Volume 3, Issue 7
How do you say Weigela?
an excerpt from Rebecca Alexander's Arboretum Bulletin article
Say What: Pronouncing Botanical Latin

Q: ... Are there hard and fast rules of pronunciation for botanical Latin?

A: There are certainly many books on the subject, and I highly recommend William Stearn’s “Botanical Latin” (4th ed., David & Charles, 1992). ...

... Some pronunciations are just plain awkward. Are we going to swim against the current of “FYU-sha” and call the genus Fuchsia, “FUKS-ee-a”—because it is named for Leonhart Fuchs, a 16th century German physician and herbalist? This is the recommendation of the Coombes book, “Horticulture” magazine, and others. And what about Weigela, named for German botanist Christian Ehrenfried von Weigel? I most often hear people saying “why-JEEL-ee-a,” which adds an unnecessary syllable; but it’s a German “w,” and should be pronounced like a “v,” as in “VYE-guh-la.” ...

Read the full article in the Spring 2016 Bulletin or on the Arboretum Foundation's website, where you can also hear audio clips of botanical experts with varied language backgrounds pronouncing some tricky genus names.

Get the most from your summer road trips:
Start at the library! 
We hope this summer brings you time to travel around Washington state and see varied plant communities, from the forests of the Cascade Range and Olympic Peninsula to the sage steppes of the Columbia Basin. We're spotlighting some of our favorite resources--many available for lending directly from the display--to help you study and appreciate the native plants of Washington, from vanilla leaf to prickly pear.

At right, a favorite: Lewis and Clark's Green World by A. Scott Earle and James Reveal.

Staff enjoy Heronswood Garden tour 

The library staff returned energized from a visit to Heronswood last month. We toured the beloved garden with staff from all units of the University of Washington Botanic Gardens, getting an opportunity to meet members of the Port Gamble S'Klallam Tribe, who own and manage the property today through the Port Gamble S'Klallam Foundation. Garden Director Daniel Hinkley welcomed our group with a tour of the recently revitalized garden. He and two experienced gardeners were on hand to answer our many questions about the new, rare, and fascinating species thriving there. We look forward to seeing the garden flourish in the years to come.

On the ferry ride home, we made plans to attend the Plant Sale and Garden Open, July 23 from 10 to 4.

 New to the Library

Designing a continuing education program for Pacific Northwest restoration practitioners Regina Wandler, Master of Environmental Horticulture candidate, University of Washington School of Environment and Forest Science. THESIS WANDLER 2016