Browsing: telephium

< Back to Dictionary of Succulent Plant Names

Epithet: telephium
Derivation: Honors Telephus, a son of Heracles and Auge, the daughter of King Aleus of Tegea. He received a thigh wound from the spear of Achilles that would not heal until treated by rust scraped from the spear that had caused the wound.
Pronunciation: te-LE-fee-um

While the generic name must be unique, two or more genera often share the same specific epithet. Moreover, the same epithet can be used for subspecies, varieties, and forms within a species. Here is a list of plants that share this epithet.