How on earth did Liquidambar enter the otherwise Latin list of genera? I have asked a lot of gardening experts, and no one else seems bothered by this. Can you assuage my anguish?
There are quite a few botanical (scientific) names that are not Latin in origin–many are Greek, or modeled after the name of the plant explorer who ‘discovered’ them, or the plant’s geographical origins, to name a few possibilities.
Liquidambar actually does have Latin roots. According to Geoffrey Grigson’s A Dictionary of English Plant Names (Allen Lane, 1974), Liquidambar styraciflua, a native of North America and Mexico, was introduced in 1683. The name refers to the tree’s fragrant gum or resin:
liquidambar (liquidus, ‘liquid,’ + medieval Latin ambra, ‘amber’)
A Spanish physician, Francisco Hernandez, coined the name in the 16th century. “The gum was sold in apothecaries’ shops as Balsamum liquidambrae.” The species name, styraciflua, is derived from a Latin phrase meaning ‘storax fluid.’ From the following article in the Bulletin of Hispanic Studies, Volume 86, I discovered more information about storax:
“According to Dioscorides:
storax is the sap of a tree which resembles the quince tree. The best is yellow, fatty and resinous; it has whitish lumps, its scent lasts for a very long time and when softened, it releases some honey-like moisture.“