A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

xyl-, xylo-, -xylus (adj.A), -xylicus (adj.A); -xylum,-I (s.n.II), -xylon,-i (s.n.II): in Gk. comp., woody, relating to wood;

- xylinus,-a,-um (adj.A) pertaining to wood, woody; xylogenus,-a,-um (adj.A), born or produced on wood; xylophilus,-a,-um (adj.A), woodloving, living on wood; xylorrhizus,-a,-um (adj.A) with woody roots or rootstock;

- leucoxylus, leucoxylicus, leucoxylic, leucoxylous; melanoxylus, melanoxylicus, melanoxylous, with black wood; xanthoxylus, xanthoxylicus, with yellow wood.

- xylocanthus,-a,-um (adj.A), with woody spines (note the elision of the a-, otherwise xylacanthus; xylophagus,-a,-um (adj.A), wood-devouring.

- xylobalsamum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. xylobalsamo: the wood of the balsam-tree; xylocassia,-ae (s.f.I), abl. sg. xylocassia, wood of the cassia, cassia-wood; xylocinnamomum,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. xylocinnamomo, the wood of the cinnamon plant.

- Xanthoxylum,-i (s.n.II) Gmel., abl. sg. Xanthoxylo, Gk. xanthos, yellow, and xylon, wood; Haematoxylum, Blood-wood; Carpoxylon,-i (s.n.II), abl. sg. Carpoxylo.

- Xylobium: Greek xylon, wood and bios, life, alluding to the growth of plants of this genus on trees (Orchidaceae); Xylophylla L., in reference to a woody leaf, the true leaves in this genus obsolete and the branches are leaf-like; Xylosteum, from Greek xylon, wood and osteon, bone.

- Dysoxylum > Gk. dys, bad + xylon, wood, “The wood of some species of these trees has an unpleasant smell” (Stearn 1996); see dys-.

NOTE: as certain groups of fungi prefer wood as a substrate, a wide variety of fungal and lichen generic names begin with xyl- and xylo-: from Xylaria to Xylostroma.