The perfect gift reference book on plants and plant naming for any gardener; A-Z of over 3,000 Latin names defined and spelt out phonetically; Feature spreads and 'Latin in Action' boxes detailing important plant history moments; The RHS is the UK's leading gardening authority, which now has more than 365,000 members.

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK's leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. Its charitable work includes providing expert advice and information, training the next generation of gardeners, creating hands-on opportunities for children to grow plants and conducting research into plants, pests and environmental issues affecting gardeners. For more information visit www.rhs.org.uk Lorraine Harrison has a masters degree in Garden History from the University of London and has written several books on the subject. She is a successful gardener and gardening writer with a passion for exotic and heirloom vegetables. Her previous titles include How to Read Gardens and The Shaker Book of the Garden, and she regularly contributes to Gardens Illustrated and Hortus magazine.

INTRODUCTION HOW TO USE THIS BOOK THE HISTORY OF BOTANICAL LATIN BOTANICAL LATIN FOR BEGINNERS LATIN PLANT NAMES A from abbreviatus to azureus B from babylonica to byzantinus C from cacaliifolia to cytisoides D from dactylifera to dyerianum E from ebenus to eyriesii F from facetus to futilis G from gaditanus to gymnocarpus H from haastii to hystrix I from ibericus to ixocarpus J from jacobaeus to juniperinus K from kalmiiflorus to kurdicus L from labiatus to lysimachioides M from macedonicus to myrtifolius N from nanellus to nymphoides O from obconicus to oxyphyllus P from pachycarpa to pyriformis Q from quadrangularis to quinquevulnerum R from racemiflorus to rutilans S from sabatius to szechuanica T from tabularis to typhina U from ulicina to uvaria V from vacciniifolia to vulgata W from wagneri to wulfenii X from xanthina to xantholeuca Y from yakushimanum to Yunnanense Z from zabeliana to zumi PLANT PROFILES Acanthus Achillea Alyssum Digitalis Eryngium Eucalyptus Foeniculum Geranium Helianthus Jasminum Lycopersicon Parthenocissus Passiflora Plumbago Pulmonaria Quercus Sempervivum Streptocarpus Tropaeolum Vaccinium PLANT HUNTERS Alexander von Humboldt Sir Joseph Banks Meriwether Lewis and William Clark Francis Masson and Carl Per Thunberg John Bartram David Douglas Carl Linnaeus Jane Colden and Lilian Suzette Gibbs Joseph Hooker Andre Michaux PLANT THEMES Where Plants Come From The Shape of Plants The Color of Plants The Qualities of Plants The Fragrance and Taste of Plants Numbers and Plants Animals and Plants CREDITS