Dear wwh (and anybody else, especially the Latinate Loop),

Here's another one of those botanical names, the first, Alectoria probably after the botanist in question, and the second, sarmentosa, that may be descriptive.

Question: Does sarmentosa mean anything in particular in Latin?

Another question: How 'bout tomentosa, as in the Pawlonia (sometimes Paulonia) tomentosa? Does the tomentosa have any meaning?

One more: Come to think of it, what does "tosa" mean in Latin or perhaps "osa"? For the record, Alectoria sarmentosa is commonly called "Witch's Hair" and sometimes "Old Man's Beard," a lichen deer eat in winter after it's blown down from the treetops.

Best regards,
WhentheWindblows