The Names of Plants

Glossary velutipes with a velvety stalk, botanical Latin from French velouté and pes venator hunting-pink coloured, of the hunter, venator, venatoris (the flowers of Rhododendron venator are ‘hunting-pink’) veneficiorus -a -um, veneficus -a -um of sorcerers or poisoners, veneficium, veneficii Venegasia for Miguel Venegas (1680–1764), Mexican Jesuit, author of A Natural and Civil History of California (1759) venenatus -a -um poisonous, magic, veneno, venenare; venenatus veneniferus -a -um poison-bearing, venenum-fero venenosus -a -um very poisonous, comparative of venenatus veneris -is -e revered, past participle of veneror, venerari, veneratus venetus -a -um of Venice, Venetian (Veneti, Venetus) Venidium Veined, vena, venae (the decurrent leaf base on the stem) venosus -a -um conspicuously veined, comparative of vena, venae Ventenata for Etienne Pierre Ventenat (1757–1808), French librarian, writer and botanist Ventilago Of-the-wind, ventilo, ventilare with feminine suffix (wind dispersal of the winged mericarps) ventilator flabellate, fan-shaped, winnower-like; juggler, ventilator ventosus -a -um like the wind, fickle, ventosus ventri- belly-, venter ventricosus -a -um bellied out below, distended to one side, expanded, ventricose, venter Ventricularia Small-bellied, ventriculus (depression on the labellum) ventriculosus -a -um slightly bellied, diminutive of ventriculus ventriososporus -a -um having pot-bellied spores, botanical Latin from ventricosus and spora venulosus -a -um with fine veins, venula, finely veined, diminutive of vena venustulus -a -um quite charming (diminutive of venustus) venustus -a -um graceful, beautiful, charming, venustus Vepris Brambly, vepre, vepris ( Todalia) veratrifolius -a -um false-hellebore-leaved, with leaves like Veratrum, Veratrumfolius Veratrum Truly-black, vere-(ater, atris) (for the roots of false-hellebore, the Latin name, veratrum, for a hellebore) verbanensis -is -e from the area of Lake Maggiore (Lacus Verbanus), Italy verbasci- mullein-like, resembling Verbascum verbascifolius -a -um mullein-leaved, with leaves resembling Verbascum, Verbascum-folium Verbascum a name, barbascum, in Pliny (for the bearded stamens) Verbena Sacred-bough, from the Latin name, verbena, verbenae, for the leafy twigs carried by priests, used in wreaths for Druidic ritual, and in medicine (used by Virgil and Pliny for vervain, Verbena officinalis), Celtic, ferfain (Verbenaceae) verbenaca, verbeni- from a name in Pliny, vervain-like verbeniflos Verbana-flowered Verbesina Verbena-like (resembles some species) verecundus -a -um bashful, modest, shy, verecundus veris of spring, ver, veris (flowering time), genuine, true, standard verlotiorum (verlotorum) for the brothers Verloti, who introduced Artemesia verlotiorum from China and noted its relation to A. vulgaris vermi- worm-like-, worm-, grub-, vermis vermicularis -is -e worm-like, grub-like, vermis vermiculatus -a -um inlaid or marked with wavy lines, vermiculatus (cognate, via French and Old English, with vermilion, from vermis, vermiculus) vernalis -is -e of spring, vernal, ver, veris (flowering time) verniciferus -era -erum producing varnish, vernix-fero vernicifluus -a -um from which flows a varnish, vernix-(fluo, fluere, fluxi, fluxum) vernicosus -a -um glossy, varnished, vernicosus 399