A Primer of Botanical Latin with Vocabulary

Latin is one of two acceptable languages for describing new plants, and taxonomists must be able to translate earlier texts in Latin. Providing a simple explanation of Latin grammar along with an in-depth vocabulary, this is an indispensable guide for systematic botanists worldwide. All relevant parts of speech are discussed, with accompanying examples as well as worked exercises for translating diagnoses and descriptions to and from Latin. Guidelines for forming specific epithets are also included. The authors cross-reference their grammar to Stearn's Botanical Latin and to articles in the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi and Plants. The comprehensive vocabulary is enhanced with terms from recent glossaries for non-flowering plants ? lichens, mosses, algae, fungi and ferns ? making this an ideal resource for anyone looking to hone their understanding of Latin grammar and to translate botanical texts from the past 300 years.

Dedication; Preface; Acknowledgements; Introduction; Part I. Grammar: 1. The noun; 2. The adjective and the participle; 3. The adverb; 4. The preposition; 5. The conjunction; 6. The pronoun; 7. The verb; 8. Numerals, measurements; 9. Prefixes and suffixes; 10. Miscellany; Part II. Exercises in Translation: 11. Exercises; 12. Answers to the exercises; Part III. Translating: 13. Translating into Latin; 14. Translating from Latin into English; Part IV. Vocabulary: References; Further reading; Index.

Emma Short worked for five years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, UK, on the Index Kewensis database, before co-editing the Authors of Plant Names database with R. K. Brummitt. She has regularly checked Latin for Australian Systematic Botany and has recently taught courses in Botanical Latin.
Alex George is an Adjunct Associate Professor at the School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Perth. He was a botanist with the Western Australian Herbarium for 21 years, then Editor of the Flora of Australia for 12 years. He studied Latin to Tertiary level and has used it in describing some 400 new taxa, translating for others and editing.