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Why Latin names matter

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  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Michaelmas daisies. I hate them. When they come out, it means it's all over for another year. 
    I'm sure the taxonomists could put their minds to an appropriate name that reflects this.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    I mean the latin names............
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    @Mary370 botanical names are decided and changed by the International Botanical Congress with the International Association for Plant Taxonomy. 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    Name changes are all about accuracy. If scientific research shows a plant is wrongly classified, is anyone suggesting we just leave it with the wrong name?
    DNA research has resulted in many name changes. 
    Anyone can challenge a name, new or old IF they have the evidence to back it up. 
    Some name changes like the Black Elder Sambucus Black Lace have been changed to  S. "Eva" as that name was listed prior to Black Lace. 
    Penstemon Garnet has been reclassifed as P. Andenken an Friedrich Hahn for the same reason.
    Nothing elitist and it's facile to suggest it as such, just accuracy.
    Devon.
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    Thanks for the responses.
    @Hostafan1......it's something I've been curious about,  no need for hostility, I have no wish/interest or need to be involved in 'that' debate.

  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    edited August 2018
    Mary370 said:
    Thanks for the responses.
    @Hostafan1......it's something I've been curious about,  no need for hostility, I have no wish/interest or need to be involved in 'that' debate.

    Forgive me @Mary370, "Hostility" was not my intention and certainly NOT directed at you.
    Maybe my lack of sleep has had an influence on my language.  :'(

    Devon.
  • punkdocpunkdoc Posts: 15,039
    Sad that so many people on here, many of whom regularly ask for advice, are the ones branding the people who often provide that advice as elitist.
    Perhaps we should stop wasting our time.
    How can you lie there and think of England
    When you don't even know who's in the team

    S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
  • Hostafan1Hostafan1 Posts: 34,889
    edited August 2018
    I'm sure car engines have lots of technical parts but if I blankly point at something under the bonnet, and the mechanic says " it's an X" I don't consider him elitist.
    He's just someone who knows his job and is giving me accurate information.
    Dentists rattle off all sorts of words when describing our teeth to their nurses during check ups. I might say" it's the second from the back on the left at the top" if he / she uses a more accurate term is he / she being "elitist"? I think not, but others are free to their own opinions.
    Devon.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    @Millie Molly Mandy. I haven't joined in this thread, or the one which preceded it until now, though I have followed both with interest.
    I'm afraid that I find your posts to be unpleasantly provocative, beyond banter and targeted at individuals, more like troll behaviour than reasoned argument.

    One reason why latin names are important is perfectly illustrated by another thread on this board posted by a novice newcomer.
    She bought a plant called 'Lavender Lady' and was confused when the flowers that appeared bore no resemblance tp the expected Lavendula. It was actually Gypsophila.

    Another reason is that they can helpful to gardeners, giving additional information about the plants as the Etymologies thread displays.  For instance, I need the novi -belgii or novi-angliae suffix to tell me which of many 'Michaelmas Daisies' will succumb to mildew in my garden.


    Gardening is part art and part science. Most of us love the joyous arty bit, but we cannot grow plants well without the science, and science demands precision, but that has its own rewards.
    We can all learn new things, even after decades gardening, but only if we are prepared to do so.
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