Whatever Cal. It is not understood by all though. Maybe I should have called those names "Greek" ? Even though they are not technically "Greek", they might as well be. Sometimes there are more than one plant with the SAME botanical/Latin name if you prefer. Hemlock the evergreen, and Hemlock the POISON [a herb that is similar to Queen Anne's Lace, something in the carrot family]. I highly doubt they are related. Maybe I will just stick with the common names that I know, and totally skip the botanical names.
Cal, I mentioned in my first post that many of our members do not know any common names for plants, they only use the botanical name. And implied that they shouldn't be expected to provide any common names since they have no experience with them. Many plant Genus names have a Latin suffix attached to them, "aceae" which is Latin for family or a group. Granted those are Latinized names, over the years the differentiation between Latin and Latinized has faded. And in his book The Flowers Personified published in 1847, J.J Grandville includes a list of plant names in English, French, Latin and the accepted at the time 'meaning of the flower'. http://www.earthlypursuits.com/FlwrsPer/FlwrName.htm I checked out some of the Latin names he gives and they are the Scientific/Botanical/Latin names we find and use today. The websites I check out when finding information about plants almost all contain the phrase Scientific/Botanical/Latin when referring to the Genus names. AA, Poison Hemlock is Conium maculatum, it's in the Carrot family- Apiaceae. Poison Hemlock can be confused with the Wild Carrot aka Queen Anne's Lace, Daucus carota, which is also in the Apiaceae family. The evergreen Hemlock is of the Genus Tsuga and there are several species. The common name of Hemlock was given to it because the scent of it's crushed needles resembles that of poison Hemlock. They are not related and evergreen Hemlock is not poisonous. But again this is a case of common name confusion. AA, whatever you want to call a plant is fine. Sometimes you will get questioning looks from people who have never heard the plant called by that particular common name but they know it by another common name. Common names are sometimes region specific, that's one reason why some plants have so many different common names. Like I said before, if a member uses only the Scientific/Botanical/Latin name for a plant, simply copy/paste that name into either the search function on GardenStew or google.com to find out what plant they are talking about. And no matter what your age, if you search for a plant name like that eventually you will begin to remember the plant when you see that name. It isn't something that you have to learn, remember and always know how to pronounce but over time you will learn more than you think.
That is why I made my suggestion, so those of us who would like to learn them could try and learn them. I know many names of plants, common or otherwise around here. There are also so many plants that I have no idea what they are. I enjoy learning them, and thought it might be fun trying to learn them. If someone does not know any common names for their plants, no biggie. I was not trying to cause a ruckus. When my horse is eating in my field, I watch what plants she likes to eat, and what ones she avoids. She has a good idea of what is good for food, and what is not. I am sure she does not know any fancy names for the good stuff she likes to eat, or the ones she does not care for. When I cannot let her out to eat in unfenced parts of my place, I gather up a wheelbarrow full of plants that I KNOW she likes to eat. Her fenced in pasture is FULL of ox-eye daisies and another plant with purple flowers similar to thistles that she refuses to eat.
Sometimes you wonder how people long before plants were tested in laboratories knew what plants to eat, use for medicine and the ones to stay away from....I'm guessing they probably watched the animals foraging for food. Animals have a lot to teach us.
Honestly I have been learning the proper names from my stewbies. Thanks guys. It is very confusing. And honestly I still don't understand the whole cultivar species thing. But no worries that's a post for another day. Hahaha
Toni, maybe they made slaves taste test stuff to see if it was good to eat or not. Americans used to think tomatoes were poison until the Indians showed them they were good food.
Well, my middle name is LATIN.... it's Marius. I never use it, though. Calin was the first choice from the beginning.
What an interesting thread. In the last few years I've been taking lots of pictures of flowers on my travels (you may have noticed )and every time that something new appears I try and research the botanical name in the hope it will stick...some do more easily than others. Toni,I am in awe of your plant knowledge!
