Continued from Page 1
The Descriptive Values of a Name:
A plant's name can convey a lot of useful information. For instance, the generic name “Saxifrage” comes from two Latin words “Saxum” meaning stone and “frangere,” which means to break. It is the perfect term to describe the plant which grows in the clefts between stones. Some of the names indicate thrilling stories of exploration and adventure in all parts of the world. A common prefix is “arachna” that means “like the cobweb of a spider.” This name has been derived from Greek mythology. Arachne, the perfect needlewoman was so pestered by the Goddess Minerva that she hanged herself. Minerva took pity and changed Arachne into a spider and the cord, with which she hung herself, into a web. Spiders still have this name. In the names Campanula Hispanica, Campanula Raineri or Campanula Hispanica Alba the first generic name “campanula” comes from “campana” that means little bell. There are approximately 1,500 different species of this plant. Campanula Raineri is an Italian species named after its discoverer Rainer. The name Hispana indicates plants that come from Spain and the third name suggests a plant with a white, Alba flower, instead of the purple flower of Campanula Hispanica.
Importance of the Correct Plant Name:
A plant should always be identified by its complete name. If you get to know about a particular plant well and adopt the Latin name, it will increase your understanding of gardening and botany. The names of the plants are pronounced similar to the spelling but if you have a difficulty with pronunciation, write it on a piece of paper prior to purchase.
Some Common Specific Plant Names:
Some common names of plants help to increase your interest in identifying them easily. You can find some variations in spelling, particularly where colors are involved. These variations are according to the "sex" that is attributed to a particular plant. Gold is aureus, when it is masculine, auream when it is neuter and aurea when it is feminine. The terms in context of size are maximus for largest, minor for smaller, minimus for smallest and pygmaeus for dwarf-sized. In the case of colors, alba stands for white, aurea for gold, lilacina for lilac, carnea for deep pink, palens for palest and rubra forred or sulphurea for yellow. The terms used for identification according to the country of origin are africanus for Africa, americanus for American, germanicus for Germany, chinensis for China, helvetica for Switzerland and tasmanica for Tasmania.