List of descriptive plant species epithets (I–Z)

Since the first printing of Carl Linnaeus's Species Plantarum in 1753, plants have been assigned one epithet or name for their species and one name for their genus, a grouping of related species.^[1] These scientific names have been catalogued in a variety of works, including Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners. William Stearn (1911–2001) was one of the pre-eminent British botanists of the 20th century: a Librarian of the Royal Horticultural Society, a president of the Linnean Society and the original drafter of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants.^[2]^[3]

The first column below lists seed-bearing species epithets from Stearn's Dictionary, Latin for Gardeners^[4] by Lorraine Harrison, The A to Z of Plant Names by Allen Coombes, The Gardener's Botanical^[5] by Ross Bayton, and the glossary of Stearn's Botanical Latin.^[6] Epithets from proper nouns, proper adjectives, and two or more nouns are excluded, along with epithets used only in species names that are no longer widely accepted. Classical and modern meanings are provided in the third column, along with citations to Charlton T. Lewis's An Elementary Latin Dictionary.^[7]^[a]

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[a]

List of descriptive plant species epithets (I–Z)

Key

Epithets

See also

Notes

Citations

References

Further reading

Wikiwand - on

Epithets
Epithets^[8]^[9]^[c]	LG ^[10]	Meanings and derivations	Example species^[d]	H	DS	C
ianthinus	G	bluish-purple	Justicia ianthina		D
icosandrus	G	twenty-stamened	Phytolacca icosandra	H	DS
idoneus	L	worthy^[7]	Lupinus idoneus*		DS
igneus	L	fiery red^[7]	Cuphea ignea, Heliconia ignescens*	H	DS	C^[11]
ignescens	L	fiery red^[7]	Cuphea ignea, Heliconia ignescens*	H	DS
ignotus	L	(formerly) unknown^[7]	Tricalysia ignota*		DS
illecebrosus	L	enticing, from illecebra^[7]	Tigridia illecebrosa*	H	DS
illinitus	L	smeared, from lino, to smear^[7]	Escallonia illinita*	H	DS
illustris	L	lustrous, from lustro, to illuminate^[7]	Ilex illustris	H	D	C^[12]
imbecillus	L	feeble	Agrostis imbecilla*		DS
imbecillis	L	feeble	Agrostis imbecilla*		DS
imberbis	L	unbearded^[7]	Combretum imberbe	H	DS
imbricatus	L	overlapping, from imbrex, gutter tile;^[7] imbricate. (Also imbricans,^[4] imbricarius.)^[13]	Cylindropuntia imbricata	H	DS	C^[14]
immaculatus	L	immaculate, from macula, stain^[7]	Dicerandra immaculata	H	DS
immersus	L	immersed^[7]	Navia immersa	H	DS
impeditus	L	impeded^[7]	Tragia impedita*		DS	C^[15]
imperator	L	war leader; emperor^[7]	Fritillaria imperialis, Epidendrum imperator*		D
imperialis	L	war leader; emperor^[7]	Fritillaria imperialis, Epidendrum imperator*	H	D	C^[16]
implexus	L	interwoven^[7]	Acacia implexa	H	DS
impressus	L	engraved;^[7] creased	Epacris impressa	H	DS	C^[17]
impudicus	L	impudent^[7]	Heliconia impudica		DS
inaequalis	L	unequal^[7]	Dryopteris inaequalis	H	DS
inapertus	L	closed, from apertus^[7]	Agapanthus inapertus		DS	C^[18]
incanus	L	grey-haired^[7]	Matthiola incana	H	DS	C^[19]
incarnatus	L	peach-coloured, from caro, flesh^[7]	Asclepias incarnata	H	DS	C^[20]
incertus	L	uncertain^[7]	Penstemon incertus	H	DS
incisus	L	cut deeply;^[7] incised	Urtica incisa	H	DS	C^[21]
inclaudens	L	not closing	Esterhuysenia inclaudens*	H
inclinatus	L	inclined^[7]	Bulbophyllum inclinatum	H	DS
incomparabilis	L	incomparable, from comparabilis^[7]	Stapelia incomparabilis*	H	DS
incomptus	L	unkempt^[7]	Blakea incompta	H	D
inconspicuus	L	inconspicuous, from conspicuus^[7]	Trithuria inconspicua	H	DS
incrassatus	L	stout, from crassus, thick^[7]	Eucalyptus incrassata	H	DS
incurvus	L	bowed;^[7] incurved	Corybas incurvus, Dacryodes incurvata	H	DS	C^[22]
incurvatus	L	bowed;^[7] incurved	Corybas incurvus, Dacryodes incurvata	H	DS
indivisus	L	undivided, from divido^[7]	Cordyline indivisa	H	DS
induratus	L	hardened^[7]	Eucalyptus indurata	H	DS
inebrians	L	intoxicating, from inebrio^[7]	Lagochilus inebrians	H	D
inermis	L	unarmed^[7]	Nepenthes inermis	H	DS	C^[23]
infaustus	L	unfortunate^[7]	Vangueria infausta	H	D