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Rating: 
Summary: Nearly impossible to look up a name's meaning
Review: A very scholarly and authoritative work to be admired by academics everywhere - almost useless as a quick means to look up what a botanical name means. If you were to take a semester or so studying this work, it would probably turn out to be very useful. For example, the chapters are broken down into Habitats, Geographical Names, Colour Terms, Greek words, Descriptive Terminology, Chemical Reactions and Tests, etc. So, if you happen to already know that sagittatus is a descriptive term, you can go to the chapter on Descriptive Terminology and find out that it means arrow-headed. If you don't already know this, good luck finding out what it means in this book.
Rating:
Summary: Nearly impossible to look up a name's meaning
Review: A very scholarly and authoritative work to be admired by academics everywhere - almost useless as a quick means to look up what a botanical name means. If you were to take a semester or so studying this work, it would probably turn out to be very useful. For example, the chapters are broken down into Habitats, Geographical Names, Colour Terms, Greek words, Descriptive Terminology, Chemical Reactions and Tests, etc. So, if you happen to already know that sagittatus is a descriptive term, you can go to the chapter on Descriptive Terminology and find out that it means arrow-headed. If you don't already know this, good luck finding out what it means in this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Botanical Latin
Review: As the quote says: "This book aims to provide a working guide to the special kind of Latin internationally used by botanists for the description and naming of plants." As such it has little or no competition and by itself sets the standard in the field.Obviously it is not a dictionary, nor is it about plant names. For those wanting to look up current plants and their taxonomic status there is the invaluable "The plant-book" by D.J.Mabberley. For the derivation of botanical names there is "Stearn's dictionary of plant names for gardeners" by this same W.T.Stearn. Another very commendable dictionary (for a related field) is "Composition of Scientific Words" by R.W.Brown.
Rating: 
Summary: What use is this?
Review: Book is suitable for use as a door stop but not much else. note the following example which is typical: "Hypanthium: hypanthium (s.n. H), abl. sing. hypanthio." The words hypanthium and hypanthio are not further defined. Want to see more examples? I seem to find them every time I try to use the book. For me Webester's has been more useful.
Rating:
Summary: What use is this?
Review: Book is suitable for use as a door stop but not much else. note the following example which is typical: "Hypanthium: hypanthium (s.n. H), abl. sing. hypanthio." The words hypanthium and hypanthio are not further defined. Want to see more examples? I seem to find them every time I try to use the book. For me Webester's has been more useful.
Rating:
Summary: Essential for botanists, if a little dry
Review: Stearn's Botanical Latin is one of those books that every botanist involved with nomenclature and scientific description needs - especially if you never learned Latin in school and even if you did. There's a well-thumbed copy on the shelf in your herbarium, but you'll learn more from having it within arm's reach at all times. His introduction to the history provides the context and background to the elements of traditional nomenclature while the grammar and syntax can get you through the basics of a description. And of course, the vocabulary section is priceless for getting through old literature and descriptions - he provides enough of a skeleton of usage to help you understand the way descriptions are built and Latin terms are used in the botanical field. A typical latin dictionary provides tens of definitions for some words that in botanical Latin only get used one or a few ways, so the terminology section is great for making reading botanical Latin efficient.
Rating:
Summary: Essential for anybody who's serious about plants
Review: This book is probably on nearly every professional botanist's bookshelf, and is considered THE definitive reference for its subject. But it's also a great reference for anybody who is serious about plants and wants to know what their names mean and how they got them. This most certainly is a reference book and not light reading. Nonetheless "Botanical Latin" also includes many interesting little tidbits, such as the derivation of Linnaeus's name (Linnaeus was the original name, and not a Latinization of Linné, as often thought). There is much more in this book than just vocabulary and grammar.
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