- Author: Harold McDonald
Part three of a series on scientific names of plants: Learning Names
Last time we talked about the value of scientific naming in reducing ambiguity and gaining some insight into a plant's characteristics. Like any new language, the best way to learn is to start using it in daily life.
Scientific naming is generally credited to the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus with the publication of Systema Naturae in 1735. Binomial nomenclature gives each organism is given a two-word name, the first the genus (which is always capitalized), the second the species name (which is never capitalized, even when derived from a proper name).
Though scientific names are sometimes called Latin names, the names can be drawn from many sources, including Greek and other languages, names of people and places, and sometimes even anagrams—the flowering plant species Muilla is an anagram of the onion genus Allium! Quite often though, the species name can be descriptive. A few of California's many paintbrush species illustrate some of these sources.
- Castilleja angustifolia a paintbrush with narrow leaves
- Castilleja chromosa a very colorful paintbrush
- Castilleja densiflorus a paintbrush with very dense flowers
- Castilleja gleasoni from Mt. Gleason, in L.A. County
- Castilleja lemmoni named for botanist J. G. Lemmon
Next time: start learning the scientific names of plants
- Author: Harold McDonald
Binomial nomenclature is the system of identifying organisms by their Genus species names. The full system of scientific classification, however, involves many broader levels of classification. From the broadest classification, kingdom, you move down through the progressively more restrictive classifications of phylum*, class, order, family, genus and species. A common mnemonic for learning the levels is Kings Play Chess On Fine Grained Sand. A few secondary ranks exist in the plant kingdom, but for most purposes this is good enough.
I think the best way to start learning scientific names is to go up one level from the binomial names, to the families. While there are a lot of families (more than 600!), a small number account for nearly all our common plants. Just two families, the Asteraceae (aster or daisy family) and Fabaceae (pea or legume family) account for more than 42,000 species, and nearly everyone knows what daisies and pea flowers look like. Once you've learned the characteristics of some of the common families—numbers of floral parts, type of symmetry, leaf types, fruit types—it becomes fairly easy for you to identify unfamiliar plants to the family level. Here is a great PDF you can download that illustrates 50 of the most common families. Each family has a gorgeously illustrated page listing the major characteristics of each family, along with prominent plants in each one. (For some reason, if the link won't work type “sdsu 50 plant families” into Google and click on the top hit.)
Fifty is really too many families to try to learn, but if you use that PDF in conjunction with the following link from the website Learn Plants Now, you'll be well on your way to learning about the five biggest families, which account for nearly 60,000 species. By the way, you'll notice there are often two versions of family names given—eg Asteraceae and Compositae for the sunflower family. The ones that end in –aceae are the recognized “modern” names, while the ones that end in –ae are the older ones. Most times you'll see both given, but you might as well learn the new ones.
If you prefer a book, Botany in a Day, by Thomas Elpel is a great choice. The Mono Lake Committee in Lee Vining generally has it in stock.
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* Ed. note: With plants and fungi we usually use "division" instead of phylum. Same meaning, but useful in adding unnecessary confusion. Never was explained to me why we do this. I assume it's tradition. Since 1993 it's been OK to use either. I can't remember the last time I even thought about a plant's division. Family level is more useful.
If you can tackle “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious,” a catchy tune from Disney’s Mary Poppins, it should be a piece of cake to learn scientific plant names.
I hear a few gardening friends groaning. I hear my mother reminding me to sound out long, tricky words syllable by syllable. Just sound them out.
Sometimes easier said than done, but there is good reason for having scientific names. First, common names can misguide us. A bluebonnet in Texas is a lupine in California, and a jasmine in California is a pikake in Hawaii. Common names may work fine locally, but try to explain a local flower to gardeners in other parts of the world.
Also, when we have a sick plant in our garden, we have to know its correct name before we can solve its dilemma.
This is why gardeners look to scientific or botanical names. Botanical names are the same the world around and their meanings convey information we need to choose the right plants for our gardens.
During the 1700s, plant explorers collected many largely unknown plants from around the world, a quest that continues today. Carl Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist of that era, spent his life categorizing and naming plants. Using Latin, a universal language of the time, he developed the binomial naming system. This method gives every plant two names, the genus (generic name) and the specific epithet (species). The species name is often descriptive of the genus.
He grouped these names into families of related plants. Just as we recognize similarities in our own families, like blue eyes or curly hair, Linnaeus used plant similarities and origins to classify his findings.
Before Linnaeus’s system, a single plant might be saddled with many long Latin names that only a few interested scientists understood. The binomial system may seem daunting at first because many plant names are long tongue-twisters, but the information provided makes it worth mastering the code.
Pronouncing the Latin name correctly is important if you are describing a plant to someone else. If you pronounce the name incorrectly, you are conveying wrong information. The 2013 edition of Sunset’s Western Garden Book offers four pages on plant pronunciation and why we use botanical names. The “New Pronouncing Dictionary of Plant Names” (American Nurseryman Publishing Company) is a useful pamphlet that fits neatly in a pocket.
The binomial system groups plants into categories, from least specific (the family) to most specific (the variety).
Family is the large umbrella group. Family names are capitalized and end in aceae, such as Rosaceae, the family that includes roses.
Genus is the first word in a botanical name, and it is always capitalized. With Nandina domestica (heavenly bamboo), for example, Nandina is the genus.
The species is the second word in a botanical name. It often describes a plant characteristic such as color, size, shape, scent or origin. It is not capitalized. With this knowledge, you can deduce that Helleborus foetidus has a less than captivating scent.
Variety names are often descriptive, such as ‘Altissimo’ (tall), or they may indicate an officially registered, cultivated and named plant known as a cultivar (‘Bowles Mauve’). Varieties are enclosed by single quote marks.
Some species include many different varieties. If you want to buy a rosemary plant for cooking, look for Rosmarinus officinalis. Rosmarinus is the genus; Rosmarinus officinalis (meaning medicinal) is the species. You may find several named varieties at the nursery, such as ‘Tuscan Blue,’ ‘Spice Islands’ and ‘Blue Spires.’ Each one is slightly different, but all of them can be used in the kitchen.
Common names can be misleading, which is why we rely on Latin botanical names. For example, the fragrant star jasmine isn’t really a jasmine. Its botanical name is Trachelospermum jasminoides (meaning jasmine-like), and it is in the Oleaceae (olive) family. The common name for Choisya ternata, an evergreen shrub, is Mexican orange, but some call it mock orange. Philadelphus, a deciduous shrub in the Hydrangea family, is also commonly known as mock orange. Both shrubs have fragrant white blossoms.
There is much more to learn about plant names, but understanding the binomial system is a good start. Oh dear, my dog, Sofie, is eating my Philadelphus coronarius. She has good taste.
Workshop: Napa County Master Gardeners will lead a workshop on “Succulents in Your Garden” on Saturday, June 15, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at Napa Valley College’s Upper Valley Campus, 1088 College Avenue, St. Helena. Learn what succulents will grow best in our climate and how to utilize them in your garden design. Learn how to care for them and keep them looking good and free from pests and diseases.
Online registration (credit card only)
Mail in registration (cash or check only)
Master Gardeners are volunteers who help the University of California reach the gardening public with home gardening information. Napa County Master Gardeners (http://ucanr.org/ucmgnapa)are available to answer gardening questions in person or by phone, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 a.m. to Noon, at the U. C. Cooperative Extension office, 1710 Soscol Avenue, Suite 4, Napa, 707-253-4143, or from outside City of Napa toll-free at 877-279-3065. Or e-mail your garden questions by following the guidelines on our web site. Click on Napa, then on Have Garden Questions?