With hundreds of thousands of plant species across the world, we have put together a list of English common to Latin plant names to help you identify what to ask for.
Some common plant names are hundreds of years old and often have a story to tell, for example, an Araucaria araucana was given the common name ‘Monkey Puzzle Tree’ by the Victorians who thought the trees stiff branches would puzzle a monkey trying to climb it. The main advantage of using common plant names is the ease and usage and common understanding by many.
Below is a list of A-Z common plant names and the Latin translation.
| Common | Latin |
| African lily | Agapanthus |
| Alder | Alnus |
| Andromeda, Lily-of-the-valley | Pieris |
| Ash | Fraxinus |
| Avens | Geum |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Bamboo | Fargesia |
| Bamboo | Phyllostachys |
| Barberry | Berberis |
| Bay Laurel | Laurus nobilis |
| Beech | Fagus sylvatica |
| Bergamot | Monarda |
| Big blue lily-turf | Liriope |
| Birch | Betula |
| Birds nest fern | Asplenium |
| Black-eyed Susan, Coneflower | Rudbeckia |
| Black tower elder | Sambucus |
| Blackberry | Rubus |
| Blackthorn | Prunus spinosa |
| Bluebeard | Caryopteris |
| Boston Ivy | Parthenocissus |
| Box, Common box | Buxus |
| Box-leaved holly | Ilex crenata |
| Broadleaf | Griselinia littoralis |
| Broom | Genista |
| Broom | Cytisus |
| Buckthorn | Rhamnus |
| Bugle | Ajuga |
| Butterfly Bush | Buddleja |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Calico Bush | Kalmia |
| Californian lilac | Ceanothus |
| Catmint | Nepeta |
| Cedar | Cedrus |
| Chaenomeles | Quince |
| Chinese silver grass | Miscanthus |
| Christmas rose | Helleborus niger |
| Coneflower | Echinacea |
| Copper beech | Fagus sylvatica pururea |
| Coral bells | Heuchera |
| Corkscrew hazel | Corylus avellana |
| Cow parsley | Anthriscus |
| Cowslip | Primula veris |
| Cranesbill | Geranium |
| Curry plant | Helichrysum |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Daisy bush | Olearia |
| Daylily | Hemerocallis |
| Dogwood | Cornus |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Elephant’s ears | Bergenia |
| Elm | Ulmus |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Feather reed grass | Calamagrostis |
| Fern | Dryopteris |
| Field maple | Acer campestre |
| Fir | Abies |
| Flowering Currant | Ribes |
| Flowering quince | Chaenomeles |
| Foamflower | Tiarella |
| Fountain grass | Pennisetum |
| Foxglove | Digitalis |
| Fuji cherry | Prunus ‘Kojo-no-mai’ |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Globe flower | Trollius |
| Globe thistle | Echinops |
| Golden Bell Bush | Forsythia |
| Golden Oats | Stipa gigantea |
| Golden privet | Ligustrum’ Aureum’ |
| Gorse | Ulex |
| Granny’s bonnet | Aquilegia |
| Gum Tree | Eucalyptus |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Hard fern, deer fern | Blechnum |
| Hazelnut | Corylus |
| Heather | Calluna |
| Heather | Erica |
| Heavenly bamboo | Nandina |
| Himalayan honeysuckle | Leycesteria |
| Holly | Ilex |
| Hollyhock | Alcea |
| honeysuckle | Lonicera |
| Hornbeam | Carpinus |
| Horse Chestnut | Aesculus |
| Hyssop | Agastache |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Italian cypress | Cupressus |
| Ivy | Hedera |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Japanese Spurge | Pachysandra |
| Japanese anemone | Anemone |
| Japanese Maple | Acer |
| Jasmine | Jasminum |
| Juniper | Juniperus |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Knotgrass | Persicaria |
| Kohuhu | Pittosporum |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Lady’s mantle | Alchemilla |
| Lamb’s ears | Stachys |
| Laurel | Prunus laur ‘Rotundifolia’ |
| Lavender | Lavandula |
| Lawson’s cypress | Chamaecyparis |
| Lenten Rose | Helleborus |
| Lilac | Syringa |
| Lily-of-the-valley | Convallaria |
| Lime | Tilia |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Mallow | Lavatera |
| Masterwort | Astrantia |
| Mexican orange blossom | Choisya |
| Mock Orange | Philadelphus |
| Monkey Puzzle | Araucaria |
| Montbretia | Crocosmia |
| Mulberry | Morus |
| Common | Latin |
| New Zealand Flax | Phormium |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Oak | Quercus Robur |
| Oleaster | Elaeagnus |
| Olive | Olea |
| Oregon Grape | Mahonia |
| Oriental lily | Lilium |
| Ornamental Crab, Crab apple | Malus |
| Ornamental onion | Allium |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Pearl bush | Exochorda |
| Periwinkle | Vinca |
| Peruvian lily | Alstroemeria |
| Pine | Pinus |
| Plantain Lily | Hosta |
| Poppy | Papaver |
| Portuguese Laurel | Prunus lusitanica |
| Privet | Ligustrum ovalifolium |
| Pussy willow | Salix |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Red hot poker | Kniphofia |
| Rock rose | Cistus |
| Rose | Rosa |
| Rosemary | Rosmarinus |
| Rowan, Mountain Ash | Sorbus |
| Russian sage | Perovskia |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Sage | Salvia |
| Sea holly | Eryngium |
| Sedge | Carex |
| Sedum, Stonecrop | Hylotelephium |
| Shasta daisy | Leucanthemum |
| Shrubby veronica | Hebe |
| Shuttlecock fern | Matteuccia |
| Siberian bugloss | Brunnera |
| Silk Tassel Bush | Garrya |
| Silver spear | Astelia |
| Smokebush | Cotinus |
| Sneezeweed | Helenium |
| Snowdrop | Galanthus |
| Snowy woodrush | Luzula nivea |
| Soft shield fern | Polystichum setiferum |
| Speedwell | Veronica |
| Spindle tree | Euonymus |
| Spotted Laurel | Aucuba |
| Spruce | Picea |
| Spurge | Euphorbia |
| Star jasmine | Trachelospermum |
| Sweetbox | Sarcococca |
| Switch ivy | Leucothoe |
| Sycamore | Acer |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Thorn | Crataegus |
| Tree fern | Dicksonia |
| Tree hollyhock | Hibiscus |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Wallflower | Erysimum |
| Walnut | Juglans |
| Weeping fig | Fiscus |
| Western Hemlock | Tsuga |
| Western Red Cedar | Thuja |
| Wintercreeper | Euonymus ‘Emerald n Gold’ |
| Witch Hazel | Hamamelis |
| Wormwood | Artemisia |
| Common Name | Latin Name |
| Yarrow | Achillea |
| Yew | Taxus |
Click here for Latin to Common Names A-Z.
