Thank You

Thank you for being our Client!

We will only be closed on Christmas and New Year's Day

Bloempark Nursery
Faan Ferreira Street (Opposite Brazenhead Restuarant)
Spitskop

082 518 1759

Baie Dankie!

Baie dankie dat u ons Kliënt is.

Ons sal slegs op Kers en Nuwejaarsdag Gesluit wees

Bloempark Kwekery
Faan Ferreirastraat (Oorkant Brazenhead Restuarant)
Spitskop

082 518 1759

Understanding the Strange, Scientific Plant Names

Understanding the Strange, Scientific Plant Names by Betty King Do you harbour a complete and absolute resistance to the use of the scientific names of plants?  Do you prefer instead to conjure up recognition by relying on multiple common names, sketchy descriptions, and Grandma’s folklore?  Do you secretly fear ridicule at the thought of articulating the seemingly unpronounceable Latin terms?  Are you convinced that no possible logic could exist in the jumble of incomprehensible words of a dead language?  If this is an accurate description of your deep-seated scientific nomenclature phobia, as it once was for me,  RELAX, your fears are unfounded. It really is simple. The system for naming plants and classifying them, and there is a system, is made up of groups, called taxa, that are nested within larger groups to encompass the entire plant kingdom.  Each individual plant has a name consisting of two descriptive words, as in Juniperus virginiana, Eastern red cedar.  The first word,Juniperus, is called the genus or generic name, and refers to a particular group of plants, in this case, the junipers.  It is always capitalized and italicized or underlined, and is much like your last name.  The second word, virginiana, is referred to as the specific epithet, and is the specific and individual word used to describe that, and only that, particular species within the juniper genus.  It is comparable to your first name and is not capitalized but is italicized or underlined. No other plant can have that same combination of names.

A specific plant may, however, have relatives that are slightly different but still go by the same name. 

In that case, they may be called a subspecies or variation, and would be written likePenstemon heterophyllus ssp. Australis for subspecies, or Camassia quamash var. brevifolia for a variant. 

Occasionally, you may see a plant shown with just the genus and sp. (for species) after it, as in Chrysanthemum sp. This indicates that it is an undetermined species of the Chrysanthemum genus, or any one of the many chrysanthemums.
 

Many horticultural varieties include cultivars, which are varieties of plants that have arisen through cultivation. 

An example might beCampsis radicans ‘Crimson Trumpet’ for a particular cultivated variety of the common trumpet vine, with ‘Crimson Trumpet’ being the cultivar name. 

While cultivar names are not included in the formal system of botanical nomenclature, they are attached to the scientific name of the original parent and identify its slightly different cultivated child.

An “X” between the genus and specific epithet indicates that this plant is a hybrid or cross between two species and that the parents are known, as in the common garden pansy, Viola x wittrockiana.

The genus groupings move on up the classification hierarchy into larger groups called families, which comprise a broader area of similarities among the plants contained within. 

These family names always carry the word endings “eae”, as in Asteraceae, for the family of composites including asters, daisies, sunflowers and many more. 

These groupings in turn move on up into ever-larger groups with each group having its own individual word ending. 

These word endings are always your clue as to what level of taxa you are considering. 

Eventually, all groups fit into the largest classification, the Kingdom of Plants. 

The names of all taxa from family on up are still capitalized but are not underlined or italicized.

Called binomial nomenclature, the creation of this two-name system (the genus and specific epithet) is credited to Carolus Linnaeus and his 1753 book, Species Plantarum (Species of Plants). 

It simplified and streamlined the previously used unwieldy and bulky system of adjectives and descriptive phrases, called diagnoses, and established a systematic manner of naming and classifying all plants. 

It is the system we use today.

The Latin names themselves are generally descriptive of the plants in some way.

If you pay attention and understand the Latin meaning, it will give you a good clue as to what type of plant it is, or the conditions under which it likes to grow, or the size of the flower, or any number of descriptive features. 

Consider these names: Jerusalem artichoke, a sunflower, or Helianthus tuberosus. The genus is Helianthus, from helios (the sun) and anthos (a flower), + the specific epithet, tuberosus, from tuberous (referring to the rhizome). As you can see, the name describes the plant and you might even guess what it is just from the Latin name without knowing its common name.

Consider the native spring wildflower, trillium, or Trillium erectum. The name Trillium is from tri (three) referring to three leaf parts and three floral parts + erectum, meaning the flower stands erect rather than drooping as in some other species. 

Sometimes a plant is named after a person, such as mountain laurel,Kalmia latifolia. Kalmia is taken from the man’s name, Pehr Kalm, who named it + latifolia meaning broad leafed. 

How about the well-known, medicinal flower, purple coneflower, or Echinacea purpurea? 

Echinacea is from echinus meaning hedgehog for the spiny center “cone” of the flower + purpurea for its purple color. 

Begining to get the picture? 

Can you guess what tree Pinus ponderosais? What about the perennial, Iris siberica? Can you figure outTrifolium sp.? (Think tri = three, folium = leaf.) Answers: ponderosa pine, Siberian iris, any of the clovers. 

Bet you already knew the answers!

Now about the pronunciation - remember the bottom line: nobody really knows! 

Since Latin is basically a written and not a spoken language, no one alive these days remembers how the Romans actually said each word, so we are sometimes left guessing at the exact phonetics. 

There is disagreement even among learned botanists as to proper pronunciation, with most of them falling into one of two camps – 

• the Traditional English or the 
• Reformed Academic Latin. 

Many English-speaking botanists pronounce the words as if they were written in English. On the other hand, most classicists and many European botanists prefer the stricter rules of Latin governing particular letters or combinations of letters. For instance, the Rose family, Rosaceae, would normally be pronounced Ro-zay-see-ee by the English-speaking and Ro-sah-seh-ah by their European counterparts.

As if that weren’t bad enough, local differences also occur. 

For instance, Leucothoe, or dog hobble, which is a native mountain plant, would probably be pronounced like Lew-ko'-tho-wee by a botanist, whereas I’ve heard nurserymen call it Lew-ko-the-a. 

There’s always the Peony (Pee-on'-ey vs. Pee'-ah-nee) or Clematis(Cle-ma'-tis vs. Clem'-a-tis) disagreement, plus the long-standing tomato (to-may-toe vs. to-mah-toe) variation. 

As my botany professor once said, “If you say the name of a plant and someone else then pronounces it differently, perhaps as a correction, simply smile a knowing little smile as if you know a secret they don’t.” 

That’s all that’s necessary. 

Once you begin using the scientific names you will eliminate the confusion brought about by misconceived common names. 

Knowing the origins of the Latin words will automatically give you insights into many facets of the plant just by knowing its name, and understanding the relationships and hierarchy of the groupings will give you a broad feel for the way in which all plants are connected. 

See, like I said, simple!

The Team at Bloempark Nurseries

082 518 1759 

December Gardening Calender

December is a Busy Month so Get Started Early!

ANNUALS

Continue watering once or twice a week in dry hot weather.  

• Feed twice a month with a liquid fertiliser. 

• Dead-head regularly.   

• Be on the look out for the tell-tale signs of red spider. 

• Put out bait for slugs and snails.

 Sow the following seeds for colour in the late summer:

• Alyssum

• Bedding Dahlia

• Dwarf Marigold 

• Californian Poppy 

• Candytuft (Iberis)

• Portulaca

• Tagetes

•  Nasturtium 

 BULBS

• The Amaryllis Caterpillar is now active!  Watch out for them and treat your plants.
• Plant Nerine bulbs for Autumn coulor.
• Gladioli can still be planted.
• Split your overgrown Irises

PERENNIALS

We have the following plants in stock which can still be planted in your garden this month:

• Begonia

• Shasta daisy (Chrysanthemum maximum)

• Foxglove (Digitalis)

• Felicia amelloides

• Gazania

• Lobelia cardinalis

• Obedience plant (Physostegia)

• Viola odorata

 Cut back old leaves and flower stems of your Acanthus's.  Lift the bulbs and divide them if necessary.   Feed each group with 2:3:2 fertilizer, mulch with a 10 cm layer of compost and water weekly.


ROSES

• Continue with a regular spraying for fungal problems.  
• Feed with 8:1:5 fertiliser  
• Mulch with well-rotted, old manure around each plant, keeping it well away from the stem.
  

 LAWNS

• Mow  kikuyu twice a week. 
• Lift the lawn-mower blades to allow the grass to grow slightly longer as protection from heat and wind.
•   Feed your lawns with a high nitrogen fertiliser to enhance leaf growth.

  
SHRUBS

• Water every week during dry weather.
• Mulch the ground with compost.

 FRUIT

• Spray for fruit fly and coddling moth, being very careful to observe the necessary safety period. 
• Collect and dispose of all fallen fruit to prevent fruit fly breeding. 
• When the fruit has been picked, feed with a 6:1:5 fertiliser at the rate of about 100 grams for young trees and up to 200 grams for older trees. 
• Excessive leaf growth shades the tree causing poor fruit development. Reduce the amount of fertiliser if this occurs.
  
  

• Citrus - feed each tree with 3:1:5 fertiliser.   Mulch and water well every three weeks in dry weather.

• Strawberries - feed with liquid manure when the last fruits have been harvested.

PRUNING

• Prune spring flowering shrubs.  
• Prune climbers like. 
• Cut back Santolinas and trim Lemon Verbena after flowering.

DON'T FORGET YOUR GARDEN WHEN YOU GO ON HOLIDAY!!

The Team at Bloempark Nursery

082 518 1759

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