Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Common names + Common plants = Confusion

Chloe usually refers to her plants by their botanical names which often has me rushing for a book to find out the name by which I know the plant. I then remember the botanical name for a few days/weeks before it drifts off into that giant repository of other forgotten things. However, I've just been reading a blog on another site from a girl (anyone under 50 is a 'girl' in my vocabulary) in the US, lamenting the fact that her 'Chinese Lanterns' are suckering and coming up everywhere. Now I've grown ABUTILONS (Chinese Lantern)for years and have never known them to sucker or even self-sow. I almost wish they would as it would save me having to propogate them by cuttings, which I continue to do because I love them so much. Either her Chinese Lanterns (Abutilon)are doing strange things or they are a different plant altogether. The problem is that 'common' names for plants are often common to a whole range of plants, sometimes totally unrelated.

Oh well, it looks like it's back to the books for me. Now how do I pronounce . . . .?

1 comment:

Linda said...

I wonder if she means Cape Gooseberries (whose Scientific name totally escapes me, if I ever knew it). You know - those herbaceous perennials that have a closed papery orange seed pod with one large eadible berry inside????