Re: A Pet Peeve and Need Identification Help

**Graham Rice g*@tiscali.co.uk**

Isn't botany a branch of science?

Graham

Graham: Once more into the breech: It's not a botanical name  but a
scientific name! Don't we all owe our readers the probability that we are
correct about what we advise and counsel?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Graham Rice" <garden@tiscali.co.uk>
To: "Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum"
<gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 26, 2003 9:08 AM
Subject: Re: [GWL] 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
 _______________________________________________
 gardenwriters mailing list
 gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
 http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

 GWL has searchable archives at:
 http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

 Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
 at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

 Post gardening questions/threads to
 "Organic-Gardening" <organic-gardening@lists.ibiblio.org>

 For GWL website and Wiki, go to
 http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters

_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
"Organic-Gardening" <organic-gardening@lists.ibiblio.org>

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters

_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
"Organic-Gardening" <organic-gardening@lists.ibiblio.org>

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters