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Re: A Pet Peeve and Need Identification Help

To many, all this discussion about whether or not to use botanical names is a fuss about nothing: "We all know what we mean when we say 'bluebell' or 'sycamore' or 'marigold'" - that's the sort of thing I hear. In fact we don't and using the botanical name is the only way to be sure, to say what we really mean.

Bluebell, after all, can be
1) (in the US) the eastern woodlander Mertensia virginica
2) (in Engalnd) the spring bulb of the English woods, Hyacinthoides non-scriptus
3) (in Scotland) the dainty little meadow flower Campanula rotundifolia

And sycamore, is
1) (in England) always Acer pseudoplatanus
2) (in the US) often Platanus occidentalis

And marigold could be
1) Calendula officinalis
2) Any species of Tagetes

So it's essential that we all do whatever we can to make it clear to gardeners that only by using the botanical name can be sure we say what we mean. Vegetables are different because there are (relatively) so few and most people understand which is which; but even so I've seen 'Bright Lights' listed in catalogues under Beet, Chard and Spinach.

As for name changes... Changes occur because of the advance of botanical science reveals more profound relationships between plants and, for better or worse, the names of plants are tied to their relationships with each other. Also as has been mentioned, the rules are that a plant must be known by the name it's first called and sometimes research reveals a valid name older than the one with which we're familiar. But there is also a mechanism by which very familiar names which are found to be invalid can be "conserved". The name of the winter/spring flowering heather Erica carnea has been conserved, otherwise we would have to learn to call it Erica herbacea and millions of plant labels around the world would have to be changed.

Graham Rice

http://GrahamRice.com










marigolds
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