As with all plants, gum trees have a a 'botanical name' in addition to the commonly known names. For example Eucalyptus
. The melliodora part will give you an indication of what origin, form or colour it is. The table below lists many of species description.
| Acacia |
Gk. for a prickly Egyptian
shrub |
| acculeata |
pointed, referring to the
leaves |
| acetosus |
having an acid taste |
| adscendens |
rising upwards, ref. to the
tendency of the flowering branchlets to stand erect |
| aestivus,
aestivalis |
of summer |
| agrestis |
of fields or cultivated land |
| alatus |
winged |
| albus |
white |
| alpestris,
alpinus |
of the Alps or high mountains |
| altissimus |
very tall |
| altus |
tall, high |
| amabilis |
pleasing, lovely |
| angustatus |
narrow, slender |
| Anopterus |
anomes= iregular; pteris=
a wing, the seed has unequal wings |
| apetala |
without petals |
| arborescens |
treelike |
| archeri,
Archeria |
William Archer of Cheshunt
near Deloraine - illustrator of Flora Tasmanie (1860) |
| arenarius |
of sandy places |
| argenteus |
silvery |
| Aristotelia |
thought to be in honour ofAristotle |
| arundinaceus |
reedlike |
| arvensis |
of fields, especially ploughed
fields |
| Atherosperma |
Gk. atheros= the beard
of an ear of corn; sperm= a seed |
| aureus |
golden yellow |
| australis |
southern |
| autumnalis |
of autumn |
| axillaris |
indicates that the flowers
are in the axils of the leaves |
| Banksia |
Sir Joseph Banks (1743-1820) |
| Bedfordia |
Randolf Bedford |
| Bellendena |
beautiful native |
| Billardiera |
Jacques Julien Labillardiere
- Bruni D'Entrecasteaux |
| Blandfordia |
possibly to honour son of
a Duke of Marlborough |
| borealis |
northern |
| Boronia |
Francesco Borone - Italian
plant collector |
| Brachyscome |
Gk. brachys= short;
comas= hair; ref. to the short pappus hair aroung the florets |
| caeruleus |
sky blue |
| caesius |
blue grey |
| Caladenia |
Gk. kalos= beautiful;
aden= a knob, ref. to the long slender flower parts end in dark
clubs |
| calcaratus |
spurred |
| Caleana |
G Caley - a NSW plant collector |
| Callistemon |
Gk. kallistos= most
beautiful; stemon= a stamen |
| campanulatus |
bell-like |
| campestris |
of fields |
| candidus |
shining white |
| canescens |
hoary |
| capreolatus |
having tendrils |
| cardiocarpa |
cardis= heart;
carpa= fruit, the achene fruit is heart-shaped |
| carinatus |
keeled |
| carneus |
flesh coloured |
| carnosus |
fleshy, succulent |
| Cassinia |
Count Alexandre Henri-Gabriel
Cassini (1748-1832), a French botanist,who specialized in the Compositae |
| castaneus |
chestnut coloured |
| caudata |
tailed |
| caudatus |
tailed |
| cerasiferus |
having cherry-like fruits |
| ceriferus |
producing wax |
| cerinthoides |
like Cerinthe, the
honeywort or wax plant in the family Boraginaceae |
| cernuus |
nodding, drooping |
| cinereus |
ash grey |
| cirrhosus,
cirrhatus |
having tendrils |
| clavatus |
club shaped |
| Clematis |
Gk. small vine |
| coccineus |
scarlet |
| collinus |
of hills |
| communis |
common |
| comosus,
comatus |
tufted |
| concolor |
uniform in colour |
| Coprosma |
Gk. kopros= dung;
osme= smell |
| corniculatus,
cornutus |
having a hornlike appendage |
| costatus,
costatalis |
ribbed |
| crassus |
thick, fleshy |
| crispus,
crispatus |
finely waved |
| cruentus |
blood red |
| cyaneus |
dark blue |
| Cyathodes |
cup-like, ref. to the flower |
| dealbata |
off-white or silver |
| demersus |
growing underwater |
| demissus |
lowly, humble |
| Dendrobium |
Gk. dendro= tree;
bios= life, ref. to epiphytic habit |
| derwentiana |
belonging to the Derwent
River |
| diemensis |
from Van Diemens Land |
| Dillwynia |
LW Dillwyn (1778-1855) -
English botanist |
| Diplarrhena |
????? |
| discolor |
not uniform in colour |
| dracophylla |
leaves resembling those of
the Dragon Tree |
| Drimys |
Gk. drimus - acid |
| dulcis |
sweet |
| dumosus |
bushy |
| echinatus |
spiny |
| edulis |
used for food |
| effusus |
spread out thinly |
| elatus |
tall |
| elodes |
of marshes |
| ensatus |
swordlike |
| Epacris |
Gk. epi= upon; akros= the
top, ref. to ??? |
| Eriostemon |
hairy stamens |
| esculentus |
edible |
| Eucalyptus |
Gk. eu= well; kalyptos=
covered, ref. to the operculum |
| Eucryphia |
Gk. eu= well; kryphia=
covering, the calyx forms a cap |
| ferrugineus |
rust coloured |
| fistulosus |
hollow and tubular |
| flabellatus |
fanlike |
| flavus |
pale yellow |
| flexuosus |
bending alternately in opposite
directions |
| floribunda |
many-flowered |
| floribundus |
flowering profusely |
| fluitans |
floating |
| fluviatilis |
of rivers |
| foetidus |
foul smelling |
| fontinalis,
fontanus |
of springs |
| Forstera |
JR Forster and JGA Forster
- Cook's 2nd voyage |
| forsteri |
JR Forster and JGA Forster
- Cook's 2nd voyage |
| franklinii |
Sir John Franklin - naval
Governor of VDL |
| fulgens,
fulgidus |
bright, shining |
| fulvus |
yellow brown |
| furcatus |
forked |
| gelidus |
of cold regions |
| Gentianella |
little gentian - from Gentius,
King of Illyria who found the healing properties in the Yellow Gentian
of Europe |
| gentianoides |
leaves like those of a small
gentian |
| glandulosus |
small swellings or glands
on the serrations of the leaf |
| globulus |
a small globe |
| glutinosus |
sticky |
| Goodenia |
Samuel Goodenough (1743-1827)
- Bishop, V.P. of Roy. Soc. |
| gracilis |
slender |
| graveolens |
strong smelling |
| griseus |
pearl grey |
| gunnii |
Ronald Campbell Gunn of Launceston |
| hederaceus |
ivy-like |
| Helichrysum |
Gk. helios= sun; khrysos=
gold |
| hepaticus |
liver coloured |
| Hibbertia |
George Hibbert - London merchant |
| hibernus,
hiemalis |
of winter |
| hirsutus |
hairy |
| hookeri |
Joseph Dalton Hooker, visited
Hobart 1840, Surgeon -General |
| hookeriana |
Joseph Dalton Hooker, visited
Hobart 1840, Surgeon -General |
| horridus |
very bristly |
| hortensis |
of a garden |
| humulis |
dwarf |
| hystrix |
bristly |
| impressa |
dented, ref. to the impressions
at the base of the corrolla |
| impudicus |
shameless, immodest |
| incanus |
grey, hoary |
| incarnatus |
flesh coloured |
| indicus |
of India |
| Indigophera |
Indigo - Indian blue dye;
fero= I carry |
| infundibuliformis |
funnel shaped |
| insignis |
outstanding |
| integrifolius |
having entire leaves |
| italicus |
of Italy |
| johnstonii |
RM Johnston - |
| junceus |
rushlike |
| lacustris |
of lakes or ponds |
| laevigatum |
smooth |
| laevigatus |
smooth, polished |
| lanatus,
lanosus |
woolly |
| lanceolata |
leaves shaped like lance-heads |
| lasianthos |
Gk.lasios= hairy;
anthos= a flower |
| latifolius |
having broad leaves |
| Leptospermum |
Gk. leptos= slender;
sperma= seed |
| leucanthus |
having white flowers |
| limosus |
of muddy places |
| lineatus |
marked with parellel lines |
| littoralis |
of the seashore |
| lividus |
lead coloured |
| Lomatia |
Gk. lomatos= an edge,
ref. to the winged seeds |
| longiflora |
long flower |
| lunatus |
half-moon shaped |
| luridus |
dull yellow |
| luteus |
deep yellow |
| Lyperanthos |
Gk. lyperos= mournful;
anthos= flower |
| maculatus |
spotted, blotched |
| major |
the larger |
| marginata |
ref. to the tightly rolled
leaf margins |
| meredithae |
Louise Meredith - illustrator
and author of popular books on plants and animals |
| meridionalis |
southern; flowers opening
around midday |
| milliganii |
Dr Joseph Milligan - naturalist,
Sec. to the Governor |
| mollis |
softly hairy |
| monogyna |
incorrectly indicates that
the style is undivided - the plant has 3 free styles |
| montana |
of the mountains |
| montanus,
monticolus |
of the mountains |
| moraea |
from resemblance to S. African
Butterfly Iris, named in honour of Robert Moore - English botanist (18th
C) |
| moschatum |
with a musky scent, ref.
to ??????? |
| moschatus |
musk smelling |
| muralis |
of walls |
| nanus |
dwarf |
| natans |
floating on or under water |
| nemoralis,
nemorosus |
of shade or woodlands |
| nervosus |
having conspicuous veins |
| niger |
black |
| nigricans |
black |
| nivalis,
niveus, nivea |
snow white, of the snow |
| Nothofagus |
Gk. nothos= false;
fagus= beech |
| nudus |
naked |
| nutans |
nodding, hanging |
| occidentalis |
western, American |
| officinalis |
having medical use |
| Olearia |
probably from Olea,
the olive, from the resemblance of the leaves in some species |
| oleraceus |
vegetable crop |
| orientalis |
eastern, Asian |
| ovata |
egg-shaped, ref. to the leaves |
| paludosus,
palustris |
of bogs, marshes, or swamps |
| pannosus |
densely hairy |
| parvifolia |
small leaves |
| parvus |
small |
| patens |
spreading |
| peduncularis |
long flower stalk |
| petraeus |
growing among rocks |
| pilosa |
covered with distinct hairs |
| Pimelea |
Gk. pimele= fat, ref.
to the cotyledons |
| plenus,
pleniformis |
full, double |
| Pomaderris |
Gk. poma = a lid;
derris = skin, referring to the fact that the fruit opens by a thin
lid |
| praecox |
developing early |
| prasinus |
bright green |
| pratensis |
of meadows |
| Prionotes |
Gk. prion= a saw,
ref. to the leaf margins |
| procumbens |
prostrate or procumbent habit |
| Prostanthera |
Gk. prostheke= appendage;
anthera= anther, ref. to the projection on the anther |
| pulcher |
beautiful |
| punicea |
Gk. puniceus= scarlet,
from Punica, the pomegranate, which bears dark scarlet flowers |
| purpurascens |
purplish of turing purple |
| pusillus |
very small; weak |
| quadrifida |
split into four |
| ramosus |
branched |
| ramulosa |
ramulus= a small
branch |
| reniformis |
kidney shaped |
| repens,
reptans |
creeping, prostrate |
| Richea |
CAG Riche - botanist with
D'Entrecasteaux |
| riparius |
growing by rivers or streams |
| rivularis,
rivalis |
growing by streams or brooks |
| rodwayi |
Leonard Rodway - The Tasmanian
Flora (1903) |
| roseus |
pink |
| rostratus |
beaked |
| ruber |
red |
| ruderalis |
growing in rubbish |
| rupestris |
growing on rocks |
| salicina |
willow-like, referring to
the leaves |
| sativus |
cultivated |
| saxatilis |
growing among rocks |
| scaber |
rough |
| scandens |
climbing |
| scoparia |
from its resemblance to a
small broom plant, Sarothamnus scoparius |
| scorpioides |
like a scorpion |
| sempervirens |
evergreen |
| sericeus |
silky |
| serotinus |
late |
| setaceus,
setasus |
bristly |
| sinensis |
of China |
| somniferus |
sleep inducing |
| speciosus |
good looking |
| spectabilis |
showy |
| spiceri |
Rev. WW Spicer - A Handbook
of the Plants of Tasmania (1878). |
| squamatus |
scaly |
| squarrosus |
having overlapping leaves
with outward- projecting tips |
| Stackhousia |
John Stackhouse (1742-1819)
- botanist, Cornwell, England |
| stellulata |
little star |
| striolatum |
with fine lines |
| Styphelia |
Gk. styphelos= hard,
rough, ref. to the leaves |
| sylvaticus,
sylvestris |
of woods |
| Telopea |
Gk. tele= distant;
opas= colour |
| tenellus |
delicate |
| tenuis |
slender |
| terrestris |
of dry ground |
| Tetratheca |
tetra = four, theca = box
- alluding to the anthers |
| tinctoria |
useful for dyeing |
| tinctorius |
used for dyeing |
| truncata |
ending abruptly as if cut
off, ref. to the leaves |
| umbrosus |
of shade |
| uncinatus |
hooked |
| usitassimus,
utilis |
useful |
| velutinus |
velvety |
| ventricosus |
inflated, especially unevenly
so |
| vernalis,
vernus |
of spring |
| Veronica |
to honour St Veronica, a
nun who died in Milan in 1497 |
| verrucosus |
covered with warts |
| versicolor |
variously coloured |
| vescus |
small; edible |
| virens,
viridus |
green |
| viridiflorus |
green flowering |
| vulgaris |
common |