Part three of a series on scientific names of plants: Learning Names
Last time we talked about the value of scientific naming in reducing ambiguity and gaining some insight into a plant's characteristics. Like any new language, the best way to learn is to start using it in daily life.
Scientific naming is generally credited to the Swedish scientist Carl Linnaeus with the publication of Systema Naturae in 1735. Binomial nomenclature gives each organism is given a two-word name, the first the genus (which is always capitalized), the second the species name (which is never capitalized, even when derived from a proper name).
Though scientific names are sometimes called Latin names, the names can be drawn from many sources, including Greek and other languages, names of people and places, and sometimes even anagrams—the flowering plant species Muilla is an anagram of the onion genus Allium! Quite often though, the species name can be descriptive. A few of California's many paintbrush species illustrate some of these sources.
- Castilleja angustifolia a paintbrush with narrow leaves
- Castilleja chromosa a very colorful paintbrush
- Castilleja densiflorus a paintbrush with very dense flowers
- Castilleja gleasoni from Mt. Gleason, in L.A. County
- Castilleja lemmoni named for botanist J. G. Lemmon
Next time: start learning the scientific names of plants