Stearn's Dictionary of Plant Names for Gardeners

A Handbook on the Origin and Meaning of the Botanical Names of Some Cultivated Plants
by William T. Stearn

William Stearn (1911-2001) was one of the outstanding botanists of the 20th century. His classic work on plant names, resulting from years of original research and scholarship, is an invaluable companion for the gardener, who will dip into it for pleasure and entertainment as well as instruction.

Stearn’s Dictionary updates and expands the 1972 Gardener's Dictionary of Plant Names by the same author, which in turn updated A.W. Smith's Gardener's Book of Plant Names (1963). It includes 6,000 botanical names, with definitions and derivations, plus 3,000 common names, cross-referenced to their botanical names. There is also an excellent chapter explaining how plants are named and why plant names change.

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