Latin names

By: Sue Hayward

Colors

niger Black
alba/argo White
ruber/rubens/rufinus Red
aurorius Orange
luteus/xanthinus Yellow
viridis/virens Green
caeruleus Blue
purpureus Purple
violaceus/ianthus Violet
fuscus Brown
aureus Golden
rubellus reddish
igneus flame red
roseus rosy pink

Smell

fragrans Fragrant
pungens Pungent
foetidus Stinking
inodorus Non smelling
citrodorus Lemon scented

Descriptions

bellus beautiful
debilus weak
fallax false
feris wild
floribubdus free-flowering
major larger
robustus strong
simplex simple
vulgare common

Habitat

maritimus by the sea
aquaticus in water
fluvialis in rivers
pastoralis in pastures
campestrie in fields
aridus in dry places
sylvestris in woods
saxatilis on rocks
alpinus on mountains
arvensis of ploughed fields

Growth habit

erectus Upright
horizontalis horizontal
patens spreading
pendulus hanging
tortuosus twisting

Places

borealis Northern
australis Southern
orientalis Eastern
occidentalis Western
centralis Central
sinensis China
japonica Japan
italicus Italy
helveticus Switzerland
persicus Persia
lusitanicus Portugal

Seasons

vernalis Spring
aestivalis Summer
autumnalis Fall/autumn
hybernalis Winter

Suffixes

-anthus flowered
-bundus becoming
-cellus diminutive
-color colored
-ensis place of origin
-fer bearing
-fid divided
-florus flowered
-folius leaved
-icola from
-ineus/-inus like
-iscus lesser
-issimus very
-osma fragrant
-phorus bearing
-phyllus leaved
-usculus diminutive

Prefixes

ante- before
argo- white
bi- two
heli- sun
hyper- above
hypo- below
neo- new
parvi- small
poly- many
post- behind
pre-/pro- in front
re- back
sub- below
super- above
trans- across
tri- three
uni- one
xero- dry