Scientific names join gardeners

Q. Why are scientific names for plants necessary?

Angela from Youngstown

A. We have all done it, looked at a plant tag and wondered why things must be so complicated. I am going to attempt a simple explanation. Common names for plants have no standardization. Each country and region within countries has its own common names for plants, and pronunciation is a whole other issue. People have given names to local plants for thousands of years as an aid to identification. Common names were based on local conditions, plant use, language, appearance, as well as other subjective criteria. This all worked very well as long as people did not travel. But inevitably confusion became an issue.

Completely different plants often shared the same common name. In different areas, the same plant might have different common names. It still happens today. I see an “Iris,” a friend sees a “Flag.” One common name may be used to describe a large number of unrelated plants. Plants in the southwest may have Spanish common names. Many plants have not been given a common name, and are known by their Latin- or sometimes Greek-derived names.

Thus, a binomial system has been created, using a scientific name for each species. The binomial system uses names to construct the unique scientific name for that individual plant. Now this is where it becomes more scientific, and for me anyway, sometimes confusing. The system used today is based on one developed by Linnaeus in the 18th century. Think about it this way – in a human world we have the Brown family, and within that family we have Mary, John, and Jane. In the plant family it is much the same. One big difference, in the plant world there will not be a Sr., Jr. or John II, etc.

A scientific name describes the characteristics of a plant. One example is Acer rubrum, better known to most gardeners as red maple. Acer is the genus, rubrum is the species name (Latin for red). The entire scientific name is italicized. Plant varieties are members of the same plant that have a specific set of characteristics that usually can be passed on to the next generation via natural reproduction. Plant hybrids are a cross between different species. Parent plants usually are within the same genus.

The word cultivar is a contracted form of “cultivated variety.” Cultivars are plants of a single species which have been selectively bred for a specific characteristic, such as greater yield, larger blooms, etc. Many cultivars are asexual, so the desirable characteristics are not lost in future generations.

Complicated and confusing, but necessary. It is the only way we know we’re talking about exactly the same plant. I can say that having just a bit of knowledge of all this has been helpful when looking at seed catalogs and plant tags. The more you learn about the scientific names for plants, the more you’ll understand, and you’ll be better off for it – most of the time by not getting the wrong plant!

Today’s answer is provided by Marilyn McKinley, OSU Extension master gardener volunteer. Call the office hotline at 330-533-5538 to submit your questions. Regular clinic hours begin April 4, on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 a.m.-noon.