Species Epithets - L

Return to main Botanical Latin page

Epithet	Meaning	Reference
laciniata	Fringed, slashed, cut into narrow lobes.	Z
laciniatum	Fringed, slashed, cut into narrow lobes.	Z
laciniatus	Fringed, slashed, cut into narrow lobes.	Z
laciniosum	Slit, jagged, cleft.	Z
lactea	Milk-like, milky.	Z
lacteus	Milk-like, milky.	Z
lacunosa	Perforated with holes, covered with recesses.	Z
lacustre	Living in ponds or lakes (lacus, lake).	Z
lacustris	Living in ponds or lakes (lacus, lake).	Z
laeta	Glad, of pleasing appearance.	Z
laevigata	Smooth, slippery.	Z
laevigatum	Smooth, slippery.	Z
laevigatus	Smooth, slippery.	Z
laevipes	With smooth stalk (not rough).	Z
laevis	Smooth, in the sense of not being rough.	Z
lagopus	Hare's-foot, densely covered with long hairs.	Z
lamprocarpa	Bearing shining fruits.	Z
lamprophyllum	With shining leaves.	Z
lanata	Woolly or cottony, covered with long inter-grown curly hairs.	Z
lanatum	Woolly or cottony, covered with long inter-grown curly hairs.	Z
lanatus	Woolly or cottony, covered with long inter-grown curly hairs.	Z
lanceolata	Lancet-like in form.	Z
lanceolatum	Lancet-like in form.	Z
lanceolatus	Lancet-like in form.	Z
lantana	Resembling the Genus Lantana.
lantanoides	Resembling Mountain-Sage, Lantana.	Z
lappa	Burr. Plant bearing burrs.
lappacea	Bur-like, resembling Burdock, Lappa.	Z
lappaceum	Bur-like, resembling Burdock, Lappa.	Z
lapponica	From the home of the Lapps (one-time 'Lapland' which described an area north of the Arctic Circle now covering parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia).	Z
lapponum	From the home of the Lapps (one-time 'Lapland' which described an area north of the Arctic Circle now covering parts of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia).	Z
laricina	Larch-like.	Z
laricio	Larix, Larch.	Z
lasiocarpa	Bearing hairy pubescent fruit.	Z
lasiocarpum	Bearing hairy pubescent fruit.	Z
lasiophyllum	With rough, hairy or shaggy leaves.	Z
latens	Hidden, dormant.	Z
lateriflorus	Flowering at the side.	Z
lathyroides	Resembling everlasting Pea.	Z
latifolia	With broad leaves.	Z
latifolium	With broad leaves.	Z
latifolius	With broad leaves.	Z
latissimum	Very broad, extensive.	Z
latiusculum	Somewhat broad.	Z
laureola	Laurel.	Z
laurifolius	With laurel leaves.	Z
laurocerasus	Latin: Cherry-laurel.
laxa	Loose, not dense, limp, flabby.	Z
laxifolia	With loosely spread leaves.	Z
laxum	Loose, not dense, limp, flabby.	Z
lebelii	After Jacques Eugene Lebel (1801-1878).
leiophylla	Having smooth leaves.	Z
lentiginosus	Full of freckles.	Z
lepidota	Beset with small scurfy scales.	Z
lepidum	Natty, pleasing, neat.	Z
lepidus	Natty, pleasing, neat.	Z
leporinum	Resembling a hare's ear.	Z
leptocarpa	Bearing thin, slender fruits.	Z
leptoclada	With thin twigs.	Z
leptophylla	Having slender or thin leaves.	Z
leptophyllum	Having slender or thin leaves.	Z
leptostachya	With thin spikes.	Z
leucantha	Bearing white flowers.	Z
leucanthum	Bearing white flowers.	Z
leucophylla	With white leaves.	Z
leucophyllum	With white leaves.	Z
leucophyllus	With white leaves.	Z
leucostachys	Bearing white spikes.	Z
levigatum	Smooth, slippery.	Z
lewisii	Lewis'
lignosa	Woody.	Z
ligustica	From Liguria in north-western Italy.	Z
ligusticum	From Liguria in north-western Italy.	Z
liliohyacinthus	With a Lily-like bulb (ie with scales).
limbata	Bordered, as with another colour.	Z
limbosperma	Bearing seeds , with stripes or fins.	Z
limon	Lemon yellow.	Z
limosa	Growing in boggy places.	Z
linearifolius	With leaves like flax, or with lined leaves, with narrow leaves.	Z
linearis	Of uniform width.	Z
lingua	Tongue, ribbon.	Z
lingulatum	With small tongues or tongue-like membranes.	Z
linifolius	With leaves like flax.	Z
linoides	Flax-like.	Z
linosyris	Like flax. (OK that's the "lino" bit but I cannot fathom what syris means…) This was the genus name at one time - Linosyris vulgaris.	JS
lipsiensis	From the neighbourhood of Leipzig in Germany.	Z
litoralis	Found on the seashore.	Z
litorea	Found on the seashore.	Z
lobata	Divided into or bearing lobes.	Z
lobelioides	Resembling Lobelia.	Z
lobularis	I have not found a lead on this one at all.
locusta	The spikelet in grasses.	Z
loeselii	After Johann Loesel, a seventeenth century Prussian botanist.
lonchitis	Spear-like.	JS
longiflorus	Bearing long flowers.	Z
longifolia	Having long leaves.
longifolius	Having long leaves.	Z
longifrons	With long fronds or leafy boughs.	Z
longilobum	With long lobes.	Z
longipes	With long foot-stalk.	Z
longipetala	Having long petals.	Z
longispinus	Having long thorns.	Z
longus	Long, big.	Z
lucens	With a shining surface.	Z
lucida	Shining, glistening, reflecting.	Z
lucidum	Shining, glistening, reflecting.	Z
lucidus	Shining, glistening, reflecting.	Z
luciliae	After Mme Lucile Boissier. (Boissier named this after his wife, who died young.)	JS
lucorum	Wood-loving.	Z
lugens	Mourning, sad.	Z
lunare	Half-moon shaped, crescent-shaped.	Z
lunaria	Of the moon. (See Moonwort Madness for a fascinating discussion of this name. It says there that Linnaeus named Botrychium lunaria alluding to the crescent moon-shaped leaves.)
lunatus	Half-moon shaped, crescent-shaped.	Z
lupulina	Hop like in form or habit, Humulus Lupulus.	Z
luridus	Dingy, brownish-yellow.	Z
lusitanica	Of Portuguese origin.	Z
lusitanicum	Of Portuguese origin.	Z
lutea	Distinct yellow, a full yellow.	Z
luteola	Yellowy.	Z
lutescens	Becoming yellow.	Z
lutetiana	From Paris, the Roman Lutetia Parisiorum.	Z
luteum	Distinct yellow, a full yellow.	Z
luteus	Distinct yellow, a full yellow.	Z
lychnitis	White flowered Mullein {Verbascum lichnitis).	Z
lycoctonum	Wolf-killing.	Z
lydia	From Lydia, a historic region of western Anatolia, corresponding to Turkey's modern provinces of Izmir and Manisa.
lyrata	Lyre-shaped.	Z
lyratum	Lyre-shaped.	Z
lyratus	Lyre-shaped.	Z