Have you ever heard of the succulent called Donkey’s Tail? Perhaps you heard it called Burro’s Tail instead? There are actually two different but very similar succulents that are both called those names. Sedum morganum and Sedum burrito. Can you tell the difference between the two plants shown in the photo?
The reason I bring this all up is to highlight the importance of knowing the latin names of plants. If you really preferred Sedum morganium‘s pointier leaves (it’s the plant shown on the left) you would have to use the Latin to make sure that everyone knew that you were talking about the pointier Donkey’s Tail, not the rounder, stubbier, one (shown on the right–which is Sedum burrito). I know it can be hard to learn botanical latin, and I sure have flubbed the pronunciations at times, but as you grow as a gardener, you may find it essential to be able to communicate about exactly the right kind of plant. Botanical Latin helps you do that.
I’ll share a funny story about Latin pronunciations. Do you know the plant Coral Bells? It’s Latin name is “Huechera.” Since I live in Southern California, where we have a large Spanish-speaking population and a lot of cultural ties to Spain and Latin America, I am used to pronouncing words that look like Spanish with a Spanish accent. So, for the longest time I thought “Huechera” was pronounced “WAY-chair-uh.” Uh…no! It’s actually pronounced “WHO-kerr-uh.”
So…are you a Latin pro, or a n00b?
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{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Now that I’m doing the Master Gardener program I realize how important it is. You can also learn a lot about the plant from the latin name, like colour, habit, etc. Thanks for the reminder.
Sometimes. Sometimes the names are totally unhelpful except to identify a particular plant. You don’t really learn anything about either of these sedums from their latin names.
That is an excellent story…and example!
I love those latin names. My sister and I were chatting about our gardens one day, and she couldn’t remember the name of one of her favorite plants… she called it “Chlamydia”. What she meant to say was “Clematis”. Now whenever I look at my Clematis I think of venereal disease.
Hah! Oops. Now…do you say “Cleh-muh-tiss” or “Cleh-mat-tiss?
I prefer Latin binomials, but there seems to be no way to get the majority of gardeners (and nursery folks) to use them. I’ve written articles about them, even, showing how useful they can be.
Re the pronunciation: I’m also a transplant from southern California. For years after moving up here I pronounced ‘potentilla’ as po-ten-tee-ya instead of the proper way….
I also prefer the latin binomial system, then again, as a botany student, we were told that was the only way to be sure of a plant’s identification. Common names can’t be trusted lol I use the latin all the time if I want to be accurate, but unless you are talking to botanists or horticulturists, it’s more like “greek” to them
We all get a chuckle when we hear a funny like that – people in San Diego delight in the occasional “La JAW-la” (La Jolla) or “where’s Ja-Matcha Road?” (locals there know it as “HAMMA-sha”). Here in Maui, we get questions about how to get to the hotels in “Ka-NAPPA-lee” (Kaanapali), and we grin when we hear “a-low-HA” , the sure sign of a tour guide greeting the tourists.
Botanical Latin, by William T. Stearn. (Another gem from Timber Press out of Portland, OR.) I have the 4th edition of this book and recommend it highly.
I do have trouble with the latin names. I have trouble with the regular names LOL. Until I learned for years I mispronouned opuntia. For some reason I called them Op tune ia. And graptosedum were grape to sedum. Sempervivum also. Hearing Debra Baldwin on her video’s helped me thank goodness! So funny! Great post.
On vacation in Orlando, my mother noticed a flower she really loved at Disney…the gardener told her the Latin name of the plant, and she went to every gardening center in the city trying to find it. Finally, at the very last one, the store manager said, “oh, you mean that flower? It’s a weed here!” So sometimes, it’s good to know the common name too!
My husband’s grandma calls the one on the right “bananitas” (little bananas). I’d never seen the one on the left, which I guess I’d call “like little bananas but pointy”.
Fun and interesting article. Cheers!
Julia–I think you might be mistaking the one on the left with a different plant called String of Bananas commonly, or Senecio radicans in Latin. The plant pictured here is a bit stretched out because it was growing inside, where it was not getting enough light.
oh i have a donkey tale plant and i just love it! i’ve already taken a couple cuttings and it’s doing great!!
While many gardeners may refer to a plant by its Latin name, the common name is much easier to pronounce and generally, more readily known. Orchids, however, are primarily known by their complex scientific names and this is because they have only gained prominence in the flower gardening world in the last 150 years.
Just wanted to share a funny story about pronunciation. My mom worked in the nursery trades for about 25 years so she has some funny stories but this one takes it for me. She was cleaning up a table of bedding plants one day at our local garden centre when someone came up to her and asked “Excuse me, do you have Gonorrhea?”
“UM, Pardon me?” my mom spluttered in disbelief.
“You know, Gonorrhea. That big, spiky thing that looks like a giant rhubarb?”
“Oh, I think you mean Gunnera.” replied my mom trying to suppress a snicker.
“NO. Not Gunnera. Its Gonorrhea. Do you have any?”
It went back and forth like this a few times before my mom just pointed the lady in the direction of the perennials and turned away before she burst into giggles.
SO, the moral of the story, to those who think they will get into trouble trying out the Latin names of plants, have no fear – it can’t get any worse than that!
Noob all the way. I’ve had problems pronouncing Huechera too. And then there’s the spelling “u before e” or vice versa. Thanks for the insight into Latin botanical names and their importance. Lot’s of helpful comments and smiles too!
Funny. I might just pronounce it hway-chair-ah myself from now on. A couple of botanical names that I’ve noticed people have trouble with are Cotoneaster (people say COTTON-Easter, not co-TON-e-aster) and Euonymus, which often gets smooshed with “anonymous” to become “Eu-nonymous”. I doubt that the pronunciation of Clematis will ever be definitive. After all, the correct way to pronounce Forsythia is for-SEYE-thia, and who that, really.
I do have a fondness for Latin, all around. If you can get a great grasp on it in school, grades come a lot easier. For a time I studied to be a medical transcriptionist. By the time I had all those words down, I think I was half ways to becoming a doctor. As for plants, I don’t use the Latin names in everyday conversation at all, it sounds too snooty. But they are supremely helpful to know when shopping and selling. There are a lot of plants purchased that are not what the customer thought they were going to be. Had they known the Latin names of what they were looking for and a knowledgeable nursery, they’d have been alright.