Botanical Latin is accepted by horticulturists and botanists everywhere as the medium for naming new plants, and botanical research is almost impossible without reference to the vast number of first descriptions in Latin — much information is available in no other language. For gardeners, too, a working knowledge of botanical Latin is essential for the accurate identification of plants in the garden. Now available in paperback, the fourth edition of this internationally renowned handbook summarizes the grammar and syntax of botanical Latin, and covers the origins of Latin and latinized geographical names, color terms, symbols and abbreviations, diagnoses and descriptions, the formation of names and epithets, and much more.
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Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
As Stearn states in his "Apologia" of a preface, "this book aims to provide a working guide to the special kind of Latin internationally used by botanists for the description and naming of plants." First published in 1966, Botanical Latin is the standard work in its field, a bible for botanists and a source of useful and trivial information for avid gardeners, etymologists, classical scholars, and others. The fourth edition has a larger format, "minor emendations" to bibliographies and text, and some 400 entries have been added to the vocabulary. This erudite and comprehensive work is recommended only for academic and specialized botanical and horticultural collections.
- Richard Shotwell, Hancock Shaker Vil lage, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
- Richard Shotwell, Hancock Shaker Vil lage, Pittsfield, Mass.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
"Mr. Stearn delivers the History, Grammar, Syntax, Terminology and Vocabulary of botanical Latin with such lively erudition I often find myself foraging through this linguistic hortus botanicus for the pure word-empowering romance of it."—Patti Hagan, Wall Street Journal, September 1, 1999 (Patti Hagan Wall Street Journal )
"The interesting array of words ... will pique the curiosity of even the most casual of readers leafing through the book to slow down, pause, and browse awhile."—Carole T. Gee, SpringerWienNewYork, 2006 (Carole T. Gee SpringerWienNewYork )
"This internationally renowned masterpiece is indispensible."—Cindy Roché, Kalmiopsis, August 2005 (Cindy Roch Kalmiopsis )
"The interesting array of words ... will pique the curiosity of even the most casual of readers leafing through the book to slow down, pause, and browse awhile."—Carole T. Gee, SpringerWienNewYork, 2006 (Carole T. Gee SpringerWienNewYork )
"This internationally renowned masterpiece is indispensible."—Cindy Roché, Kalmiopsis, August 2005 (Cindy Roch Kalmiopsis )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
45 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Stearn's Botanical Latin is one of those books that every botanist involved with nomenclature and scientific description needs - especially if you never learned Latin in school and even if you did. There's a well-thumbed copy on the shelf in your herbarium, but you'll learn more from having it within arm's reach at all times. His introduction to the history provides the context and background to the elements of traditional nomenclature while the grammar and syntax can get you through the basics of a description. And of course, the vocabulary section is priceless for getting through old literature and descriptions - he provides enough of a skeleton of usage to help you understand the way descriptions are built and Latin terms are used in the botanical field. A typical latin dictionary provides tens of definitions for some words that in botanical Latin only get used one or a few ways, so the terminology section is great for making reading botanical Latin efficient.
61 of 64 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As the quote says: "This book aims to provide a working guide to the special kind of Latin internationally used by botanists for the description and naming of plants." As such it has little or no competition and by itself sets the standard in the field.
Obviously it is not a dictionary, nor is it about plant names. For those wanting to look up current plants and their taxonomic status there is the invaluable "The plant-book" by D.J.Mabberley. For the derivation of botanical names there is "Stearn's dictionary of plant names for gardeners" by this same W.T.Stearn. Another very commendable dictionary (for a related field) is "Composition of Scientific Words" by R.W.Brown.
33 of 33 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This book is probably on nearly every professional botanist's bookshelf, and is considered THE definitive reference for its subject. But it's also a great reference for anybody who is serious about plants and wants to know what their names mean and how they got them.
This most certainly is a reference book and not light reading. Nonetheless "Botanical Latin" also includes many interesting little tidbits, such as the derivation of Linnaeus's name (Linnaeus was the original name, and not a Latinization of Linné, as often thought). There is much more in this book than just vocabulary and grammar.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
botanical latin. not for the novice.
This is a great book, but much understanding of the subject is needed before hand for a person to really get much out of it. Read more
Published on September 10, 2008 by Chance A. Dunlap
Outstanding. A classic in its field and scientific Latin generally
This is the best book readily available on scientific Latin, not just botanical Latin. Great lists, glossary, etc.
Published on April 20, 2008 by Dennis During
Botanical Latin - even the title sounds scary
I was given this book by a 'fellow plant person' as a helpful hand through grad 'skool'. I truly wish I'd had known about this book years ago when I starting to ID plants, lichens... Read more
Published on October 21, 2007 by T. Vanover
A must-have for serious students of botany
Ever wonder what those Latin botanical names actually mean? Well, this book will reveal it all. It's thick and heavy, but that's to be expected of such a thorough and exhaustive... Read more
Published on January 10, 2007 by Paul T. Corogin
Nearly impossible to look up a name's meaning
A very scholarly and authoritative work to be admired by academics everywhere - almost useless as a quick means to look up what a botanical name means. Read more
Published on February 12, 2002 by pterostyrax
What use is this?
Book is suitable for use as a door stop but not much else. note the following example which is typical: "Hypanthium: hypanthium (s.n. H), abl. sing. hypanthio. Read more
Published on December 25, 2000 by Henry E. Raduazo
Inside This Book
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Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs):
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plural nom, first declension, third declension, second declension, perfect indicative, present indicative, present participle, plant taxonomy, perfect participle, present infinitive, non reagens, secondary petioles, terminating gradually, few generic names, sub angulo, noun base, common petiole, geographical epithets, commemorating persons, adjectival base, rei herbariae, verb base, plantarum historia, modern botany, connecting vowel Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Singular Nom, Asia Minor, Soviet Union, Species Plantarum, Kew Bull, New York, Old World, Linnean Soc, John Lindley, Genera Plantarum, Alphonse de Candolle, West Indies, Atlantic Ocean, Carl Linnaeus, Ray Society, Rio de Janeiro, Priscilla Fawcett, Pliny the Elder, Cape of Good Hope, Third Person, Mediterranean Sea, Gentes Herb, Herbarium of the British Museum, Albertus Magnus, Stella Ross-Craig Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
plural nom, first declension, third declension, second declension, perfect indicative, present indicative, present participle, plant taxonomy, perfect participle, present infinitive, non reagens, secondary petioles, terminating gradually, few generic names, sub angulo, noun base, common petiole, geographical epithets, commemorating persons, adjectival base, rei herbariae, verb base, plantarum historia, modern botany, connecting vowel Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Singular Nom, Asia Minor, Soviet Union, Species Plantarum, Kew Bull, New York, Old World, Linnean Soc, John Lindley, Genera Plantarum, Alphonse de Candolle, West Indies, Atlantic Ocean, Carl Linnaeus, Ray Society, Rio de Janeiro, Priscilla Fawcett, Pliny the Elder, Cape of Good Hope, Third Person, Mediterranean Sea, Gentes Herb, Herbarium of the British Museum, Albertus Magnus, Stella Ross-Craig Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
65
books
cite this book:
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- Plants and Empire: Colonial Bioprospecting in the Atlantic World by Londa Schiebinger on page 200, Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- A Guide to Kansas Mushrooms by Bruce Horn on page 273, and Back Matter
- Plant Taxonomy and Biosystematics by Clive Anthony Stace on page 205, and Back Matter
- Angraecoid Orchids: Species from the African Region by Joyce Stewart in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Natural Theology (Oxford World's Classics) by William Paley in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
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