Botanical Latin

William Thomas Stearn

Timber Press, 2004 - Gardening - 546 pages

Botanical Latin is accepted by horticulturists and botanists everywhere as the medium for naming new plants, and botanical research is almost impossible without reference to the vast number of first descriptions in Latin — much information is available in no other language. For gardeners, too, a working knowledge of botanical Latin is essential for the accurate identification of plants in the garden. Now available in paperback, the fourth edition of this internationally renowned handbook summarizes the grammar and syntax of botanical Latin, and covers the origins of Latin and latinized geographical names, color terms, symbols and abbreviations, diagnoses and descriptions, the formation of names and epithets, and much more.

About the author

William T. Stearn (1911-2001) was one of Britain's most eminent botanists. During a career based first at the Royal Horticultural Society, then at the Natural History Museum, Stearn wrote some 470 books, articles, and monographs, ranging from detailed studies of plant genera, through histories and biographies, to books on botanical taxonomy, many of which have become standard works of reference.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Botanical Latin
• Author: William Thomas Stearn
• Edition: illustrated, reprint
• Publisher: Timber Press, 2004
• ISBN: 0881926272, 9780881926279
• Length: 546 pages
• Subjects: Gardening / Reference