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Correct plant names

I think it's interesting that my recommendation of a British book as the last word on correct plant names drew so few responses from the (predominantly American) membership of this list. I'd be very interested to know what garden writers actually use to ensure that their plant names are correct. Or is no one especially interested in the subject?

As evidence of the importance of this issue, a recent Timber Press book has just been reviewed in The Garden (the Journal of the Royal Horticultural Society), now the best selling garden magazine in Britain. "The standard of nomenclature in the book is poor... In many instances the proper distinctions between variety, subspecies, cultivar and hybrid have not been made," says the expert reviewer. "Some of the names are not in current usage..." In a serious and supposedly authoritative book, this not really acceptable and the review shows that authors will be found out.

Getting the names right is absolutely basic. How do other members of this list go about ensuring nomenclatural acccuracy?

Graham Rice

http://GrahamRice.com
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