"Dahlia, dah-le-a; named after Andreas Dahl, a Swedish botanist and pupil of Linnaeus. Originally (and still in America) pronounced dah-le-a and not day-le-a as commonly heard. All dahlias usually grown are hybrids from species rarely seen in gardens. Half-hardy tuberous herbaceous plants.
COCCINEA, kok-sin-e-a, scarlet
IMPERIALIS, im-peer-e-a-lis, powerful
JUAREZII, ju-a-re-zei, after Juarez
MERCKII, merk-ei, after Merck
VARIABILIS, var-e-ab-il-is, variable coloured
ZIMAPANII, zim-ap-a-nei, after Zimapan."
This glossary contains over a thousand entries like the one above, the aim of the authors being to remove the 'awkward obstacle' that these names can present. In recent years this classic aid for the gardener and plant lover has been published by Landsmans Bookshop. Old Pond has agreed to take the book over.
Plant Names Simplified, A.T. Johnson & H.A. Smith, paperback 180 x 120 mm, 128 pages. ISBN 978-1-905523-82-5. £7.25, available now.
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