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Lesson Two
What's in a name?
Botanical names are easier to remember if you determine
what they tell about the plant. Some refer to the person who discovered
it or what part of the world. Other botanical names are descriptive. Viola
odorata is the sweet violet, which bears a fragant flower.
Descriptives do make the names easier. Two easy to remember
are the Primula which is the genus of the common primose and Iris
which is the genus of most irises.
Reviewing the lesson: Botanical names can describe things.
Such as fragrance or who founded them. Or color.
Lesson Three
Your first group of names:
Here are some words commonly appearing in botanical names,
along with their definitions.
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Albus: white
Argenteus: silver
Aureus: golden yellow
Caeruleus: blue
Luteus: yellow
Nanus: dwarf
Niger: black
Palustris: swampy, marshy
Perennius: perennial
Prostratus: trailing |
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Punctatus: dotted
Purpureus: purple
Reptans: creeping
Roseus: rosy
Ruber: red
Sempervirens: evergreen
Speciosus: showy
Spiniosus: spiny
Variegatus: variegated
Viridis: variegated
Vulgaris: common |
Taken from "Rodale's Perennials"
Reviewing this lesson: come back and read these again.
Lesson Four
Start learning your favorites:
What's in your garden? Do you know the botanical names?
Perennials
are a good start.
Most of the common perennials are listed and you should
be able to start learning from there. The botanical names of plants can
be easy if you start with the plants you know.
Want to plant something new? Learn its botanical name.
You can buy it from a catalog easier.
Reviewing this lesson: Take an inventory of your garden
and start learning.
Lesson Five
Cultivars, varigated and hybrids:
Vairgated:
When a new species is discovered. If it happened naturally in the wild
these are called varieties. After a botanical plant name it will appear
as "var." Campanula persicifolia var alba is the white flowering
with peach leaved bellflower.
Cultivars:
These type of plants are designed from gardeners breeding
mutations. They are useful to make a plant disease resistant and stronger.
Their name is set in single quotes after the botanical name: Aster novi-belgii
'Professor Kippenburg' is the dwarf type laveder-blue Michaelmas daisy.
Hybrids:
Hybrids are two species blended together. This is shown
with an "x" Anemone x hybrida is an Anemone hybrid.
These are very useful in picking out a plant. Go to your
local nursery and check out if there is a better plant hybrid, cultivar
of varigation for you.
Reviewing this lesson: Varigated, Cultivars and hybrids
although very different can be useful in determining the botanical name.
This can look tough, but it is easy if you
just take it slowly and start learning your favorites. When you mark plants in
your garden you can put the botanical name and you will remember them easily
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