Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners might be helpful to you. It gives the Latin words with their meaning and usually some further explanation. Are you also taking plant materials classes? That is where I learned the Latin names along with plant identification. Those plant materials classes were wonderful.

Don't have a suggestion, just encouragement. I spent three years looking for False Dragonhead which sounded perfect for my garden, only to discover that around here it is called Obedient plant and was already doing splendidly in my garden. Physostegia virginiana would have been so much easier in the long run.

Hi thanks;

@frances_md: Yes those plant materials classes are coming, but I really need a helpful primmer now so I can catch up to the botany majors whom I am in class with. I know some but I need something more comprehensive to work with so my familarity grows.

@Chris_... Yes I know what you mean looking for somethig you already have. Don't worry there are many other plans to find. ;-)

Any other suggestion still welcome.

Thanks,

Eric

William T. Stearn's "Botanical Latin" is the bible of this subject but may be more than you want or need for your purposes.

If you go to Amazon and search "botanical Latin", you'll see a number of helpful books on scientific plant names and common names. Then you could get them from the library to familiarize yourself with the logic behind scientific plant names. It's not so hard once you get the idea that many of these names are quite descriptive.

I don't know of any such book as you describe--a workbook for learning the names. It sounds like a great idea and somone should write one, which doesn't help you now.

The best solution is to get some of the botanical Latin books aimed at gardeners and read them to understand what certain word parts mean and they often reappear in different names--such as -folia or -viridissima. Then I'd suggest you make flash cards for yourself with botanical names, common names, and photos which you can print form the internet. Flash cards are an old-fashioned but very useful learning aid--and quite portable.

And I'd suggest not to be intimidated. You alread know some of the genera names--Rosa, Rhododendron, Iris, Viola, Chrysanthemum, Pinus, etc. They're just words.

I found a little volume "A Gardener's LATIN" by Richard Bird. It is not quite what I wanted but it is a good start. I am going to look for Linnaeus original work too, never hurts to take a gander at the original text.

~c0