- Author: Bernadette Thomas
Published on: September 26, 2023
I love when I meet a fellow gardener and they can name every plant they see with its formal botanical name! I'm always so impressed and sometimes intimidated. I have often found myself making up names when someone asked me. "What is the name of this plant?". My husband has caught on to me so I decided I would start learning how I could memorize my plant's botanical names. I set a goal that I would be able to name everything in my front yard and move to the back yard over the next several months. For those that are interested in doing this for yourself, here is some helpful information to get you started.
What Makes up the Botanical Name?
Botanical names can be composed of three parts: the genus, species, and variety. For Digitalis purpurea maculata (common name Foxglove), the first part Digitalis refers to the plants' genus, which is always capitalized.
Latin names can give you useful information about a plant, including its color, where it originates from and growth habit. For example, Lavandula angustifolia 'Nana Alba', pictured below, has narrow leaves (angustifolia) and is compact ('Nana') with white flowers ('Alba').
Common words
Here are some common words that I found was a good place to start:
Color
alba/albus - white
caerulea/caeruleus - blue
coccinea/coccineus - scarlet
argentea - silver
Habitat
alpina/alpinus - alpine
campestris - field
maritima - coastal
montana - mountain
pratensis - meadow
sylvatica - forest
Characteristics
angustifolia - narrow leaves
fragans/fragrantissima - scented
foetida/foetidus - smelly (unpleasant)
grandiflora - large-flowered
nana - small, compact
odorata - perfumed
officinalis - has herbal uses
tomentosum - hairy, downy
Habit
columnaris - columnar
dentata - toothed
fruticosa - bushy
gracilis - slender
reptans - creeping
scandens - climbing
Country or area of origin
chinensis - China
japonica - Japan
sibiricus - Siberia
occidentalis - America
orientalis - Asia
How to Write the Botantical Name
* When writing botanical names, use italics if the rest of the text is normal. If the whole sentence needs to be in italics, make the botanical name in regular font – basically, make it stand out visually from the words around it.
* Capitalize the genus portion of the name, but never the species.
* When you are discussing several different species, you can shorten the genus name after the first use. So, for instance, Rosa rugosa, Rosa gallica, and Rosa canina can become R. rugosa, R. gallica, and R. canina.
* Spp. is shorthand for several species, so if you want to refer to a number of rose species generally, you could use the abbreviation Rosa spp.
* Sometimes a botanical name is written with an ‘x,' like Rosa x alba. This just means that this species is thought to be a cross between two other species (in this case, Rosa gallica and Rosa canina).
Tips to help memorize
Try double labeling your writing out the name of your plants in your garden with the common name on one side and the botanical name on the other, or making botanical name markers for your garden. Flashcards are an old standby, of course, or you can create your own word search puzzles or crosswords using an online puzzle maker if you'd like something a little more fun and challenging. Saying the name out loud several times and creating a story to help you remember is what I am trying out.
Best of luck!
Try double labeling your writing out the name of your plants in your garden with the common name on one side and the botanical name on the other, or making botanical name markers for your garden. Flashcards are an old standby, of course, or you can create your own word search puzzles or crosswords using an online puzzle maker if you'd like something a little more fun and challenging. Saying the name out loud several times and creating a story to help you remember is what I am trying out.
Best of luck!
No Comments Posted.
Leave a Reply: