Most gardeners know and prefer to use the common names of plants because they are easier to remember or they have charm – names like pansy, primrose and bellflower. For purist gardeners, the problem with using common names is the lack of specifics. This could be a problem when gardeners have a collection of plants from one plant family or genus.
Each of these charming names takes into consideration a huge genus of plants. The pansy is a member of the violaceae family which includes approximately 500 known species. The primrose, primulaceae, includes approximately 500 species of hardy and half-hardy perennials found throughout the world. The bellflower is a member of the campanulaceae family which includes approximately 300 species. So, questions arise. “What bellflower?” “What pansy?”
Botanical Names of the Plant Genus
To break it down, each species within a genus also has its own botanical name. The botanical name for the plant known as the giant bellflower, for example, is latifolia. In botanical speak, the first word in the long name of an individual plant is the name of the genus family. But that first word is shortened to its first letter. So in this case, the botanical name for the giant bellflower is C. latifolia.
Botanical Names with the Named Cultivar
The named cultivars are then added to complete the full botanical name. For instance, C. latifolia has numerous cultivars or named giant bellflowers in this group, including “Brantwood” and “Gloaming.” The full botanical names for these cultivars are C. latifolia “Brantwood,” and C. latifolia “Gloaming.” The named cultivars are always placed in quotes when the full botanical name is used.
Botanical Names with Hybrid Crosses
Hybrid plants are crosses between two plants to create a plant that takes on some of the attributes of each of those parent plants. All hybrid plants are recorded with an X between the names of the parent plants. In the genus primulaceae, for example, the named primrose cultivar, Argus, reads botanically as P. x pubescens “Argus.” P. pubescens is a cross between the species' P.auricula and P. rubra. This example is a collective name for the progeny of two species. P. pubescens also includes other named hybrids such as “Faldonside,” and “Mrs. J. Wilson.”
Committing Botanical Names to Memory
Most plant genus or plant families have “ceae” at the end of their botanical names. Gardeners know the pansy is a member of the violet family and the common name of the family is viola, which makes violaceae easy to remember. The primrose is also known as primula. The bellflower is also commonly known as campanula. The botanical forms of these names simply end in “ceae,” pronounced “see eye.” Remembering the genus botanical family name is that easy. For the most part, pronunciation of botanical names is phonetic or closely phonetic.
Unfortunately, there are no tricks for committing the names of each individual species within each genus to memory. Each is quite unique. Think of the plant first as a member of a genus family, then as a species of that genus. These two first words are the true botanical names of the plants. Once these botanical names are mastered, the named cultivars fall into place more easily.
Remembering Botanical Names with Continued Use
The tried and true method of remembering the botanical names of plants is in using them regularly. When the gardener plants a crimson mass of giant bellflowers, for example, she should remember that she is planting P. x pubescens “Faldonside,” and be sure to label it that way as it helps to commit it to memory. When speaking the name, it's quite common to simply say “pubescens Faldonside.”
Knowing the botanical names certainly isn't essential to good gardening skills, but many gardeners like to know as much as possible about the plants they place in their gardens.
Learning the botanical names of plants isn't something only botanists should know, and it doesn't take a great deal of study. With a general idea of how a family of plants is named, the rest will come with each plant brought into the garden. This knowledge increases naturally as the gardener becomes more experienced in the her art. And it's fun.
References
- Botany
- Backyard Gardener
- Encyclopaedia of Garden Plants and Flowers, Reader's Digest, 1985
- The Englishman's Flora, Geoffrey Grigson, Phoenix House, 1987 reprint from 1955 edition.
- The Color Dictionary of Flowers and Plants, Roy Hay and Patrick M. Synge, Crown Publishers, 1985
- A Plantsman's Perspective, Alan Bloom, pg 112 to 113, William Collins Sons and Co. Ltd., 1987
Lorraine Syratt - Lorraine Syratt is a freelance writer, gardener and part-time antique dealer. Please see her full profile for more information.
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