Many wild plant names are derived from early Greek, Latin, or Old
English and their antiquity can often cloud their original meaning. As
the names of some plants have passed through the ages, their initial
significance may have became distorted through mistakes in spelling,
grammar, translation or simply through misunderstanding. In the
eighteenth century the Swedish naturalist Linnaeus sought to bring order
to the confusion of botanical classification by introducing a system of
scientific names that would be universally understood. This book traces
the origins of both the popular English names and the scientific names
of many of the most common species of wild plants and trees in Great
Britain. With detailed line drawings of some of the plants mentioned,
John E. Stevens provides a comprehensive glossary of plant names from
'Aaron's rod' to 'Yew', making this a perfect pocket guide for keen
gardeners and plant enthusiasts.