i was led to believe it was to do with a place in austria/switzerland. like japonica for japan.

may well be wrong and not at all an odd question just an odd woman trying to answer you. :o)

Just looked it up and discovered it means soft,gentle to touch.Soft hairy leaves.
No wonder my wife never belives me after I`ve come in moaning that I`ve been attacked from behind by the prickly Bears Breeches!

Well, A. mollis is a far different thing from A spinosus, Fidget! : )

Ah, now, I should have gone to the Latin Dictionary. And there it is with a bundle of meanings from 'soft' to 'flexible' among others. All makes sense now. Thanks for helping.

There`s a big clue in the name somewhere isn`t there?

I`ll report back when i`ve found it : )

And to think I was once nicknamed Razor!Only once tho`!

Pretty sure the melis in Hamamelis means sweet/honey. Diabetes mellitus means to pass through honey water - i.e. urine that has sugar in it, which is why you get urine tests. Mollis does mean smooth however.

I daresay it comes from the same Latin stem, but in Italian, "molla" is a spring, or a coil, "molle" means loose, slack, moist, squishy, weak, flabby, sodden, soft.
Take your pick.

Mollify means to smooth things over. There's a clue in that word.

Thanks, everyone. Sorted!