Here in the land of boresville this morning , I am using some down time to brush up a few common Latin words that help with plant ID.

Back in high school I took 2 years of Latin ,and mandate that my kids do the same, first so they can suffer as I did ,and second to help with college writing and SATs . I remember my teacher Mr. Davidson very well. He was a funny guy who knew how to make the time we spent in class go a little faster, so I count him among my faves. At the beginning of the year he made us all choose a Latin name to be called in class. As you can expect the boys all chose (in the immature fashion of 15 year olds) names like Gluteus Maximus and  Caligula……… I honestly can’t remember mine, but I was quiet and remarkably unclever back in the day so it was probably something like Phillipa.

I wish I had the fortitude to call myself Lesbia or Regina. Regina means queen , which is close to Diva, so that is the name I would chose for myself today (let the Lesbia thing go already).

I  can still hear the chant  of conjugation : amo,amas,amat,amamus,amatis amant,amare,…..made worse by the fact that a.) I didn’t love anyone so did not need to learn to say it 50 ways and b.)  the word order in sentences made it beyond difficult to figure out who was doing what to whom ,which is a point that needs clarification in my book especially when it comes to love.

I already know my latin colors and numbers, those are  like the Sesame Street parts of the language . Now I am moving on to words that describe a plant in other ways and are often given as a prefix to their name.

Caprifolium means “climbing like a goat”  an lupulus “like a wolf” . Odd ways to describe a plant .

 Complexa means”complex, interwoven branches” I like the complex part, so now I am Regina Complexa.

 Scandens sounds like it would have some connotation of promiscuity or wantonness, but sadly it just really means climbing. Bummer.

Atomarius is speckled, Maleagris , and conspersus mean speckled as well. Can you tell me what kind of language needs three words for speckled?

Cineracus means covered in gray hairs, weird to have one word mean that, but now I have a Latin name for Bill.

There are several different words that mean striped (striatus,syrtriatus) and more than you would think for splotched or spotted (maculata, pardinus, guttatus). I must find out have that is different from speckled. 

For describing the color red and /or red traits such as veins, stems or leaves , there are over ten words. Apparently Roman plants were many many variations of  red.

I have a brain like a sieve, so most of this will be long forgotten , or buried so far back in the recesses of my mind , behind the grocery list and the kid’s taxi schedule, that I will never be able to recall the words when I need them, but I am making the effort anyway. It is too cold to go outside , I am sick of every book I am reading, and I  must either stave off the boredom or succumb to nesting on the couch with the 30 boxes of Girl Scout cookies that are taunting me from the cabinet and watching reality TV. 

 …but your Latin lesson is over…….Quidquid praecipies, esto brevis   🙂