Last night a local gardening association hosted a social evening with speaker guest Merry Kim Meyers. Her presentation was titled “Conquering Scientific (Latin) Names.” I’ve been lazy about learning the Latin names of the plants on the Lot. I always feel a bit embarrassed when a gardening friend points at a plant and some bizarre combination of syllables I do not recognize falls from his or her lips with ease. So I thought this may be a fun presentation to attend.
Why Latin?
There are several reasons why Latin was chosen as the language to classify organisms. One can communicate internationally about the organism utilizing the same name without having to deal with language barriers. Also, common names of the same organism can differ from country to country, throughout a region, and at times from person to person. Using the Latin name of a plant eliminates this possible confusion. This comes in handy while shopping for plants so you can be sure you are purchasing the correct plant. And finally, and I feel quite practically, a dead language like Latin does not change.
The Daddy of Modern Taxonomy
In 1753, a Swedish botanist named Carl Linnaeus proposed every organism should be classified with a unique binomial name. This offered a solution to the problem at that time of a very chaotic approach to taxonomy (the system of classifying and naming organisms). The first term of the name would be the organism’s Genus and would be capitalized. The second term of the name would be its Species and would appear lowercase. Both parts of the name are italicized.
Carl’s Sock Drawer
Carl did not stop at suggesting a binomial name approach to taxonomy. He also created a hierarchical system of classification of nature. The system organizes organisms from very broad groupings to very specific types. Plants are classified by similarities in their fruit and flower structure.
The Linnaeus Classification System
- Domain
- Kingdom
- Phylum
- Class
- Order
- Family
- Genus
- Species
The system has since been tweaked, “Domain” and “Phylum” being added afterward, but the guy got a pretty good start in 1735!
Latin & the Lot
Here’s a example of a plant tag for the Sweet Woodruff planted on the Lot.
Sweet Woodruff is the common name printed on the tag for this plant. However, it is also known as Sweetscented Bedstraw and Wild Baby’s Breath. See how this can be confusing? Latin to the rescue! The scientific name of this plant is Galium odoratum. Galium is the plant’s Genus and odoratum is the plant’s species. The Latin name of a plant may identify such characteristics as its history, taxonomy, or use.
Here’s the actual plant in our backyard.
Though I am unsure about the word Galium, I did find odoratum in Latin means “fragrant/perfumed/sweet smelling.” This groundcover is definitely that as it has a strong, sweet scent while in bloom.
Difference Between Varieties & Cultivars
Plants can also be sorted one step further. If there is a marked difference in a species of plants in nature, this is referred to as a variety. If the plant is developed by man to have differences within a species, this is referred to as a cultivar. Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’ is an example of a cultivar. Note that cultivars are identified within the name of the plant by using single quotes.
Here’s a parallel to the idea of Latin vs. common name: When I worked at a pharmaceutical company, I used the scientific name of drugs. For example, the block-buster cholesterol-lowering drug was “atorvastatin” to me. However, if I talked to my friends, they’d say, “what’s that?” They all used the brand (common) name of Lipitor. Including my sister, Dr. Doane (m.d.)! We had to laugh through our muddle of communication. I have many such examples…
Here’s hoping that, as you learn the Latin names of your plants (which is extremely admirable, by the way), please don’t forget the common name for us lay people.