Botanical Latin Descriptions and Diagnoses
a project of
V. F. Thomas Co. - 167 Thorne Mountain Road - Canton, Maine 04221
info@vfthomas.com
(updated 13 May 2022)
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.
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 and diagnoses of species:
Abies mariana (now Picea mariana)
Abies balsamea
Amomum cardamomum (now Elettaria cardamomum)
Amomum granum-paradisi
Amomum zerumbet
Amomum zingiber
Canna angustifolia
Canna glauca
Canna indica
Chamaecyparis thyoides
Comptonia peregrina
Cupressus disticha (now Taxodium distichum)
Cupressus sempervirens
Cupressus thyoides (now Chamaecyparis thyoides)
Curcuma longa
Curcuma rotunda
Dendrolycopodium obscurum
Diphasiastrum complanatum
Elettaria cardamomum
Huperzia selago
Iris versicolor (now Limniris versicolor)
Juniperus communis
Limniris versicolor
Liquidambar peregrina (now Comptonia peregrina)
Lycopodium complanatum (now Diphasiastrum complanatum)
Picea abies
Picea americana
Picea glauca
Picea mariana
Pinus abies (now Picea abies)
Pinus balsamea (now Abies balsamea)
Pinus canadensis (now Tsuga canadensis)
Pinus cedrus
Pinus cembra
Pinus larix
Pinus picea
Pinus pinea
Pinus strobus
Pinus sylvestris
Pinus taeda
Taxodium distichum
Thuja occidentalis
Thuja orientalis
Tsuga canadensis
Viburnum acerifolium
Viburnum nudum