Our landscape gardener John Gaffney shares insight to the names of three trees found at OmVed.
The botanical name for Willow, Salix, comes from the Celtic Sal, meaning close to or near to, and Lix, meaning water. It's because willows are often found growing near water. Salix is also a short for salicydic acid, a compound used for many cosmetic and medicinal products, such as the aspirin, which is derived from the bark of willow trees.
English Walnut is Juglans Regia. Juglans is derived from the Latin jovis glans, which translates to Jupiter's Royal nut because it is believed that when Jupiter was walking on the earth he would eat walnuts from these trees. Walnuts also produce a chemical called juglone, which is a plant growth inhibitor.
The common English Yew is called Taxus Baccatta. Taxus comes from the Greek Taxon, meaning bow, because yews create this strong, straight wood which was used for making bows. Baccata refers to bearing berries. The berry itself is made of two parts, the red flesh which is edible, and the seed, which is highly poisonous.
