For a second there I thought I was in the "Natives" forum. Sorry about that.

baccalynnwv, I'm almost hesitant to ask this, since asking sort of a similar question caused an awful lot of friction on another recent thread (;]). But I'm curious, so I've got to ask anyway: why does it bother you when people use the "wrong" common names for plants? Obviously, I agree that using the name "Easter lily" for a member of the genus Narcissus, for example, seems silly and ignorant and potentially confusing, but it also doesn't seem like a big deal in most contexts. But then, even widely accepted common names for many plants are more-or-less arbitrary, and frequently contradictory or misleading, too. A daylily is about as much a true lily as a daffodil is, after all. So, to me it doesn't make sense to get too pedantic about the common names that people use for plants, and it certainly doesn't ever seem worth getting worked-up about it. I've been in a few work situations where someone referred to a plant by a common name that I didn't understand or construed differently than the way they meant it, and it resulted in frustration on everyone's part, and a potential for losing time or money. But in most normal, everyday situations, If somebody wants to call a wild azalea a "honeysuckle" or a daffodil an "Easter lily" or whatever, who cares? Or at least that's the way it seems to me. But I'm interested in your point of view, and understanding why it bothers you, so perhaps you could elaborate a bit.

Thanks!

I'm not a big fan of common names either, as I believe that in the long run, they increase confusion and/or mis-understandings.

In any case, I do appreciate them to a certain degree, as they can provide an opportuntiy to learn about a plant, history, and the culture/society that uses those names.

It doesn't bother me as in - it makes me angry or I spend all day fretting about it. I think you are taking my post the wrong way. I just thought it was a fun topic of discussion since there are so many different names for plants out there, and sometimes they seem way off the wall.
When I posted that question I was contemplating on how those names began and were passed down through the generations here. I doubted that I was the only one to have this experience moving from one state to another. If my post came off the wrong way I'm sorry. Just trying to break up my boring day! I didn't see a problem with asking the question.

It is a fun topic of discussion. I think all those local common names are wonderful and I love to hear them. Hillbilly honeysuckle--I love it. Here in Massachusetts, our native Rhododendron viscosum is often called swamp honeysuckle. It's a good common name because the shrub thrives near wetlands and because of its heavenly fragrance in late June. And you can indeed suck the honey from the stamens if you pull them out of the flower.

And we all know we need to know the botanical name if we want to buy a plant or read about it accurately. But the world would be a poorer place without all those delightful and evocative common names.

hi

why does it bother you when people use the "wrong" forum

======>>>

when i mention other forums.. i am suggesting to the
OP that if they dont get an answer in one forum.. they might try the other ... its a teachable moment ... but back to the post. ...

which leads me to one of my on topic gripes ..

evergreens [a common name] are . well ... evergreen ...

they can be conifers.. and in the south.. certain plants that hold their leaves .. but are deciduous up north with me ... go figure on all that ...

so when you tell me you have an evergreen problem.. it might take hours before we even figure we arent talking about the same type of plant ....

then.. those needley things in front of your house ... are conifers.. not shrubs [another common term].. nor simply evergreens ...

my dad used the term shrub for any such squat plants for years.. so i understand the usage ..

but if you want to prune a 'shrub' .. you better darn well know if it is a conifer.. or a flowering shrub like a lilac ... because the way you do it varies greatly ....

so when one is asking about pruning a pine.. in the shrub forum.. yikes...

and what is this about all conifers having pine cones.. a blue spruce has .. get this.. spruce cones.. but they are surely not PINE cones .... and why are they called blue spruce.. since 99% of them are green ... why is the common name of picea pungens.. blue spruce????

and another... what about Acer psuedoplanatis ... acer is maple.. and spelled correctly.. planatus is sycamore.. hey!!!! its either a maple or a sycamore.. or a plane.. but it isnt a false[psuedo] sycamore maple.. whats that all about ... i feel like sienfeld here ... lol ...

anyway.. apparently i digress... apparently from the point of typing HI ... lol

ken

ps: back in the day.. you could get banned for repeatedly posting at an improper forum .. the GW has been sold since.. and no one really cares .. or keeps note anymore .. other than for perhaps lead you to a better forum ... but as i understand it.. a lot of them are just deadwood ..... so peeps tend to post whatever .. whereever they feel they have friends ...

Wow - common names are confusing enough! Sometimes
people don't even know what actual plant species they're talking about when they use a common name. They talk about Bee balm - well which species of Monarda? Maybe it's a Monarda cultivar or hybrid introduced by the horticulture trade? I make a concerted effort to learn scientific and cultivar names, and to research the origin of the plant. Sometimes I don't even bother learning the common name.

At first I thought the title of this thread was talking about common names for plants that didn't make sense. I.e. Obedient plant for Physostegia virginiana - not an obedient plant in the garden!

Ken_adrian

When I originially posted the topic I thought I was in the "natives" forum rather than perinials. I spent most of the day roaming through the forums and lost track. Sometimes people get offend if you are in the wrong room so I said sorry before I offended anyone that strictly follows the forum names.

Basically I just started this topic to find out what other common names people think are silly and totally off the wall.

Like, another thing I hear in West Virginia and sometimes in Ohio: Wal-Marks... instead of Wal-Mart... or Wal-Marts.

We all have funny little pet peeves and mine happens to be names that don't fit. LOL I wondered if anyone else in the plant world felt the same. :)

Part of the appeal of common names is that they often tend to be very evocative......either because of their usage, how they grow, what they look or smell like. Or just how that plant was known and passed down by the "regular folk" over the ages. But as far as being any kind of good identifier - no dice!! In fact, when folks come into the nursery and all they know is the common name, that can often be a huge challenge in correctly ID'ing what they are looking for. Depending on where they grew up, that common name can be any one of half a dozen different things.

So no, it doesn't bother me whether they use the "correct" common name or not, as what is 'correct' or commonplace in one area may not be the same in another. And the difference may be only a few miles apart :-) I find the common plant names popular in many southern or very rural communities rather fascinating. They are often very different what is used in my locale but they never fail to entertain. And they usually describe the plant to some degree of accuracy, even if it can be misleading.....like Easter lily for daffs. Makes a certain amount of sense if you think about it -- blooms around Easter time and as a bulb, could be easily confused with a lily.

FWIW, the only "correct" plant name is the botanical Latin name but this world would be a much duller place without common names.

Wow. Great thread. Ya'll, this website and its many forums are for those that seek information. Not everybody is familiar with the correct horticultural nomenclature of every darn plant that is posted or asked about. Sure, there are those of us that would know the "correct" botanical name of many plants, and that would seek the Latin name for further detail. But most folks that use these forums do so because they DO NOT know and wish to learn.
Common names are for "common" people that do not have much of an inkling for horticulture. In that light, how can "common names" be belittled? Something looks like a yellow centered flower with white petals, it is called a "daisy." How many thousand flowers fit this bill? They are friggin' daisies to the rest of the Non-botanical world. Let's get real, here.
hortster

baccalynnwv, did you say that you "thought [you were] in the 'natives' forum rather than perinials [sic]?" Did you mean the perineals forum? Now THAT would be something! âº

As a gardener, I prefer to use latin names for plants. Whenever I research or buy a plant - and for that matter, most of the time even in general discussion - I use the latin name.

But as a language geek, I also love the common names. I love the origins of them, the stories and culture and history behind them.

I can't think of any "wrong" common names I've heard. Calling the azalea "honeysuckle" is pretty funny. I could definitely picture myself blurting out "azalea!" after a few times too, lol!

:)
Dee

In our local paper someone posted that they had lots of free "tiger Lilies" to give away, come and get them. I thought that would be nice, drove 30 minutes to get them and they were ditch lilies, those boring, common, invasive daylilies. NOT tiger lilies. I was so disappointed and I wasted time and gas because of a wrong common name.

They talk about Bee balm - well which species of Monarda?

====>>>> arghhhh Earl Grey tea plant....

maybe i can start my own common name .. lol

ken

Sometimes just going with the spirit of the post is the answer!

I have one of these. My grandmother, which I totally respect and is the inspiration for my love of gardening, calls cypress vine by another common name entirely! She calls it trumpet vine--it drives me nuts!

If you look up the meaning of the Latin name, many times you will find it is actually a description of the look, or some other feature of the plant. Not so much different from the common names we might apply to a plant today. Al

Gottagarden, the exact same thing happened to me. I ended up with those orange daylilies too(Hemerocallis). That was my first introduction to "common" names from people who are not really into gardening. I try and use the latin if it's pronouncable (and that's a big IF on some of those honkers) or appropriate to the situation. For instance I certainly wouldn't ask the clerk at Walmart where the Hemerocallis are. Pointless. Funny about prejudice though. I once asked a friend of mine why she didn't use the latin to talk about some of her plants when she knew what it was. She replied that the rest of her friends would think she was trying to be uppity. So now I realize that there are people out there who garden who don't want to know more then they already know and consider it snobbish to use a name they are not familiar with. I like to learn the latin if possible and how to pronounce it. But I guess there are two different ways to see things even in gardening...One of the strangest common name mix ups was when I lived in Indiana. I was told that some people refer to Bell Green Peppers as
Green Mangos. Now that would be confusing.

I used to joke about that with my other classmates Maryl. We generally used the botanical names (we had to learn them anyway) but for something like daylily I would just use the common name saying I didn't want to come off as a snob.

those orange daylilies too ===>>>> they are called
ditch lilies here.. lol ... can literally cross under a road.. given enough time ....

darn.. used to know the cultivar name.. boy.. oporto???

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: google is amazing.. lol ..

I believe Hemerocallis Fulva is the botanical name for the "ditch lily".