Real Gardeners

Why use botanical plant names?

Laburnum

Koelreuteria paniculata

Many of us are put off by the long mystifying 'proper' names that plants have. But the thing is, it's the only way to be sure what plant you're talking about.

One person's Golden rain tree might be Laburnum (which has poisonous seeds), while another's might be Koelreuteria paniculata (which has edible seeds) - so it can be pretty important!

There's another advantage to using the botanical name: it can tell you useful information about the plant, giving you a good idea of what that innocent-looking little seedling is going to turn into, or what conditions it needs to thrive.

Rosa gallica versicolor

Plant names are in Latin* in two or three parts: Genus, species, and maybe variety or 'cultivar' too.

The Genus is the basic name of the plant. A rose is a rose whether it's a bush or a climber and whatever its colour is, so all roses have the basic name of Rosa (with an initial capital letter, in italic).

The species name might tell you the look of the plant, the colour, where it's from, or perhaps who first discovered it. It should be written in small letters in italic. The rose could therefore have gallica, meaning French.

A variety generally occurs naturally. Variety names are also descriptive and are written in small letters in italic, e.g. alba or var. alba. If versicolor were to be added to our example it would mean it was variously or multi coloured.

And so Rosa gallica versicolor - is a French multi-coloured rose. This way, without even seeing a picture of it, we know a lot about this plant.

Rosa spinosissima 'Andrewsii'

Rosa spinosissima

The final piece of the jigsaw is 'Cultivar' which is a variety that has been cultivated for particular desirable characteristics, such as shape, size or colour.

These names are generally not descriptive and are written in single quotation marks with a capital letter at the start of each word, e.g. 'New Dawn' or 'Pink Fir Apple'.

A common name may (or may not!) reflect the meaning of the botanical name. Kolkwitzia amabilis is, appropriately enough, called the Beauty bush, but why Dictamnus alba should be the Burning bush isn't so obvious.

Some plants do not even have common names, or only have them in their local language.

The rose on the left is botanically known as Rosa canina and its common name is Dog Rose.

Jasminum officinale

Salvia officinalis

Because they're Latin^*, the endings of species and variety names might change. For example: white might be albus, alba or album; lovely might be amabilis or amabile. This doesn't affect the meaning, so it's simplest just not to worry about it.

^*Note for pedants: or a Latinised form of Greek or other language.

And now we come to the area where we discover what each of these botanical names mean. Below is a selected list with illustrations where possible. We hope you find it fascinating using this area as a reference, and enjoy getting to know any new words.

Botanical names are listed in alphabetical order. If you want to search this page press Ctrl-F and you'll get a search box.

Click on any picture to see it full size.

Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
africanus	African	Agapanthus africanus (African lily)
alatus	winged	Euonymus alatus (Winged spindle, Winged euonymus, Burning bush) Gladiolus alatus (Turkey chick, South African gladiolus) Mimulus alatus
albus albidus	white	*Cornus alba* (White dogwood) Dictamnus alba (Burning bush) Meliotus albus (White sweet clover)
alpinus	alpine	Aster alpinus (Alpine aster) *Dianthus alpinus* (Alpine pink) Erinus alpinus (Fairy foxglove)
alternifolius	alternating leaves	Buddleia alternifolia *Cornus alternifolia* (Pagoda dogwood, Alternate-leaf dogwood) Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea tree)
amabilis	lovely	Abies amabilis (Silver fir) Kolkwitzia amabilis (Beauty bush) *Phalaenopsis amabilis* (Moon orchid)
amygdaloides	almond-like	Euphorbia amygdaloides (Wood spurge)
angustifolius	narrow leaved	Agave angustifolia Allamanda angustifolia *Lavandula angustifolia* (English lavender) Typha angustifolia (Lesser bulrush, Narrow-leaved cattail)
annuus	annual	Capsicum annuum (Chili pepper) Erigeron anuus (Fleabane) *Helianthus annuus* (Sunflower)
arborescens arboreus	tree-like	*Aloe arborescens* (Krantz aloe) Crassula arborescens (Tree crassula) Hydrangea arborescens (Smooth hydrangea, Wild hydrangea)
argenteus	silvery	*Celosia argentea* (Silver cockscomb) Crassula argentea (Jade plant) Dichondra argentea (Kidneyweed)
aromaticus	strong smelling	Cinnamomum aromaticum (Cassia) Eupatorium aromaticum Rhus aromatica (Fragrant sumac)
arvensis	of the fields, meadows	*Knautia arvensis* (Field scabious) Menta arvensis (Field mint) Viola arvensis (Field pansy)
asiaticus	Asiatic	Rannunculus asiaticus (Persian buttercup) Trollius asiaticus (Asian globeflower)
atropurpureus	dark purple	Euphorbia atropurpurea *Pseudanthemum atropurpureum*
atrosanguineus	dark blood red	*Cosmos atrosanguineus* (Chocolate cosmos)
aurantiacus	orange	Lampranthus auranticus (Trailing ice plant) Mimulus auranticus (Sticky monkey) *Pilosella aurantiaca* (Orange hawkweed)
auratus aureus	golden	*Alstroemeria aurea* (Peruvian lily) Carex aurea (Golden sedge) Disa aurata
autumnalis	autumnal	*Colchicum autumnale* (Autumn crocus) Eucomis autumnalis (Pineapple flower) Mandragora autumnalis (Devil's candle)
azureus	sky blue	Allium azureum (Blue globe onion) *Anchusa azurea* (Italian bugloss) Ceanothus azureus (Californian lilac)
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
baccatus baccus	berried	*Taxus baccata* (Yew) Yucca baccata (Spanish bayoney)
banksii	Joseph Banks (plant hunter)	Astelia banksii (Wharawhara) Grevillea banksii (Red silky oak) Rosa banksiae
barbatus	bearded	Dianthus barbatus (Sweet William) Penstemon barbatus
bicolor	two-coloured	Buddleja bicolor (Butterfly bush) Caladium bicolor (Elephant ear) *Erysimum bicolor* (Perennial wallflower)
borealis	northern	Erigeron borealis (Alpine fleabane) Linnaea borealis (Twinflower)

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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
caeruleus	blue	Didiscus caeruleus (Blue lace flower) Lonicera caerula (Sweet berry honeysuckle, Blue berry honeysuckle) *Passiflora caerulea* (Blue passion flower)
campensis	of fields or plains	Impatiens campensis (Orange balsam)
candicans	white-ish	Echium candicans (Pride of Madeira) *Galtonia candicans* (Summer hyacinth) Populus candicans (Balsam poplar)
canescens canus	greyed	Amorpha canescens (Leadplant) Carex canenscens Erigeron canus (Hoary fleabane) Lithospermum candescens *Tiquilia canescens* (Woody crinklemat) Ulmus canescens (Grey-leaved elm)
caninus	of dogs (= worthless)	Plectranthus caninus (Scaredy cat) Rosa canina (Dog rose) Viola canina (Dog violet)
cardinalis	deep scarlet	Delphinium cardinale Gladiolus cardinalis *Lobelia cardinalis* (Cardinal flower) Mimulus cardinalis (Monkey flower)
chinensis	Chinese	Belamcanda chinensis (Leopard lily) Lorapetalum chinensis (Fringe flower) Schisandra chinensis
cinereus	grey	Copiapoa cincerea Salix cinerea (Grey sallow) *Vitis cinerea* (Graybark grape)
cirrhosus	having tendrils	Clematis cirrhosa *Odontoglossum cirrhosum* (Wavy odontoglossum)
coccineus	scarlet	Banksia coccinea (Scarlet banksia) Hibiscus coccineus (Scarlet rose mallow) *Phaseolus coccineus* (Scarlet runner bean)
communis	of the common, growing in company	Juniperus communis (Common juniper) Lapsana communis (Nipplewort) Myrtus communis (Common myrtle) *Ricinus communis* (Castor oil plant)
contortus	twisted	Corylus avellana contorta (Corkscrew hazel) Pedicularis contorta (Coiled lousewort)
cordatus cordifolius	heart-shaped with heart-shaped leaves	*Doronicum cordatum* Hypocalymma cordifolium Leucospermum cordifolium (Pincushion) Pelargonium cordifolium (Heart-leaved pelargonium)
coronarius coronatus	used for making wreaths or garlands	Anemone coronaria Philadelphus coronarius (Mock orange)
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
dentatus	sharply toothed	Ligularia dentata Rhus dentata (Nana berry) Viburnum dentatum (Southern arrowwood)
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
edulis	edible	Carpobrotus edulis (Hottentot fig) Lonicera caerulea edulis Passiflora edulis
elatus	tall	Acacia elata (Cedar wattle) Aralia elata Delphinium elatum
elegans	elegant	Acer palmatum elegans Salvia elegans (Pineapple sage)
erectus	upright	Philadelphus lemoinei erectus Tagetes erecta (French marigold) Trilium erectum (Purple trillium)
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
fastigiatus	erect, closely branched	Rhus fastigiata Taxus baccata fastigiata
flavescens	becoming yellow	Hedychrysum flavescens (Yellow ginger) Phoradberon flavescens (American mistletoe) Sophora flavescens
flore pleno	double flowered	Clematis florida flore pleno Ranunculus ficaria flore pleno Trillium grandiflorium flore pleno
foetidus	foul smelling	Helleborus foetidus (Stinking hellebore) Rosa foetida Sterculia foetida (Stinky hazel)
foliolosus	small-leaved	Castilleja foliolosa (Indian paintbrush) *Chamaebatia foliolosa* (Mountain misery, Bearclover) Rosa foliosa
formosus	beautiful	*Isopogon formosus* (Rose cone flower) Leycesteria formosa (Pheasant berry) Platylobium formosum (Handsome flat-pea) Rhododendron formosum
forrestii	George Forrest (plant hunter)	Hedychium forrestii (Ginger lily) Iris forrestii Pieris forrestii (Lily-of-the-valley shrub)
fortunii	Robert Fortune (plant hunter)	Euonymus fortunei (Fortune's spindle) Saxifraga fortunei Trachycarpus fortunii (Chusan palm)
fragilis	brittle, fragile	Cystopteris fragilis (Brittle bladderfern, Common fragile fern) Opuntia fragilis (Prickly pear) Salix fragilis (Crack willow)
fragrans	fragrant	Abronia fragrans (Prairie snowball) Osmanthus fragrans Viburnum fragrans
fruiticosus	shrubby	Amorpha fruticosa Penstemon fruticosus (Greene bush penstemon) Potentilla fruticosa (Shrubby cinquefoil)
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
gallicus	French	Rosa gallica (Gallic rose) Silene gallica (Small flowered catchfly) Tamarix gallica (Manna plant)
germanicus	German	Iris germanica (German iris) Stachys germanica (Downy woundwort)
glaber glabrescens	smooth, hairless	Begonia glabra Bougainvillea glabra (Paper flower) Corylopsis glabrescens
glaucus	covered with a white or blue-grey bloom	Canna glauca Festuca glauca Rosa glauca
globosus	spherical	Buddleia globosa Traunsteinera globosa
glomeratus	clustered	Campanula glomerata (Clustered bellflower) Cerastium glomeratum (Sticky mouse-ear) Dactylis glomerata (Orchard grass)
gracilis	slender (of form)	Deutzia gracilis Galphimia gracilis Potentilla gracilis
gramineus	grasslike	Acorus gramineus Iris graminea Ranunculus gramineus Stellaria graminea (Lesser stitchwort)
grandis	large	Abies grandis (Giant fir) Arcotis grandis (Blue-eyed daisy) Meconopsis grandis (Blue poppy)
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration

hirsutus	hairy	Hypoxis hirsuta (Yellow star grass) Lupinus hirsutus (Blue lupin) Mandevilla hirsuta (Plebian trumpet vine) Nepenthes hirsuta
hookeri	Joseph Hooker (plant hunter)	Anthurium hookeri (Bird's nest Anthurium) Scaevola hookeri (Fan flower) Templetonia hookeri
hortensis	of gardens	Anenome hortensis Atriplex hortensis (Garden orach) Marjoram hortensis Primula hortensis Ruta hortensis (Rue) Weigela hortensis
humilis	low growing	Chamaerops humilis (European Fan Palm, Mediterranean Fan Palm) Iris humilis (Sand iris) Rivina humilis Sarcococca hookeriana humilis (Christmas box)
hyemalis	of winter	Agrostis hyemalis Crocus hyemalis Eranthis hyemalis (Winter aconite) with crocus
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
ibericus	Spanish	Aster ibericus Geranium ibericum
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
japonicus	Japanese	Lathyrus japonicus (Beach pea) Ophiopogon japonicus (Fountain plant) Styrax japonicus (Japanese snowbell)
jasminoides	Jasmine-like	Solanum jasminoides Trachelospermum jasminoides (Star jasmine)
junceus	rushlike	Spartium junceum (Spanish broom) Strelitzia juncea
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
lanatus	woolly	Carthamus lanatus Citrullus lanatus (Watermelon) Encephalartos lanatus (Woolly cycad) Erigeron lanatus (Woolly daisy) Holtus lanatus
lanceolatus lancifolius	lance-shaped lance-shaped leaves	Aster lanceolatus (Panicled aster) Callistemon lanceolatus (Lemon bottlebrush) *Clusia lanceolata*
lusitanicus lusitanus	Portuguese	Campanula lusitanica Prunus lusitanica (Portugal laurel)
luteus	yellow	Asphodeline lutea (King's spear) *Gentiana lutea* (Yellow gentian) Gloriosa lutea
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
maculatus	spotted	*Arum maculatum* (Lords and ladies) Geranium maculatum (Spotted cranesbill) Lamium maculatum (Spotted nettle)
micranthus	tiny-flowered	Bidens micrantha Heuchera micanthra (Alum root) Zigadenus micranthus (Smallflower deathcamas)
mollis	downy, soft	*Alchemilla mollis* (Lady's mantle) Callicarpa mollis (Beauty berry) Hamamelis mollis (Witch hazel)
montanus	of mountains	Cercocarpus montanus (Mountain mahogany) Myoxanthus montanus *Sempervivum montanum* (Mountain houseleek)
moschatus	musk scented	Abelmoschus moschatus (Musk mallow) Erodium moschatum (Musky stork's bill) Lamium moschatum (Musk deadnettle)
mutabilis	changeable	Allium mutabile Magnolia mutabilis
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
nanus	dwarf	*Ananas nanus* (Miniature pineapple) Gladiolus nanus Lupinus nanus (Sky lupine)
niger nigrescens	black	Helleborus niger Ophiopogon planiscapus nigrenscens (Lilyturf, Black dragon, Ebony knight, Black mondo grass) *Phyllostachys nigra* (Black bamboo)
nivalis	of the snow	*Galanthus nivalis* (Snowdrop) Saxifraga nivalis Sinningia nivalis
nudicaulis	bare stemmed	Aralia nudicaulis (Wild sasaparilla) *Delphinium nudicaule* (Orange larkspur)
nudiflorus	flowering on bare branches	Azalea nudiflora *Jasminum nudiflorum* (Winter jasmine)
nutans	nodding	Billbergia nutans (Queen's tears) Ornithogalum nutans (Nodding Star of Bethlehem) *Silene nutans* (Nottingham catchfly)
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
occidentalis	western	Grewia occidentalis (Lavender star flower) Senna occidentalis (Coffee senna) Thuja occidentalis
oculatus	with an eye	Phyllobolus oculatus Polystichum oculatum Stanhopea oculata *Turnera oculata*
odoratus	scented	Galium odoratum (Sweet woodruff) Ribes odoratum (Clove currant)
officinalis	medicinal (often of herbs)	Althaea officinalis (Marshmallow) *Rosmarinus officinalis* (Rosemary) Salvia officinalis (Sage)
orientalis	eastern	Agapanthus orientalis Brunsvigia orientalis (Candelabra Flower) Galega orientalis
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
palmatus	lobed, divided like a hand	Anemone palmata *Acer palmatum* (Japanese maple) Cordylanthus palmatus
palustris	of marshes or bogs	Caltha palustris (Marsh marigold) Euphorbia palustris (Marsh euphorbia) Quercus palustris (Swamp oak)
parviflorus	small-flowered	Echium parviflorum (Small flowered bugloss) Impatiens parviflora *Malva parviflora* (Marshmallow, Small-flowered mallow)
patens	spreading	Hamelia patens (Fire bush) *Pulsatilla patens* Salvia patens
persicus	Persian	Cyclamen persicum Parrotia persica
pictus	painted	*Abutilon pictum* (Redvein abutilon) Athyrium niponicum pictum (Japanese painted fern) Mimulus pictus (Calico monkeyflower)
plenus	double	Neptunia plena Nerium oleander luteum plenum *Sanguinaria canadensis plena*
polyacanthus	thorny	Acacia polyacantha (White thorn) *Opuntia polyacantha* (Panhandle prickly pear)
polyanthus	many-flowered	*Primula polyantha* Sinningia polyantha
polycarpus	many-fruited	Amelanchier polycarpa *Idesia polycarpa* (Iigiri tree)
praecox	very early, early- ripening, premature	Agapanthus praecox (Blue lily) Anemone hupehensis praecox *Chimonanthus praecox*
pratensis	of meadows	Geranium pratense (Meadow cranesbill) *Salvia pratensis* (Meadow sage) Pulsatilla pratensis (Pasque flower)
prostratus	lying flat	Ceanothus prostratus Cistus salviifolius proastratus (Sageleaf rock rose) *Kennedia prostrata* (Running postman, Scarlet runner)
pubescens	downy	*Canavalia pubescens* Cinchona pubescens Hypericum pubescens
pumilus	dwarf	Erigeron pumilus *Iris pumilla* (Dwarf iris) Philadelphus pumilus (Dwarf mock orange)
purpureus	purple	Calostemma purpureum *Lablab purpureus* (Hyacinth bean) Lamium purpureum
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
radicans	rooting (stems)	Campsis radicans *Woodwardia radicans* (Rooting chain fern, chain fern)
repens reptans	creeping	*Ajuga reptans* (Blue bugle) Polemonium reptans (Jacob's ladder) Potentilla reptans
rubens ruber	red (though we might often call it pink)	*Centranthus ruber* (Red valerian) Cytinus ruber Picea rubens (Red spruce)
rugosus	wrinkled (of leaves)	Agastache rugosa (Purple giant hyssop) Rosa rugos a Solidago rugosa
rupestris	found near rocks	*Viola rupestris* (Teesdale violet, rock violet) Crassula rupestris Silene rupestris
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Species name	Meaning	Example	Illustration
scaber	rough	Dianthus scaber Eccremocarpus scaber (Chilean glory vine) *Pelargonium scabrum* (Rough- leaved pelargonium)
scandens	climbing	Billardiera scandens *Cobaea scandens* (Cup-and- saucer vine) Dicentra scandens (Climbing bleeding heart)
semperflorens	ever-flowering	Begonia semperflorens Rosa chinensis semperflorens
sericatus	silky	Entoloma sericatum Horkelia sericata (Silky horkelia) Lupinus sericatus (Cobb mountain lupin) **Oreocereus doelzianus subsp. sericatus**
sempervirens	evergreen	Buxus sempervirens (Common box) Gelsemium sempervirens Iberis sempervirens
serotinus	late	Crocus serotinus Dianthus serotinus Pulsatilla serotina
serratus	toothed	Banksia serrata (Saw-tooth banksia) *Fucus serratus* (Toothed wrack)
sibiricus	Siberian	Iris sibirica (Siberian Iris) Larix siberica (Siberian larch) Scilla siberica (Siberian squill)
sinensis	Chinese	Wisteria sinensis Camellia sinensis (green tea) Citrus sinensis (navel orange)
spicatus spicus	spiked, in spikes	Chloranthus spicatus (Chulantree) *Costus spicatus* (Spiked spiral ginger) Eriostemon spicatus
spinosus	spiny, thorny	Capparis spinosa Prunus spinosa (Blackthorn, Sloe) *Sarcopoterium spinosum* (Thorny burnet)
stellatus	starry, star-shaped	Hohenbergia stellata *Magnolia stellata* (Star magnolia) Pogostemon stellatus
stenophyllus	narrow-leaved	*Acacia stenophylla* Berberis stenophylla Phebalium stenophyllum (Narrow-leafed Phebalium)
striatus	striped	*Calochortus striatus* (Alkali mariposa lily) Geranium sanguineum striatum (Striped cranesbill)
strictus	upright	Dianthus strictus *Penstemon strictus*
suaveolens	sweet-scented	Brugmansia suaveolens Mentha suaveolens (Apple mint) Nicotiana suaveolens
suffruticosus	nearly a shrub	Buxus sempervirens suffruticosa (Dwarf box) Flueggea suffruticosa *Paeonia suffruticosa*
sylvaticus sylvestris	of woods or forests	Malva sylvestris Pinus sylvestris *Senecio sylvaticu* s (Woodland ragwort, Heath groundsel)
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Species name	Meaning	Examples	Illustration
tenax	tenacious	Phormium tenax (New Zealand flax) *Xerophyllum tenax* (Beargrass)
tomentosus	densely hairy	Cottoneaster tomentosus *Rhododendron tomentosum* Senecio tomentosus (Woolly ragwort)
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Species name	Meaning	Examples	Illustration
vagans	wandering	*Erica vagans*
variegatus	variegated	Codiaeum variegatum syn. Croton variegatum (Garden croton, variegated croton) *Iris variegata* (Hungarian iris) Perargonium variegatum
veris	spring-flowering	*Primula veris* (Cowslip)
vernalis vernus	of Spring	*Crocus vernus* (Spring crocus) Hamamelis vernalis Luzula vernalis
versicolor	variously coloured, multicoloured	Iris versicolor (Blue flag iris) Rosa gallica versicolor (Rosa mundi) *Trametes versicolor* (Turkey tail mushroom)
verus	true, genuine	Aloe vera Lavandula vera Pistacia vera (Pistachio)
villosus	hairy	Nepenthes villosa (Pitcher plant) Calycotome villosa Vicia villosa (Hairy vetch)
virens	green	Ficus virens (White fig) Rhus virens (Evergreen sumach) Santolina virens (Cotton lavender
virescens	turning green, greenish	Delphinium virescens (Prairie larkspur) Echium virescens Gladiolus virescens
viridiflorus	green flowered	Callistemon viridiflorus (Green bottlebrush) *Narcissus viridiflorus*
vulgaris	common, usual	Calluna vulgaris (Ling) Dracuncula vulgaris (Voodoo lily) Pulsatilla vulgaris
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Species name	Meaning	Examples	Illustration
willsonii	Ernest Henry Wilson (plant hunter)	Codonopsis grey-wilsonii Magnolia wilsonii Melaleuca wilsonii (Violet honey myrtle)
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Species name	Meaning	Examples	Illustration
zebrinus	striped	*Calathea zebrina* Miscanthus sinensis zebrinus Scirpus zebrinus (Zebra rush)
zonalis zonatus	zoned, banded	Cryptanthus zonatus *Pelargonium zonale* (name refers to coloured bands on leaves)
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