PLANT NAMES FROM WRIGHT'S ENGLISH
This
a compilation of plant names published in the following work:
Wright, Joseph, 1898-1905. The English dialect dictionary.
The first part includes all
plants, native, cultivated or introduced in the
A second part lists the names
of plant life and plant parts.
In the appendices can be
found the cognates of a certain number of plant names, assembled under a common
root.
The English and the
scientific names are from the following books:
Blamey,
Marjorie & Christopher Grey-Wilson, 1989. The illustrated
flora of Britain and northern Europe. Hodder &
Stoughton,
Rose,
Francis, 1989. Colour identification guide to the grasses, sedges, rushes and
ferns of the
Names not found in Wright's
dictionary are from the preceding two books, or from
Grieve.
Very often the
names have been applied to similar species which are not differentiated by
non-botanists. Since there are some 30 species of roses and over 50 species of
dandelions, the names for "dandelion" are assembled under the Common
Dandelion Taraxacum officinale, and those for "wild rose" are
assembled under the the Dog Rose Rosa canina.
Due to the
diffulty of identification and imprecise descriptions by witnesses, a certain
number of names have been erroneously applied. Such errors are most evident
when the species named does not have the character implied by the name. When
applied to a species other than the original, the name loses its semantic
value. *ex....
Uncertain
attributions are followed by a question mark (?).
Many names have
been attributed to the Greater Stitchwort Stellaria holostea, an
inconspicuous plant without any medicinal use, while the Common Chickweed
Stellaria media a very common and widespread garden pest seems to have
been forgotten. In the same way, the Heath Rush Juncus squarrosus is
often cited, but the Sharp-flowered Rush Juncus articulatus, the
commonest species is hardly mentioned.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Grieve, M. 1976 (Edited and introduced by C.F. Leyel). A
modern herbal. Penguin Books (first published 1936).
Blamey, Marjorie & Christopher Grey-Wilson, 1989. The illustrated flora of
Klein, Ernest, 1971. A comprehensive
etymological dictionary of the English language. Elsevier,
Mabberley, D.J., C.E. Jarvis,
and B.E. Juniper, 2001. The name of the apple. Telopea 9 (2): 421-430. (Nomenclature of
the orchard apple).
Rose, Francis, 1989. Colour
identification guide to the grasses, rushes and ferns of the
Pearsall, Judy & Bill
Trumble,
2001. The
Stubbs, F.B., 1986. Provisional keys to
British plant galls. British Plant Gall Society.
Wright, Joseph, 1898-1905. The English
dialect dictionary.
ABBREVIATIONS
App. appendix
AS: Anglo-Saxon
dial. dialectal
I.
n.Irel.
N.Irel. (political)
prob. probably
reg.: regional, in preference
to dialectal
sp. species unidentified
spp. several species of the
genus
subsp. subspecies
transl. translation
var., in scientific names:
variety
(-)
no locality attested, prob.
(?)
= doubtful attribution
SYNONYMS OF SCIENTIFIC NAMES
Following scientific research, botanical
nomenclature has changed considerably in the last century. The following is a list
of 272 names used at the time of Wright, now considered as synonyms:
Achillea arvensis = Achillea
millefolium
Adiantum nigrum =
Adiantum capillus-veneris
Adonis autumnalis = Adonis annua
Agropyron repens = Elitrygia repens
Agrostis alba = Agrostis gigantea
Agrostis filiformis = Agrostis capillaris
Agrostis setacea = Agrostis curtisii
Agrostis vulgaris = Agrostis capillaris
Aira cespitosa = Deschampsia cespitosa
Alchemilla arvensis = Aphanes arvensis
Alliaria officinalis = Alliaria petiolata
Allium porrum = Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum
Allosurus crispus = Cryptogramma crispa
Alopecurus agrestis = Alopecurus myosuroides
Aloysia citriodora = Aloysia triphylla
Alyssum maritimum = Lobularia maritima
Ampelopsis hederacea = Parthenocissus quinquefolia
Anacharis alsinastrum = Elodea canadensis
Anchusa sempervirens = Pentaglottis sempervirens
Anemone hepatica =
Hepatica nobilis
Anemone pulsatilla
= Pulsatilla vulgaris
Antennaria
margaritacea = Anaphalis margaritacea
Anthemis nobilis =
Chamaemelum nobile
Anthriscus
podagraria = Aegopodium podagraria
Anthyllis vulgaris
= Anthyllis vulneraria subsp. vulgaris
Apargia autumnalis
= Leontodon autumnalis
Arabis albida =
Arabis caucasica
Arabis deltoide =
Aubretia deltoides
Araucaria imbricata
= Araucaria araucana
Arenaria maritima =
Spergularia media
Armeria vulgaris =
Armeria maritima
Arrhenaterum
avenaceus = Arrhenatherum elatius
Artemisia argentea
= Artemisia absinthium
Arundo phragmites =
Phragmites australis
Asafoetida narthex
= Ferula narthex
Asperula odorata =
Galium odoratum
Aspidium aculeatum
= Polystichum aculeatum
Aspidium oreopteris
= Oreopteris limbosperma
Asplenium
adiantum-nigrum = Adiantum capillus-veneris
Asplenium ceterach
= Ceterach officinarum
Asplenium
scolopendrium = Phyllitis scolopendrium
Atriplex hastata =
Atriplex prostrata
Auricula ursi =
Primula auricula
Avena elatior =
Arrhenatherum elatior
Avena nuda = Avena
sativa
Avena orientalis = Avena sativa
Barbarea praecox = Barbarea verna
Bartsia odontites = Odontites verna
Bartsia viscosa = Parentucellia viscosa
Berula angustifolia = Berula erecta
Betula alba = Betula pendula
Blechnum boreale = Blechnum spicant
Borago orientalis = Trachystemon orientalis
Brassica campestris (turnip) = Brassica rapa subsp. campestris
Brassica campestris (rutabaga) = Brassica napus subsp. rapifera var.
napobrassica
Brassica fimbriata = Brassica oleracea var. acephala
Brassica sylvestris = Brassica oleracea
Bromus mollis = Bromus hordaceus
Bunium flexuosum = Bunium bulbocastanum
Caesalpinia bonducella = Caesalpinia bonduc
Calamagrostis variegata = Phalaris arundinacea var. variegata
Calamantha acinos = Acinos arvensis
Calamintha
officinalis = Calamintha nepeta
Calla aethiopica =
Zantedeschia aethiopica
Campanula hybrida =
Legousia hybrida
Carduus acaulis =
Carlina acaulis
Carduus arvensis =
Cirsium arvense
Carduus benedictus
= Cnicus benedictus
Carduus eriophorus
= Cirsium eriophorum
Carduus lanceolatus
= Cirsium vulgare
Carduus palustris = Cirsium palustre
Carduus heterophyllus = Carduus acanthoides
Carduus lanceolatus = Cirsium vulgare
Carduus marianus = Sylibum marianum
Carduus palustris = Cirsium palustre
Carex glauca = Carex flacca
Castanea vesca = Castanea sativa
Centaurium perfoliatum = Blackstonia perfoliata
Centaurium umbellatum = Centaurium erythraea
Cerastium vulgatum = Cerastium fontanum
Cerasus laurocerasus = Prunus laurocerasus
Cerastium triviale = Cerastium fontanum
Chaerophyllum sylvestre = Anthriscus sylvestris
Cheiranthus cheiri = Erysimum cheiri
Chlora perfoliata = Blackstonia perfoliata
Chrysanthemum leucanthemum = Leucanthemum vulgare
Chrysanthemum sinense = Dendrathema hybrids
Chrysanthemum
vulgare = Tanacetum vulgare
Cochlearia
armoracia = Armoracia rusticana
Comarum palustre =
Potentilla palustris
Conopodium
denudatum = Conopodium majus
Convolvulus sepium
= Calystegia sepium
Convolvulus
soldanella = Calystegia soldanella
Corchorus japonicus
= Kerria japonica
Cotyledon umbilicus
= Umbilicus rupestris
Crataegus
pyracantha = Pyrancantha coccinea
Cratageus
oxyacantha = Crataegus laevigata
Crocus albiflorus = Crocus vernus
Cuscuta trifolii = Cuscuta epithymum
Cyclamen europaeum = Cyclamen purpurascens
Cytisus laburnum = Laburnum anagyroides
Delphinium consolida = Consolida regalis
Dianthus caesius = Dianthus gratianopolitanus
Dielytra spectabilis = Dicentra spectabilis
Dipsacus sylvestris = Dipsacus fullonum
Draba verna = Erophila verna
Equisetum limosum = Equisetum fluviatile
Erica hibernica = Daboecia cantabrica
Ervum hirsutum = Vicia
hirsuta
Erysimum alliaria =
Alliaria petiolata
Erythraea
centaurium = Centaurium erythraea
Euphrasia
officinalis = Euphrasia rostkoviana
Festuca sylvatica =
Brachypodium sylvaticum
Filago germanica = Filago vulgaris
Francoa ramosa = Francoa sonchifolia
Fucus digitatus = Laminaria digitata
Fucus esculentus = Alaria esculenta
Galeopsis versicolor = Galeopsis speciosa
Galium cruciata = Cruciata laevipes
Genista tinctoria = Isatis tinctoria
Geranium striatum = Geranium versicolor
Glaucium luteum = Glaucium flavum
Glyceria aquatica = Glyceria maxima
Gnaphalium dioicum = Antennaria dioica
Gnaphalium sylvaticum = Omalotheca sylvatica
Halymenia palmata = Fucus palmatus
Habenaria chlorantha = Platanthera chlorantha
Helianthemum vulgare = Helianthemum nummularium
Heliotropium peruvianum = Heliotropium arborescens
Helminthia echioides = Picris echioides
Helosciadium
nodiflorum = Apium nodiflorum
Hordeum maritimum =
Hordeum marinum
Hordeum pratense =
Hordeum secalinum
Houstonia caerulea
= Hedyotis caerulea
Hydrangea hortensis
= Hydrangea macrophylla
Hypericum
quandrangulum = Hypericum tetrapterum
Imperatoria
ostruthium = Peucedanum ostruthium
Inula dysenterica =
Pulicaria dysenterica
Iris xiphoides =
Iris latifolia
Jateorhiza palmata
= Jateorhiza calumba
Juncus glaucus =
Juncus inflexus
Juncus lamprocarpus
= Juncus articulatus
Koenigia maritima =
Koenigia islandica
Larix europaea =
Larix decidua
Lastrea filix-mas =
Dryopteris filix-mas
Lathyrus
macrorrhizus = Lathyrus linifolius
Lavandula vera =
Lavandula angustifolia
Leontodon taraxacum
= Taraxacum officinale
Linaria cymbalaria
= Cymbalaria muralis
Linaria minor =
Chaenorhinum minus
Lolium italicum =
Lolium multiflorum
Lunaria biennis =
Lunaria annua
Lychnis coronaria =
Silene coronaria
Lychnis dioica =
Silene dioica
Lychnis diurna =
Silene latifolia
Lychnis githago =
Agrostemma githago
Lychnis latifolia =
Silene latifolia
Lychnis vespertina
= Silena latifolia
Lychnis viscaria =
Silene viscaria
Lychnis viscosa =
Silene viscaria
Lycopodium selago =
Huperzia selago
Matricaria
chamomilla = Chamomilla recutita
Matricaria inodora
= Matricaria perforata
Matricaria
parthenium = Tanacetum parthenium
Medicago maculata =
Madicago arabica
Melilotus caeruleus
= Trigonella caerulea
Mentha hirsuta =
Mentha aquatica
Mentha rotundifolia = Mentha suaveolens
Mentha viridis = Mentha spicata
Myosotis palustris = Myosotis scorpioides
Myosurus agrestis = Myosurus myosuroides
Narcissus biflorus = Narcissus x medioluteus
Nepeta glechoma = Glechoma hederacea
Nephrodium cristatum
= Dryopteris cristata
Nephrodium
filix-mas = Dryopteris filix-mas
Nephrodium
oreopteris = Oreopteris limbosperma
Nephrodium
thelypteris = Thelypteris palustris
Onobrychis sativa =
Onobrychis viciifolia
Ononis arvensis =
Ononis spinosa
Ononis campestris =
Ononis spinosa
Ononis repens =
Ononis spinosa
Orchis latifolia =
Dactylorhiza maialis
Orchis maculata =
Dactylorhiza maculata
Orobus tuberosus =
Lathyrus linifolius
Oxyacantha
crataegus = Crataegus laevigata
Paeonia officinalis = Paeonia, cultivars
Palmaria palmata = Fucus palmatus
Petasites vulgaris = Petasites hybridus
Peucedanum sativum = Pastinaca sativa
Peziza coccinea = Sarcoscypha coccinea
Peziza cochleata = Otidea cochleata
Phaseolus multiflorum var. coccinea = Phaseolus coccineus
Phellandrium aquaticum = Oenanthe aquatica
Phlox acutifolium = Phlox paniculata var. acutifolium
Phytolacca decandra = Phytolacca acinos
Poa aquatica = Glyceria maxima
Polyanthus vulgaris = Primula "polyanthus" (a hybrid primrose)
Polygonum convolvulus = Fallopia convolvulus
Polygonum fagopyrum = Fagopyron esculentum
Potentilla fragariastrum = Potentilla sterilis
Potentilla tormentilla = Potentilla erecta
Primula variabilis = Primula elatior
Prunus insititia = Prunus domestica var. insititia
Psamma arenaria = Ammophila arenaria
Pteridium filix-mas = Dryopteris filix-mas
Pteris aquilina = Pteridium aquilinum
Pyrus aria = Sorbus aria
Pyrus aucuparia = Sorbus aucuparia
Pyrus communis = Malus pyrus
Pyrus cydonia = Cydonum cotoneum
Pyrus domestica = Malus pyrus
Pyrus japonica = Malus pyrifolia
Pyrus malus
(crab-apple) = Malus sylvestris
Pyrus malus (cultivated
apple-tree) = Malus pumila
Pyrus scandica = Sorbus intermedia
Pyrus torminalis = Sorbus torminalis
Quercus robus var.
sessiliflora = Quercus petraea
Quercus sessiliflora = Quercus petraea
Quercus sessilis = Quercus petraea
Rhamnus frangula = Frangula alnus
Rhinanthus crista-galli = Rhinanthus angustifolius
Ribes grossularia = Ribes uva-crispa
Rosa spinosissima = Rosa pimpinellifolia
Rumex aquatica = Rumex
hydrolapathum
Salicornia herbacea
= Salicornia europaea
Salix amygdalina = Salix triandra
Sambucus pubens = Sambucus racemosa
Salix rubra = Salix purpurea
Sarcoscypha coccinea = Sarcoscypha austriaca
Sarothamnus scoparius = Cytisus scoparius
Saxifraga sarmentosa = Saxifraga stolonifera
Scabiosa arvensis = Knautia arvensis
Scabiosa succisa = Succisa pratensis
Scirpus maritimus = Bolboschoenus maritimus
Scirpus cespitosus = Trichophorum cespitosum
Scirpus lacustris = Schoenoplectus lacustris
Scirpus palustris = Eleocharis palustris
Scolopendrium vulgare = Phillitis scolopendrium
Scrophularia aquatica = Scrophularia auriculata
Sedum glaucum = Sedum hispanicum
Sedum reflexum = Sedum rupestre
Senebiera coronopus = Coronopus squamatus
Serratula arvensis = Cirsium arvense
Silene cucubalus = Silene vulgaris
Silene inflata = Silene vulgaris
Silene maritima = Silene uniflora
Sium angustifolium = Berula erecta
Sium nodiflorum =
Apium nodiflorum
Sparganium ramosum
= Sparganium erectum
Spiraea filipendula = Filipendula ulmaria
Spiranthes autumnalis = Spiranthes spiralis
Stachys lanata = Stachys byzantina
Sticta pulmonaria =
Pulmonaria longifolia
Symphoricarpos
racemosus = Symphoricarpos rivularis
Tanacetum
parthenium = Tanacetum parthenium
Taraxacum
dens-leonis = Taraxacum officinale
Torilis anthriscus
= Torilis japonica
Tilia parvifolia =
Tilia cordata
Trichomanes
radicans = Trichomanes speciosum
Trifolium minus =
Trifolium dubium
Trifolium
procumbens = Trifolium campestre
Triticum caninum =
Elymus caninus
Triticum junceum =
Elymus farctus
Triticum repens =
Elitrygia repens
Tritoma uvaria =
Kniphofia uvaria
Tropaeolum
canariense = Tropaeolum peregrinum
Ulex nanus = Ulex
minor
Ulmus
Valerianella olitoria
= Valerianella locusta
Vallota purpurea =
Cyrtanthus speciosus
Viola mariana =
Campanula trachelium
Viola sylvestris,
V. sylvatica = Viola reichenbachiana
THE
DIALECTAL NAMES
In the left column: scientific names in bold characters. In the right column
the English names.
Arrows refer to appendices.
|
Abies alba |
|
Silver
Fir |
|
fir The cones: apple Linc., Wor., deal-apple e.Anglia, fir-apple nw.
Cumb., |
||
|
Acer campestre |
|
Field
Maple |
|
maplin-tree Glouc.,
dog-oak York., Not., cat-oak w.York., oak |
||
|
Acer pseudoplatanus |
|
Sycamore |
|
maple s.Cumb.,
England, may, may-tree Corn., share w.Cy., segumber Devon,
seggy e.York., horse-shoe Wilt., whistle-wood Selk., n.Cy.,
Nhb. (see Salix) The winged seeds: cats-and-keys
|
||
|
Achillea millefolium |
|
Yarrow |
|
yarrel Suff., yallow Lanc.,
yock-yall, york-yall Linc., yarra-grass Essex, yarroway e.Angl.,
yarwe OE, gearwe AS, prob. from yar (York., Lanc.) acid,
sour; hurr (Linc., Kent., Sussex) tart, astringent, rough-tasting;
stanch-grass Aberd. ("stink grass") thousand-leaf Ches., Lanc.,
thousand-leaf grass Staff., thousand-leaved clover Berw., Rxb.,
Nhb., milfoil (-) (French mille-feuilles), hundred-leaved grass Nhb. green-arrow Suff.,
stop-blood s.Pemb., nose-bleed Hamp., devil's nettle Ches.,
breakstone-parsley Staff., hemming-and-sewing Hamp., old-man's
mustard Linc. (for moustache), traveller's
ease Wilt., betsey |
||
|
Achillea ptarmica |
|
Sneezewort |
|
love-entangled,
seven-years-love Devon, seven-year's love Glouc., w.Som.,
Devon, bachelor’s button Nhp., moolery-tea Caith.,
goose-tongue w.York., Nhp., War., Shrop., white-weed Antrim,
fair-maid-of-France Midl. (a cultivated variety), bastard
pellatory |
||
|
Achillea serrata |
sweet-mace Not., mace
(-) (yarrow has a strong odour) |
|
|
Acinos arvensis |
mother-of-thyme Som., |
Basil-thyme |
|
Aconitum napellus |
|
Monkshood |
|
monk's cowl Shrop.,
monk-wood Ches., masterwort (-), monkey('s) hood Devon,
pope's ode Nhp. (hood), grandmother's bonnet Som., granny’s
nightcap Suff., grandmother's nightcap n.York., Ches., Nrf., Kent,
old-granny's nightcap Oxf., auld-wife-hud, old-wife's huid Cumb.
(hood), old-woman's nightcap n.York., Oxf., s.Buck., old-woman
n.Linc., friar's-caps Devon, soldier('s) cap Nhp., Turk's
cap Nhp., Som., cuckoo's cap Ches., Shrop., cuckold's cap Cumb.,
Nrf., n.Essex captain-over-the-garden n.York., dove-flower
Berk., Venus'-doves Devon, Venus'-chariot-drawn-by-doves Berk.,
Essex, Noahs-ark Glamorgan, Jacob's chariot Essex,
horses-and-cariages Hamp., bulls-and wheys n.Westm., adam-and-eve
Norf “on lifting the hood of the flower, the upper petals appear
as two little figures”, face-in-hood Nrf., boots-and-shoes Corn.,
barfut w.Wor., bear's foot Not., Nhb., Hamp. (attributed to Alchemilla
vulgaris and Helleborus), luckie's mutch Lanark, cat-tail
Shrop., wolf's bane (-) |
||
|
Acorus calamus |
sweet rush War.,
sweet-seg s.Cy., sweet-flag Ches. |
Sweet
Flag |
|
Adiantum capillus-veneris |
|
Maiden-hair
Fern |
|
fairy-fern w.Irel.,
dudder-grass Nrf., lady-anthrer-grerninum Hamp., black-spem Hamp.
(for “sperm”; so named from its blackish spores) |
||
|
Adonis aestivalis |
rose-ruby (-) |
Summer
Pheasant's-eye |
|
Adonis annua |
jack-in-the-green Wilt.,
love-lies-bleeding Glouc. |
Pheasant's-eye |
|
Adoxa moschatellina |
musk-weed w.York.,
town-hall clock Cumb., good-friday flower |
Moschatel |
|
Aegopodium podagraria |
|
Ground
Elder |
|
ash-weed Wilt., w.Som. “from its casual resemblance to the leaf of the ash”, ground ash Ches., Linc., War., sweet ash Som., wild ash Cumb., white-ash Som., ground-elder Hamp., War.,Wor., sw.Linc., I.Wight, wild elder Buck., wild alder Linc., wild esh nw.Cumb., Dutch-elder Wilt., dog-eller Ches., | ||
