Botanical Latin Descriptions and Diagnoses
a project of
V. F. Thomas Co. - 167 Thorne Mountain Road - Canton, Maine 04221
info@vfthomas.com
(updated 24 April 2023)
A description gives one or more character states of one or more characters for a taxon. Taxa below are species.
A diagnosis compares a new taxon (here, a species) with a known one (i.e., one that has been previously described or diagnosed.
Names used below Species names below that are links are the current names. Names that are not links are those that were given when the species were originally named/described. Following each unlinked name is a reference/link to the current name.
Thank you to Tom Hayward, lecturer emeritus in Classical and Medieval Studies at Bates College (Lewiston, Maine), for his help when I find myself struggling with a translation. In the end, however, I accept responsibility for any errors in this glossary or in the associated translations unless I can find some way to blame them on Tom (or on anyone else). Comments and corrections are welcome and should be sent to info@vfthomas.com. Thanks.
Links to translations of botanical Latin descriptions of species:
- A -
Abies alba
Abies mariana (now Picea mariana)
Abies balsamea
Amomum cardamomum (now Elettaria cardamomum)
Amomum granum-paradisi
Amomum zerumbet (now Zingiber zerumbet)
Amomum zingiber (now Zingiber officinale)
- B -
Boerhavia erecta
Boesenbergia rotunda
- C -
Canna angustifolia (now Canna glauca)
Canna glauca
Canna indica
Cedrus libani
Chamaecyparis thyoides
Cheiridopsis rostrata
Chironia trinervia (now Exacum trinervium)
Comptonia peregrina
Cupressus disticha (now Taxodium distichum)
Cupressus sempervirens
Cupressus thyoides (now Chamaecyparis thyoides)
Curcuma longa
Curcurma rotunda (now Boesenbergia rotunda)
- D -
Dendrolycopodium obscurum
Diphasiastrum complanatum
- E -
Elettaria cardamomum
Exacum trinervium
- F -
- G -
- H -
Huperzia selago
- I -
Iris versicolor (now Limniris versicolor)
- J -
Juniperus communis
- K -
Kaempferia galanga
Kaempferia rotunda
- L -
Larix decidua
Lathraea anblatum
Limniris versicolor
Liquidambar peregrina (now Comptonia peregrina)
Lycopodium complanatum (now Diphasiastrum complanatum)
- M -
Mesembryanthemum rostratum (now Cheiridopsis rostrata)
- N -
- O -
- P -
Picea abies
Picea glauca
Picea mariana
Pinus abies (now Picea abies)
Pinus balsamea (now Abies balsamea)
Pinus canadensis (now Tsuga canadensis)
Pinus cedrus (now Cedrus libani)
Pinus cembra
Pinus larix (now Larix decidua)
Pinus picea (now Abies alba)
Pinus pinea
Pinus strobus
Pinus sylvestris
Pinus taeda
- Q -
- R -
- S -
Salvia sclarea
- T -
Taxodium distichum
Thuja occidentalis
Thuja orientalis
Tsuga canadensis
- U -
- V -
Viburnum acerifolium
Viburnum nudum
- W -
- X -
- Y -
- Z -
Zingiber officinale
Zingiber zerumbet