Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1976 (SND Vol. X, list of scientific terms with Scottish connections).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
GORDONIA. 1. Bot. A genus of ornamental evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs of the tea family of Africa, Asia and America (1771 J. Ellis in Philosoph. Trans. LX. 518), called after James Gordon (†1781), who became a nurseryman in London and was a correspondent of Linnaeus.
2. Geol. (1) An early fossil anomodent reptile of the New Red Sandstone epoch (1893 E. T. Newton in Philosoph. Trans. B. 184), called after George Gordon (1801–93), of Elgin, minister of Birnie in Moray and naturalist.
You may wish to vary the format shown below depending on the citation style used.
"Gordonia ". Dictionary of the Scots Language. 2004. Scottish Language Dictionaries Ltd. Accessed 19 Dec 2025 <http://www.dsl.ac.uk/entry/snd/snd00090023>
