Posted on by tonytomeo

Family Trees For All Plants

Sequoia sempervirens of the family Cupressaceae.

Botanical nomenclature is a standardized system of naming plants. It can be confusing since it is all Latin. Some of it is Latinized from other languages or is Latinized names of botanists. For home garden applications, it includes the name of a genus and a species. Variety names are more specific. A less specific botanical classification is that of family.

Hence, varieties are classifications within a species. Species are classifications within a genus. Genera (which is plural for genus) are classifications within a family. It should be no wonder why common names are more common than botanical names. However, the problem with common names is that they are regionally variable. They are not universal.

Taxonomy is the standardized system of classification for all biological organisms. It can be more involved or confusing than nomenclature. Families fit into orders, which fit into classes, which fit into divisions, which fit into kingdoms. Any average garden enthusiast certainly does not need to know all these categories. Such is for professional botanists.

Familiarity with certain botanical families might be useful, though. It provides insight into characteristics of some or most members of particular families. Different species of one genus are generally similar to each other. Similarly, different genera of one family might be similar to each other. Such similarities are not likely as obvious, but they are helpful.

For example, coastal redwood, or Sequoia sempervirens is of the family Cupressaceae. All members of this family are coniferous. With only three exceptions, all are evergreen. Incense cedar, or Calocedrus decurrens, is also of the extensive family Cupressaceae. Therefore, without prior experience, it is easy to assume that it is an evergreen conifer.

Some families are very diverse, though. The Rosaceae family includes strawberries and apples, which do not seem related. The Cactaceae family is famously endemic to desert climates. However, several of its genera are conversely endemic to tropical rain forests. Therefore, expertise with botanical families is useful for some but not all generalizations.

Posted on by tonytomeo · 10 Comments

Botanical Names Should Simplify Horticulture

Buick is a distinct automotive genus.

Botanical names of the vegetation that home gardening involves may seem complicated. Some are difficult to pronounce or spell. A few seem to be as lengthy as sentences. They seem to be a foreign language because most are Latin. Some are Greek. However, they are more valid than common names. What is common here might be uncommon abroad.

For example, Acer pseudoplatanus is a type of maple here in North America. However, it is a type of sycamore in England. Its common name is regionally inconsistent, so can be confusing. Its botanical name, though, is the same everywhere. Incidentally, Acer is Latin for “maple”. Pseudoplatanus is Latin for “false sycamore”. Technically, it truly is a maple.

Technically though, only a few cedars are truly cedars. Both deodar and blue Atlas cedar are species of Cedrus, which is Latin for “cedar”. However, incense cedar is a species of Calocedrus, which is a separate genus. Western and northern red cedars are species of Thuja, which is arborvitae. Again, botanical names are more valid than common names.

Nomenclature is a standardized application of names. Simple botanical nomenclature is binomial, which indicates that it involves two names. The first is the “general” or “genus” name, which is capitalized. The second is the “specific” or “species” name, which is not capitalized. Both are italicized. Species is singular and plural. Genera is plural of genus.

Botanical names are actually very similar to automotive names. Only italicization and the lack of capitalization of the species are different. Buick, Chrysler and Mercury are all like genera. Electra, Imperial and Grand Marquis are all like species. Sequoia sempervirens uses the same binomial format as Buick Electra. Botanical names really are that simple.

Many automotive species include variants, such as Limited, Custom and LSE. These are like varieties or cultivars of plant species. Such variants are evident by single quotes, but lack italicization. For example, ‘Soquel’ is the cultivar of Sequoia sempervirens ‘Soquel’. (‘Cultivars’ are ‘cult’ivated ‘var’ieties that are true to type only by vegetative propagation. Varieties can be naturally true to type by seed.)