“A clear conscience is often the sign of a bad memory.” – Unknown
LIVING WITH LATIN
Okay, time for lesson two of Living with Latin. And this time I’m going to focus on Latin names of familiar plants, in particular edible plants.
For example, have you ever grown Solanum tuberosum? Well if you’re a veggie gardener, the answer is probably yes, because it’s the Latin name for the potato. The genus name, Solanum, comes from the Latin word for quiet or solace, and refers to the narcotic properties of some species, in particular the nightshades, which are poisonous. In fact, the leaves of the common potato are poisonous as well. Tuberosum refers to the fact that the potato is a tuber.
Two other popular crops in the same genus are S. lycopersicum and S. melongena, better known, respectively, as the tomato and the eggplant. Lycopersicum means wolf peach, and refers to the fact that tomatoes were once thought to be poisonous. Melongena means “mad apple,” sort of. (There’s even a Solanum jamesii, which is a wild potato that grows in SW parts of this country and in Mexico. Word is it isn’t all that tasty. And no, it wasn’t named after me.)
When was the last time you tried Lactuca sativa? Chances are within the past few days. It’s the Latin name for lettuce. Lactuca means milk (think lactate or lactose) and refers to the milky sap that lettuce exudes when cut. Sativa means cultivated.
And finally, how ‘bout some Ocimum basilicum? That’s basil to you and me. Ocimum means to smell or to be fragrant, and basilicum means princely.
So tonight, as you sit down for dinner, consider preparing some roasted Solanum tuberosums along with a salad of Solanum lycopersicum, Lactuca sativa, and a few leaves of Ocimum basilicum. Oh, and don’t forget the mozzarella.
Yummy!
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