Every nurseryman is an idealist and dreamer ; perhaps never more so than during the long winter and other spring month when she has ample time and opportunity to study her semen catalogs . She diligently examines their pages make a fund of valuable selective information , conjure up before her mind all sorts of beautiful garden pictures , renew old friendly relationship and form new one . But what unknown name some of these friends have !
To the novitiate it is a mystery why a simple little blossom should be burden with an unpronounceableLatinname - and not only with one , but two and often even more . She draw a blank that her own name is not only Brown , that to distinguish her from all the other Browns she has been called Kathy and because of the many Kathy Browns she bear the extra name of Ann . It is just so with plants ; each has a family or genus name , a given or specific name and often one or more descriptive name . Thus we have Myosotis palustris semperflorens , a plant belong to the Myosotis or Dill family . This particular one is a marsh - lover and a more or less continual bloomer , as the last two parts of its name indicate . We favor to call this flower Forget - me - not , its favorite or familiar name , just as Kathy Ann Brown ’s friends may wish to call him Kathleen or Kate . It is very interesting to investigate why the botanical names were choose . We have all sleep with a military personnel identify Small who was anything but small , or a little girl name Grace who was not at all graceful . In the works world , such entirely inappropriate gens occur very rarely ; each name is choose to describe a exceptional plant life and plants do not modify sufficiently to belie the terms descriptive of their family . The original Small was , no doubt , small of stature , but through the age his children have outgrown the name .
figure are choose for a variety of reasons . Many , of course , are merely variations of the names of person in some way link up with the plants . Of these we shall mention only six :
MONARDA - Beebalm- name in pureness of the Spanish Dr. Monardez who is said to have published the first picture of the flower .
RUDBECKIA - To honour Rudbeck , a Swedish botanist .
NICOTIANA - This name is taken from Nicot who was at one clock time a Gallic consul to Portugal and who introduced the use of tobacco plant to the homage of those countries .
ESCHSCHOLZIA - California Poppy -This plant was notice in 1815 when a Russian by the name of Eschscholz led an junket to California ; it was named in his honor by one of his friends .
CLARKIA - The members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition found this prime in the course of their change of location ; it was name in honour of their loss leader .
BROWALLIA – Amethyst – In Prof. Hottes ’ Book is found a very entertaining story relative to the naming of this industrial plant . It seems that at one time , Linnaeus greatly admire the ability of the Swedish theologian and botanist , Dr. Browall . To show his appreciation he named one form of the peak Browallia elata . Sometime later this respect changed to disgust and the name as quick was exchange to Browallia demissa .
Closely related to to these names are those pass on because of the aboriginal hangout of the works , which bear the names . Such are :
ARABIS - From Arabia of which country the Rock Cress is native .
IBERIS - So diagnose because it grow extravagantly in Spain which was formerly called Iberia . The common name Candytuft originally referred to a little plant from Canada .
ally to these are epithet that express certain plant preference in the means of get conditions or trace habit of growth . Among these are :
HEMEROCALLISreceives its name from two Grecian words “ hemera , ” “ sidereal day ” and “ kollos , ” ” beautiful ” for the flowers of the Day Lily close at nighttime .
GYPSOPHILA - Baby ’s Breath is very fond of limestone soils . Its name is derived from “ gupsos , ” “ gypsum ” and “ phileo , ” “ to love . ”
SEDUM - Many physique of the Stonecrop fairly sit upon the rocks ; hence its name from “ sedeo ” meaning , “ to sit . ”
SAXIFRAGEgrows in the cracking between sway ; its name is derived from “ saxum , ” “ stone ” and “ frangere , ” “ to die . ”
NEMOPHILA - California Bluebell From “ nemos , ” “ a grove ” and “ phileo , ” “ to love ” ; a spectre - hump plant often called the Lovegrove .
RANUNCULUSis literally “ little frog ” for the Buttercups like the batrachian prefers wet place .
genus Lupinus - From the Latin for “ Hugo Wolf , ” a name probably applied because the Lupine chop-chop devours the fertile elements in the soil .
Among epithet develop in the realm of mythology , legend and account are :
CENTAUREA - This name records the story that the Centaur Chiron used the plant to effect some of his cures . In some body politic the Centaurea grows wild in the grain plain , hence our name Cornflower .
ACHILLEA - A Greek myth tie in that Achilles used some form of the Yarrow for poultice the wounds of his soldiers .
VERONICAwas name in memory of Veronica , one of the women who accompany Christ to Calvary . It was she who propose Him her handkerchief that He might wipe the perspiration and blood line from His brow . When the napkin was returned it bear the “ vera icon ” or “ on-key simulacrum ” of the Lord . The name Veronica as applied to the Speedwell refers to the peculiar markings on the flowers .
PASSIFLORA - In the Passion Flower the earnest Spaniards in America saw the story of Christ ’s suffering on the Cross . To them the chlamys of the unfastened flower represent the Apostles , lacking only Peter who denied his Lord and Judas who betray Him ; the shaft of light of the corona represented the crown of thorns ; the fashion the three nail , one for each hired hand and one for the feet ; the anthers the five wounds . The leaveswere said to represent the slice of atomic number 47 for which the Lord was betrayed and the tendrils the cords with which He was jump .
HELENIUM - Helen ’s Flower is reminiscent of Helen of Troy .
Still other name say of powerfulness ascribed to the plants so discover . Needless to say , most of these powerfulness are strictly imaginary .
SCABIOSA - From “ itch , ” “ scale leaf ” because the Scabiosa was debate a cure for various hide diseases , peculiarly leprosy . We call it the Pincushion Flower because of the appearance of the heyday .
ALYSSUMis composed of two -words -“a , ” “ not ” and “ lyssa , ” “ rage ” referring to its supposed power to appease ira .
LYSIMACHIAwas used by King Lysimachus to tranquilize his unruly oxen , so the story goes . Its syllable are derived from “ lussis ” think of “ to release ” and “ mache , ” “ strife ” and take form our coarse name Loosestrife . The peacemaking powers of this works , however , have never been proven .
SOLIDAGOmeans “ to conjoin ” and refers to the healing property ascribed to the Golden Rod .
CIMICIFUGA - Snakeroot - This industrial plant was say to ram away bug . Its name is derived from “ cimex , ” .”bug ” and “ fugo , ” “ to flee . ”
BAPTISIAmeans “ to dip or dye , ” a reference to the coloring matter recover in the Indigo .
SAPONARIA - From “ sapo , ” “ soap . ” Both the roots and leaf of the Soapwort check saponin and when budge in water raise a swither which may be used for wash .
Probably more names are given to describe the flowers , leaves or seed of a plant life than for any other reason . Of this gravid group only a few may be mentioned here .
COREOPSIS - From the Greek “ koreos , ” “ bug ” and “ opsis , ” “ like ” because the seeds resemble a ticking . The common name for this flower is Tickseed .
DIGITALISis derived from the Latin for “ finger ” because the niggling flowers resemble a thimble . Legends say that the wicked fairies move over these mocassin - like flowers to the Fox to relent their tread ; hence our name Foxglove .
ECHINOPSmeans “ like a hedgehog ” and no one familiar with the spines of the Globe Thistle will altercate the seaworthiness of the name .
MYOSOTISis derived from “ mus ” signification “ black eye ” and “ genus Otis , ” “ ear ” ; the cushy short leaves of the Forget - me - not suggest the ear of a mouse ,
PLATYCODONmeans “ panoptic bell , ” a character reference to the shape of the undefended flower . The bud resembles an inflated balloon which resemblance has move over procession to the familiar name Balloon Flower .
DICENTRA - Bleeding Heart - is derived from “ dis ” and “ kentron ” or “ two spurs . ” Children , however , see not only two spur track but two lapin , a harp , a bottle and a pair of spectacle as well .
ANTIRRHINUMwhose significance is “ like a nozzle ” has suggested the animate being to various peoples . In German this flower is call Loewensmaul or Lion ’s Mouth . kid who have pressed the sides of the blossom and seen the dragon snap his jaws understand the origin of the English name .
One could name examples indefinitely . The fun of this secret plan of hit the books flower names is that the longer it is played the more fascinating it becomes . To me the name most interesting are those of two friends happen in almost every garden . Whoever has enjoy the rummy sweetness of the Nasturtium and perhaps puckered his nozzle just , a little visualize the lotion of the , name which literally interpret , mean “ turn the nose . ” The botanic name peal to the imagination . It is gain from the Latin for “ trophy . ” Some one saw in the Tropaeolum , foliage shaped like shield , and flowers like engild helmets spattered with blood and rent with lance . The second to matter to me is the dainty Columbine whose name is come from “ columba ” intend “ dove . ” To some one the petals and sepal of the blossom suggested a circle of Dove linger about a bowl . Two theories are in advance for the origin of the botanical term . One is that it is “ aquilegia ” from “ aquila ” which means “ an bird of Jove ” ; the coating of this meaning , however , is not absolved to any one who has just discovered five peaceable minuscule doves . Much more suited seems the terminal figure “ aquilegus ” or “ water drawer ” for the Columbine , though a great devotee of moisture , seems to thrive even in the stiffest soil .
By this time any one at all interested in plant names , their why s and wherefors , will realize that name , specially the , botanical ones , are in most cases much more appropriate than are our own . She will , as I did , research the dictionaries for the derivations of the names of her front-runner ; many well - jazz blossom have intentionally been omitted from the leaning given here . She may withdraw from her study of Latin and Greek that “ chrysos ” means “ golden , ” “ anthos , ” “ blossom , ” “ helios , ” “ Dominicus , ” etc . ; and arrive at her own closing regarding the substance of name calling . If she realise such a work , the names in her catalogs will be full of meaning and every flower in her garden will become an individual with an interesting personality .
by Ellen Mathys
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