How to understand Latin plant names - and why we need them

Confused by scientific plant names? And why do Latin plant names matter? I ask Dr Chris Thorogood of the Oxford Botanic Gardens, and author of Perfectly Peculiar Plants, to explain all.
The Oxford Botanic Gardens & Arboretum is www.obga.ox.ac...
Perfectly Peculiar Plants by Dr Chris Thorogood is published by Quarto www.quartoknow...
Or find it on Amazon (affliate link - I may get a small fee, but it won't affect the price you pay): amzn.to/2Q8pSf4
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[@conmaster69]

Great show!!!!! Thank you for the detailed information.

[@Wadadli68]

Oh dear. I've watched this twice and I'm still confused :( Perhaps Dr Thorogood can write a 'Plant Scientific Names For Dummies' book for us... dummies :-/

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I'm sorry about that - maybe this might help? www.themiddlesizedgarden.co.uk/are-you-embarrassed-by-your-latin-plant-names-skills/

[@Wadadli68]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden To be honest, after watching your video I found this brilliant series which gives a much more comprehensive explanation. I really enjoyed it kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYenoZejodWNgdk

[@MuddyBootz]

Carol Kein seems to explain Latin names very well...a true wealth of knowledge

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

thanks, I'll check it out.

[@Cassavetes24]

Thank you! This video was immensely helpful! Like my fellow commenters, I too was a tad bit confused at first. Only rather than gripe about it, I simply hit replay a few more times and vOiLà! My confusion was sorted, lol! Although I must admit, Mr. Thurgood did make the repeated watching rather easy. He is quite the looker!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Thank you - and I should have made it clearer. It's all a learning curve!

[@ollie2257]

This is just a book advertisement

[@flowerfairy1950]

How many generic names one would have to learn before we even start on the specific epithet! Not to mention when 'they' keep changing the names! I find it difficult enough to remember the 'common or garden' names of plants I have planted! If anyone asks me "What plant is that?" even if I know it, I become totally tongue-tied.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I have struggled quite a bit myself, so I'm glad to hear Chris say that the DNA work - which caused them to keep changing the names - is quite close to being finished, so there should be fewer changes of name at least for the better known garden plants in future.

[@TheEnduringGardener]

Binomial nomenclature you say... 🙈 that's gone take some practice.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

You've made a very good start by spelling both words correctly...

[@GardenObsessions]

I have taught my children that plants are living things and every plant has a purpose. Just like every thing on this planet. Such great information thank you for sharing. 💚💚💚💚💚💚

[@chrismcdonald4572]

They seem racist....but needed in professional life 😆 funny to hear looking at your background...

[@chrismcdonald4572]

While I'm white there is likely only the same people talking about the "sintific" names of things. It makes me laugh thinking everything is a derivative of Europe....

[@sjl197]

Great to have such videos - but just a bugbear, when talking about 'Michaelmas daisies', around 1:40, the voice-over says "unrelated", then "many weren't related genetically at all". Given that (as far as we know) all lifeforms are related across a 'tree of life', i've never understood how so many educators say things are 'unrelated' and such, when they actually mean something akin to 'less closely related than previously thought' or just 'not closely related' etc. Point is, any given species of nematode is related to a given species of elephant, both of which are related to each other, albeit distantly, but also to any of those 'Michaelmas daisies' - which in such context those various latter ones are closely related to each other!

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, good point...

[@justynjonn]

I'm glad you made this video along with your great gardening tips!

[@angiejones3628]

I'm glad I got to grips with binomial nomenclature years ago or I'd be thoroughly confused now. Book looks excellent

[@convinth]

That's certainly helped me with one Christmas present idea for my 6-year old grand-daughter!

[@beanerschnitzel794]

Do they also get the names from the area they were originated ? this would help us know afrca is the source of all plants why do they hide this truth from us by giving us so many ambiguous information

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I'm sorry, I don't know. You would have to ask a botanist - I think sometimes they name them after the person who first identifies them.

[@ms.cms.cooper8523]

I always thought it was Latin. I love learning this .

[@ItachiElric]

will this be available on Amazon again? Now it just shows 'unavailable'. When searching myself it only seems to be sold in Chinese on Amazon now :( Its also no longer available at the Quarto link provided in your description.

[@herbieonline_]

He is so fine

[@tomjerry84]

Great intro, BUT... Why only left audio channel ???

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Oh dear I can't answer that - I was still learning about audio at that point, indeed I'm still learning but a bit further along I hope!

[@SunithaKj-rk3fz]

❤

[@laurenstorey8206]

Thank you for making this video. I am currently a student at Fleming College school of environmental science studying Ecosystem Management. I have many many tests on plant species and their scientific names. It can be hard to remember species and their identification features mainly because binomial nomenclature is new to me! So hopefully this book will help the younger generations.

[@meekim5361]

Would you kindly give three good reason why we use botanical name?

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

There's only one good reason - that plants have different common names all over the world, but only one botanical name. So when people are buying, selling, studying or talking about the plant, they actually know what plant they're talking about. Virginia creeper is sometimes called five-leafed ivy, false grapes, thicket keeper or Boston ivy, but it's not an ivy. But all gardeners, plant sellers and botanists around the world will also know it by one internationally recognised botanic name: Parthenocissus quinquefolia. But if someone from the US asks a Brit about 'five leafed ivy', the Brit will probably think they're talking about common ivy, which is 'Hedera'. And I don't think you'd be too pleased if you ordered 'five leafed ivy' and got common ivy instead.

[@meekim5361]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden thanks so much for the reply. It helps me a lot.

[@BackBruck]

I walk through the valley of binomial nomenclature, and fear no evil.🙂

[@traceyfrebertshauser3596]

why would you borrow a name? couldn't come up with its own?

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, the tap water somehow doesn't seem as good.

[@traceyfrebertshauser3596]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden well our tap water in Florida has a lot of chlorine and stuff in it because they have to kill all the bad stuff in it. I just collect rainwater and give it to the plants or I give it bottled water as much as I can

[@xenocampanoli815]

Btw ppp was unavailable at Barnes And Noble when we looked there.

[@cynthiabolen6326]

Great video! I'm a fan of your videos, this particular video I'm going to share with on FB Homeschool CoOp..such an interesting format to introduce botany lessons thru this book.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I hope they enjoy the book!

[@betsys6976]

Why might understanding botanical names be important?

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Because they're the same all over the world and they also tell you exactly what you're planting. Star jasmine is sometimes called Confederate jasmine in the US, but if you use the botanical name 'Trachelospermum jasminoides' then you will know exactly what you're getting. And 'broom' is the common names for quite a few different sorts of plants, such as Genista and Cytisus. But I don't think we have to learn all the names, just check the labels sometimes then look them up on the internet to make sure we're getting what we intended to buy.

[@LMAO-ef3ip]

I would love a copy of that book! unfortunately, due to the pandemic and loosing my job, i wont be able to get a copy for a while

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

I'm sorry to hear that.

[@LMAO-ef3ip]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden Thanks, ill keep an eye out for it though

[@LondonTreeSurgeons-Camden]

Interesting subject, we are a bit obsessed with scientific names in the tree world 👍

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Yes, I can imagine you have to be quite careful about names of trees.

[@LondonTreeSurgeons-Camden]

yes we use them in quotations and apllications for work, I enjoyed learning them and found that it helps understand the relationship between species.

[@sarahmarti141]

What a great video. I learned a lot. Great topic.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tarnishedknight730]

I really hate to say this but, I'm more confused after watching this, than I was before watching it. First off, the pace might be okay for someone just learning. But for someone who knows a little but is confused... Whoosh! Next, the back and forth visuals do not help. It's like being dragged from one end of the garden to the other, and back, and, Oh, let's go over here, now there, here we are back again. I spent most of my time in this video trying to figure out what I was looking at, and what it had to do with how botanical names are constructed. And as you know (or at least I hope you know) when someone is trying to "figure" anything out, they are NOT listening to what is being said, they are focusing their attention on whatever they are trying to figure out. You were doing good when you started to compare botanical names to people's names. Right up until... "whoosh". By time I realized what you were doing, it was half over. And by time I could start recalling what had just zipped by me, it was over. Wait until people have a good grasp on how the names are constructed before showing them the diversity of plants. That's a subject for a whole nuther story. A lesson on "How to understand..." anything, is not the lesson to expand and teach diversity.

[@TheMiddlesizedGarden]

That's a help and I appreciate your taking the time to comment - sorry you didn't find it more helpful!

[@tarnishedknight730]

@@TheMiddlesizedGarden, this is something that is very easy for us who teach, to fall into. WE understand, and know the subject. But sometimes we forget that it may be a little tough on those trying to learn.