How do you pronounce the words of a language that doesn’t belong to any one nation or people, exactly? Any way you like. What’s important is that you learn the words and let them help you to find the plant you really want. As a bonus, certain botanical Latin words used to name various plants often also reveal that plant’s characteristics. This is particularly true among the species names, or “specific epithets,” the second word in each two-part (or binomial) botanical name, which modifies the first word, the genus name. What follows is a sampling, in each case expressed in the -us ending (-a and –um are also used when the gender of the subject being modified is appropriate):
colorYellow may be expressed with flavus (a pale version), luteus or lutea, as in the charming perennial Corydalis lutea, top photo), and citrinus (lemon-colored).
Red is rubrum; rosy-pink is roseus.
Purple is simple: just say purpureus. If it’s very dark, it might be atropurpureus.
White is albus; black is nigrum.
Silver is expressed as argenteus; gold is aureus.
As for good old green, when it’s noted it might be viridis (or sempervirens in the case of evergreen).
There are various words for blue, including azureus (a sky-blue color) and caeruleus (somewhat darker).
Variegated leaves or flowers are sometimes labeled
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