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The genera or genus a plant family such as the New Zealand family of pohutukawa and rata trees is Metrosideros, and within this genus we find Metrosideros excelsa, Metrosideros umbellata, Metrosideros robusta, etc SpeciesĪ species is those plants that are the same and produce viable offspring. The plant order is not included in the botanical name, except in scientific situations or in gardening textbooks and plant dictionaries where it gives us clues that clematis, ranunculus and hellebores, all members of Ranunculaceae, have something in common. Magnoliaceae or Ranunculaceae are plant orders that contain many different genera that share a key characteristic(s). A plant order is a family of different genera that are sufficiently similar, e.g. The Structure of Plant Families Plant OrdersĪ step up from the botanical name we have plant orders. It is simple good sense, and it saves the confusion common names can cause, unless it is as unpronounceable as Paeonia mlokosewitschii, named for Frederich Mlokosewitch who found it, but known almost universally as ‘Molly the Witch’. Using the botanical rather than a common name is not garden snobbery. So while sometimes it does seem as if ‘It’s all Greek to me!’, it really is worth finding out the botanical name. Celmisia spectabilis is a very showy or spectacular celmisia, Coprosma prostrata and Cotoneaster horizontalis are prostrate growers, and Cercis chinensis comes from China and Cercis canadensis from Canada Geum montanum comes from the mountains Prunus autumnalis flowers in the autumn. The great value in understanding the botanical name comes from following the family trees through and using the other, descriptive clues in the name. Senecio monroi) where the name in brackets is the previous or, occasionally, less well-known name. Sometimes, perhaps too often for gardeners’ liking, the scientists will change a botanical name and thus we get Brachyglottis monroi (syn. Species within each family are adjectives (‘australis’, ‘indivisa’, etc.).īotanical names are usually written in italics as in Cordyline indivisa. ‘Cordyline’) is a noun and has a gender (i.e. The way the name is built up is based on Latin grammar rules. In NZ a ‘Mingimingi’ can be either Coprosma propingqua, Cyathodes juniperina or Cyathodes robusta which also comes with either a white fruit or a red fruit.Īnd then there are the plants that have more than one common name the climbing pest Clematis vitalba is known as Old Man’s Beard and Traveller’s Joy Bergamont and Bee’s Balm are both Monarda didyma and Erythronium as Trout Lilies and Dogs Tooth Violets. More than one plant has the same common name in the UK an ‘Ash’ is actually a Fraxinus while in the USA it is really a Sorbus ‘Arums’ are frequently not Arums at all Zantedischia and an Aconite can be the late summer flowering, deep blue flowered perennial Aconitum or the tiny winter flowering bulb Eranthis hyemalis. Common names can be very local, some plants don’t have a common name, and others have more than one. Many gardeners and most plant nurseries prefer botanical names as they avoid the confusion that common names can cause. Think of all the New Zealand plants that are Something chathamica! Why Not Common Names? reptans or alba) but, coupled with the generic name, each plant has a unique name. Specific names may occur a number of times (e.g. The difference between the human naming convention and that of plants is that each pant generic or family name occurs only once. In the plant world we have the celmisia family, Celmisia, and its member Celmisia semicordata, Celmisia spectabilis, etc. Thus, the human world we have the Brown family, and we have John, Jane and Mary Brown within that. Botanical names all have two main parts: a generic or family name and a specific or species name. The system we use today is based on that developed by Linneaus, a Swedish naturalist, developed in the 18th century. For this reason we prefer to use the term ‘botanical name’ rather than ‘Latin name’. Many botanical names are derived from Greek, a persons name (the discoverer, sponsor or someone-else altogether!), are descriptive or give the place of origin of the plant. Botanical, Latin or Scientific Names?Īll plants have a unique name and this is often called the scientific name, botanical or the ‘Latin name’ as many are based on Latin. Botanical names give us clues about plants, their relatives, their cultural needs and they are well worth learning. Who do they think they are?īut hold on a minute, don’t put it down to garden snobbery.
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It’s a complex world out there and the botanists don’t seem to make it any easier! And there is nothing more confusing than listening to a bunch of gardeners talk in streams of apparently meaningless gobbledy-gook.