The world of horticulture can appear full of mystery until you understand the terminology.
First off, what’s with the Latin? There are no longer any native speakers of this classical language, which was once spoken throughout the Roman Empire. Many English words are influenced by Latin, particularly within technical vocabulary. So why is it helpful to refer to plants by their botanical, Latin name, rather than their common name?
The answer is very simple. Using Latin terminology means that wherever you are in the world, the botanical name for a plant will be the same. There will be no confusion.
Aiming For Clarity
Take the lily, for example. Many plants commonly referred to as lilies are not from the genus Lilium. The African lily is actually Agapanthus and it is related to garlic, the snowdrop and the daffodil. A water lily is a member of Nymphaea, an aquatic genus of plants in the family Nymphaeaceae. Peace lily is a tropical houseplant which belongs to the genus Spathiphyllum, meaning ‘spathe-leaf’ in Latin. The plantain lily is actually a Hosta, a day lily is a Hemerocallis and Peruvian lilies are Alstroemeria. See what I mean? Latin names are essential if we are to converse accurately about plants.
The way plants are named (nomenclature) is relatively simple. They are grouped into the framework of family, genus and species. The name that appears on the label – for example, Carpinus betulus (hornbeam) – will generally consist of two words, the genus and the species. The genus comes first and starts with a capital letter. All plants in the same genus will share characteristics as they have a common ancestor. In this case, they are members of the birch family, Betulaceae. The species, which starts with a lower-case letter, is an individual member of the genus; there could be several thousand species in one genus. Carpinus japonica is the Japanese hornbeam, a different species.
Of course, names can be longer, as, within different species, there are sub-species, varieties and cultivars, as well as different forms. Each word on a plant label can tell you more about the individual plant.
