Common Names Cause Confusion
- Lana Dion
- May 17, 2023
- 4 min read
Updated: May 31, 2023
Say it with me: "Common Names Cause Confusion!" 😂
When I first started learning about native plants and saw people using Latin names, it could come across a bit pretentious. Like, "yah, we get it, you know Latin - good for you."=P However, years later I now understand the benefits - and necessity - of Latin botanical names!
Why?
For clarity of communication and education, knowing we are purchasing the correct plants or seeds, and they often tell us about the plant's characteristics.
Common names aren't officially appointed and agreed upon. The same name could refer to many different plants, across regions or even in the same area! It's like a comedy script when two people are having a conversation not realizing they're each talking about something completely different! 😅
When shopping at a nursery, common names could disguise a plant you don't actually want! Without the Latin name, we can't be certain what a plant actually is. This is especially important when we're trying to plant natives and avoid invasives!
No matter one's location in the world or language spoken, these names will always be the same; and even if you've never heard of a plant before, the Latin botanical name often tells something about the plant's characteristics in the prefix, root, and suffix! Unlocking what the parts of the words/names mean also makes it so much easier to learn and remember them. *See examples below!
You can use them without being pompous.
Any hobby or area of interest will have its associated lingo, and so does gardening. That doesn't mean we're showing off or excluding anyone, it's just the language of the trade, so to speak. Someone new to gardening or not into it probably won't know what some terms are talking about, like CMS (cold moist stratification), scarification (scratching a seed to aid germination), and ecoregion ("areas where ecosystems and the type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources are generally similar" [US EPA]). Latin plant names are the same - it's just part of gardening and growing habitat! =)
You don't have to learn all at once!
It's literally another language - take your time. I'm trying to learn the Latin names of the native plants on my property a few at a time. It really helps to use them when I talk/write about them with others - my brain definitely needs the repetition in order to remember! I also keep folders on my computer containing photos of each native plant with the common and Latin names on the folder, this way I can quickly copy the name while I'm grabbing a photo for reference. I also often use wildflower.org to quickly grab Latin names by searching the common name of a plant.
One last tip, the genus name comes first and is always capitalized; the species is second and is never capitalized. Example: Echinacea purpurea (purpurea = purple; purple coneflower).
I hope this helps and I hope you'll all join me in learning and practicing these names! =)
**Much thanks to Carol Clark for her presentation "Just Enough Latin to Go Plant Shopping," which helped unlock this for my brain! =D I also used notes and her resources from that presentation for this post.**
*Parts of the Latin botanical name could describe...
timing: "perennis" - meaning "perennial," like in Asclepias perennis, A.K.A. swamp/aquatic milkweed
size & number: "pauci" - meaning "few," like in Pyrrhopappus pauciflorus, A.K.A. false dandelion
scent: "citriodora" - meaning "smells like citrus fruits," like in Monarda citriodora, A.K.A. lemon beebalm, purple horsemint, lemon mint, lemon horsemint, etc.
plant parts: "carpus" - meaning "fruit," like in Callicarpa americana, A.K.A. American beautyberry ("calli" = beautiful, hence "beautyberry"!)
location: "occidentalis" - meaning "western," like in Tradescantia occidentalis, A.K.A. prairie/western spiderwort
habitat: "rupicola" - meaning "found only in rocky places," like in Yucca rupicola, A.K.A. twistleaf yucca
form: "humilis" - meaning "low" (sounds like "humility"), like in Rivina humilis, A.K.A. pigeonberry
description: "hirta" - meaning "with thin stiff hairs", like in Rudbeckia hirta, A.K.A. black/brown-eyed susan
color: "canescens" - meaning "becoming silvery like a wolf" (sounds like "canine"), like in Amorpha canescens, A.K.A. leadplant
[More common, "coccinea" - meaning "red", like in Salvia coccinea, A.K.A. scarlet/tropical sage]
a person: Drummond, Berlandier, Gregg, Wright, Lindheimer, Muhlenberg
Scutellaria drummondii, A.K.A. Drummond's skullcap
Berlandiera lyrata, A.K.A. chocolate daisy
Conoclinium greggii, A.K.A. Gregg's mistflower
Scutellaria wrightii, A.K.A. Wright's skullcap
Lindheimera texana, A.K.A. Texas yellowstar, Lindheimer daisy
Carex muehlenbergii, A.K.A. Muhlenberg's sedge
Resources & Education
Latin Plant Names: Are They Descriptive & Helpful Or Smoke And Mirrors? Let Me Explain What They Mean.
Latin for Gardeners: What Plant Names Reveal!
International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN)
Learn to pronounce botanical Latin
Books
Gardener's Latin: Discovering the Origins, Lore and Meanings of Botanical Names by Bill Neal (1993)
Fearless Latin: A Gardener's Introduction to Botanical Nomenclature
Nov 8, 2011, by Sara Mauritz
A Primer of Botanical Latin with Vocabulary
Mar 21, 2013, by Emma Short and Alex George
Plant Identification Terminology: An Illustrated Glossary 2nd Edition
by James G. Harris and Melinda Woolf Harris
Botanical Latin: History, Grammar Syntax, Terminology and Vocabulary
by William T. Stearn
A Botanist's Vocabulary: 1300 Terms Explained and Illustrated
by Susan K. Pell , Bobbi Angell
