How did the delphinium get its name? Which parts of the bodylend their names to auriculas and orchids? Who are the gentian, lobelia andheuchera named after? Why are nasturtiums and antirrhinums connected? What doesan everlasting pea have to do with Indian miniature paintings?


A Little Book of Latin for Gardeners, beautifullyillustrated with old woodcuts, explains how and why plants have been named, andtakes the reader down some of the stranger byways of human endeavour andeccentricity.


'Those looking for an excuse to break off from weeding ordeadheading by a sudden desire to know why the Latin name for the foxglove isdigitalis, or what delphiniums have to do with dolphins, will find themselvesstill reading an hour later, unable to break away from the fascinating mixtureof history, literary allusion, anecdote and occasional gardening advice. Theeffect on the reader is sometimes that of being led round an English countrygarden by a charming plantsman' Times Literary Supplement


'An entertaining and invaluable resource' Sunday Times