, water-loving
arborescens
Growing like a tree, woody like a tree
arenatius
Found in sandy places
argenteus, argentus
Silvery
aristatus
Bearded
arrectus
Straight up, erect
ascendens
Going up, ascending
asiaticus, asiatus
From Asia
atlanticus
Atlantic
atropurpureus, atropurpurea
Purple colour, sometimes also used for dark red
atrosanguineus
Dark blood-red
atroviolaceus
Dark violet
atrovirens
Dark green
augustus
Important in size or appearance, imposing
aurantiacus
Orange-red
aureus
Golden
azureus
Light blue, azure
babylonicus
Babylonian, from Babylon
balticus
From the Baltic
bengalinis
From Bengal
biennis
Biennial
biflorus
Two flowered
bifolius
Two leaved
brefolius
With short leaves
brevis
Short
brevisimus
Very short
brillian
Brilliant
brittanicus
From Britain
brunneus
Brown
bulgarius
Bulgarian
buxifolius
With leaves like a boxwood, box-leaved
calamifolius
With reed-like leaves
californicus
From California
campestris
Found in fields
candelabrum
Having the form of a candelabra
candicans
White or frosty looking
catitatus
Headed
carneus
Flesh-colored
cerefolius
With waxy leaves
coccineus
Bright red
coloratus
Colored
columnaris
Having the form of a column
concolor
Similar coloring
conglomeratus
All close together
contortus
Twisted, contorted
cordatus
Heart-shaped
cornutus, cornuta
Horned
crassifolius
With thick leaves
crenatus
Serrated
cuspidatus
Sharp tooth, or hard point
deformis
Deformed
deliciosus, deliciosa
Delicious
dendroideus
Like a tree
densatus
Dense
densifolius
With dense leaves
densiflorus
With dense flowers
dentatus
Toothed, with a series of points
dipterus
Two-winged
discolor
Of two or several colors
dissectus
Deeply cut leaves, an in fern-leaved maple
divaricatus
Spreading
domesticus
Domesticated
edulis
Can be eaten
elatus, elata
Tall
elegans
Elegant, graceful
elongatus
Long
erectus
Upright
excelsius, excelsus
Tall
exoticus, exotica
From another country
fastigiatus
Having nearly vertical, close-together branches
ferox
Fierce, thorny
flaccidus
Soft, limp
flammeus
Flame-colored
flexilis
Bendable, flexible
florepleno
With double flowers
florebundus
With many flowers
foetidus
Bad-smelling, having a fetid odor
fragrans
Sweet-smelling, fragrant
fragrantissimus
Very sweet-smelling
frutescens
Bushy, shrubby, twiggy
gallicus
From Gaul (France), may also pertain to a rooster
giganticus
Large, gigantic
glaucus
With a frost-like bloom, as on a grape
gloriosus, gloriosa
Great, superb
gracilis
Slender, graceful, lissome
grandifolius
With large leaves
gutatus
Freckled
haemanthus
Bright red flowers
humilis
Dwarf, low ilicifolius holly-like leaves
japonicus
From Japan
lancifolius
With lance-like leaves
latifolius
With broad leaves
leptolepis
With thin scales
leptophyllus
With thin leaves
leucodermis
With white skin
lobularuis
Lobed
luteus
Yellow
macranthus
With large flowers
nacro
Big, long, large
maximus
The largest
medius
Medium
megalophyllus
With very large leaves
microphyllus
With very small leaves
minimus
Very small
mollis
Hairy, fuzzy
myriophyllus
With many leaves
nanus, nana
Dwarf, small
nerifolius, nerifolia,
With narrow leaves
niger
Black
nodulosa
With small nodes
nudifolia
Deciduous, naked of leaves
oblongatus
Oblong, oval
officinalis
Medicinal
parviflorus
With small flowers
parvifolia
With small leaves
patens
Spreading
pinous
Line-like
podocarpus
With stalked fruits
polydactylus
With many fingers
porphyreus
Purple
praecox
Very early
procumbens
Procumbent, lying down
pumilus
Dwarf, small
pygmaeus
Pygmy
pyramidalis
Pyramidal
repens
Creeping, low
reticulatus
With a netted pattern
robustus
Strong, robust
rosea florus
With rose-like flowers
rotundifolius
With round leaves
scandens
Climbing
semperflorens
Everblooming
sempervirens
Always green
serpens
Creeping
serpyllifolius
With thyme-like leaves
serratus
With a saw tooth edge
stolenifera
With runners that root and send up another plant
strictus
Erect
sylvaticus
Of the forest
tenuifolius
With slender leaves
tomentosus
Very wooly
tridens
With three teeth or points
variegatus
Variegated
verrucosus
Warty
virens
Green
virginianus
Of Virginia, first defined in Virginia
viridis
Green
vulgaris
Common, vulgar, ordinary
xanthinus
Yellow
zonalis
Banded
