Using botanical names more often?

Joanie

This has probably been thrashed out before, I'm almost afraid to search and see....but it sure would be nice if folks could get in the habit of using at least the broad species specific botanical names more often. Some species are named so similarly to others which are not at all alike, makes it difficult to search out information. Type in "cherry" and you will get more Barbados than prunus. A new comer may be very mixed up when trying to follow advice given for these very different species!! "Abutilon" is a flowering maple, but it isn't, it just has leaves like a maple. Learning the proper names should be part of the process, because as your knowledge becomes richer and deeper, your ability to relay that information also should become clearer. Using the proper, agreed upon botanical names means that no matter what country or continent you are in, you will be able to identify and search out correct information. If the most knowledgable among you made a point of specifying the name at least once, everyone would be clear, and as an added bonus the thread would pop up on a search! And since you set the tone for all of the discussions, others would follow suit.

Just a little thought.......

Joanie

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Bart Thomas(deceased)

Good point, Joanie!

Sometimes this is inhibited by the ever-changing botanical names. Fukien Tea (was Carmona, now Ehretia) comes to mind, and Texas Ebony, which has changed from a pithecellobium to an Ebanopsis.

Still, botanic names are preferable.

Makes me laugh though. Wednesday night at Chase's, we had three Malpighias (all were Barbados Cherry) that could hardly have been more different!

bonsai411

I agree, that is a good point, I will keep that in mind - I am guilty of using common names.

_MaX_

Thanks Joanie for pointing this problem... I totally agree with you all. Plants got very precise names, and those names we should use. I'm already trying to use only botanical names (anyway I don't know english common names) and I encourage everyone to do the same!

Max

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malhomme

People are often astounded that I know the botanical name for a tree, or any other plant. In fact it's the first thing that comes to my mind. I can't tell you how many times I've had to explain this to people, many of them gardeners that should know the value of botanical names. For all it's conciseness, it often seems to lead to baffled looks.

Cheers,
Jim

jguyett

Long live Karl Linne. Too bad that at the end of his life he had a severe stroke, and couldn't even remember his own name.

jg

Craig Cowing

Important to think about especially with an international forum such as this. A good example is the term "ironwood." What I knew as ironwood in Connecticut growing up is hornbeam (don't have the botanical name right now) but there are several other trees called "ironwood" in different parts of the world.

Craig Cowing

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jguyett

Upstate, by that I mean Oswego County, there was a tree on our farm that my dad called ironwood. That being several decades ago, I wonder if it is or was a carpinus carolinus(sp). I once attempted to cut one down and after a few hardy swings with a very sharp ax was able to dent the bark.

jg

Penn State

I agree that learning the scientific names for the trees is important, but you all have to be curteous of those that don't know them. Personally i only know the names of the trees i own, and a handful of others. And if i don't have a reference book handy i have read posts and been clueless as to what tree we were talking about. I think the best solution would be to use the common name and then parenthesize (is that even a word?) the scientific name or visa versa. Just a should out from someone who won't be studying all night to learn the scientific names, i've got way too many other scientific things to learn in school.

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