Plant Names and Idenficaon

The most fun you could possibly have on a Saturday morning in April!

Presented by Laura Caddy, April 21, 2018 Common Names

Dianthus graanopolitanus 'Bath's Pink' • Oen easy to remember. • Can be very descripve. – Use • Sugar maple – Colour • Red osier dogwood – Form or habit • Creeping Jenny – Dangerous or obnoxious • Poison oak • Bindweed Common Names

• No regulaons. – Therefore so “correct” common name. – No proper way to write them. • Oen differ in regions, language. • One species may have many common names. • One common name may be used for many completely different species. Common Names

Austrocedrus chilensis: Chilean J. virginiana: eastern red cedar cedar Libocedrus bidwillii : New Zealand Calocedrus decurrens: incense cedar cedar Chamaecyparis lawsoniana: Port Thuja occidentalis: eastern white Orford cedar cedar C. thyoides: Atlanc white cedar Thuja plicata: western red cedar Cryptomeria japonica: Japanese Widdringtonia cedarbergensis: cedar Clanwilliam cedar Cupressus lusitanica: Mexican white Cedrela odorata: Spanish cedar cedar Toona ciliata: Australian red cedar C. nootkatensis: yellow ceda Cedrus spp.: Lebanon, Atlas, Deodar Juniperus bermudiana: Bermuda cedar cedar Tamarix spp.: salt cedar Taxonomy

• Kingdom • Division • Class • Order • Family • Genus • Species Family

• a group of like plants • the highest classificaon we as gardeners generally use. • Oen have quite disnct visible features that unite them • End in aceae (unless you’re Brish…) – Asteraceae = Compositae – Lamiaceae = Labiatae – Brassicaceae = Cruciferae Genus

• Plural: genera • a defined group within a Family • always first leer capitalized, and wrien in italics Abies Magnolia Species

• Species were originally idenfied as a group of plants that were inter-ferle • A binomial name Genus + specific epithet = species • Specific epithet lower case and italicized. Thuja plicata Culvars

• AKA culvated variees • A culvar is a genecally unique plant selected for a specific trait. – The plant may be naturally occurring, or bred. • Propagated asexually (cloned) • A culvar name needs to be registered • Culvar names come at the end of the scienfic name Trillium grandiflorum ‘Flore Pleno’ Hosta ‘Tiny Tears’ Botanical Lan

“How [scienfic names of plants] are pronounced really maers lile provided they sound pleasant and are understood by all concerned.” - William T Stearn, Botanical Lan Botanical Lan

Why Lan? • Common academic language when the binomial system was started (Linnaeus, 1753) • Many words adapted, created, or given new definions to facilitate describing plants in detail – Resulted in a “new” unifying language to communicate about plants around the world Botanical Lan?

• Ancient Greek also oen adapted and used in scienfic botanical language • Many nouns used to name plants retain language or origin Pronunciaon

Several ways to pronounce lan – Different, depending on first language or region – As English speakers, two main ones • English (tradional) – used by botanists, gardeners • Reformed – Used by academic, classical scholars Pronunciaon: Vowels

• Every vowel typically pronounced – Except pairs pronounced as one sound (diphthong) • ae, au, ei, eu, oe, ui – Including when word ends in vowel Cotoneaster Sphaerocephala - Co-to-ne-as-ter - Sphaer-o-ceph-a-la - Not: coton-easter - Not: spha-er-o-ceph-a-la Liriope - Li-ri-o-pee - Not: Li-ri-op Pronunciaon: Vowels

Anigozanthos Pronunciaon: Vowels

Anigozanthos An-i-go-zan-thos Pronunciaon: Vowels

Anigozanthos An-i-go-zan-thos Silene Pronunciaon: Vowels

Anigozanthos An-i-go-zan-thos Silene Si-le-nee Pronunciaon: Vowels

Anigozanthos An-i-go-zan-thos Silene Si-le-nee Pseudotsuga menziesii Pronunciaon: Vowels

Anigozanthos An-i-go-zan-thos Silene Si-le-nee Pseudotsuga menziesii Pseu-do-tsu-ga men-zies-i-i Pronunciaon: Consonants

• Ch = K – Chlorophyll • J = j – Juncus • Ph = f – Macrophyllus Pronunciaon: Emphasis

• Words of two syllables – Emphasize first • Rosa = RO-sa • Acer = A-cer Pronunciaon: Emphasis

• Three or more syllables – Emphasize second to last (penulmate) when: – Vowel is followed by 2 consonants » Cornus canadensis: COR-nus can-a-DEN-sis – Vowel is long » Equisetum: E-qui-SE-tum – Emphasize the third to last when: • The penulmate syllable has a short vowel – Lilium: LI-li-um – Chrysanthemum: chry-SAN-the-mum Botanical Lan

“How [scienfic names of plants] are pronounced really maers lile provided they sound pleasant and are understood by all concerned.” - William T Stearn, Botanical Lan Pronunciaon: Emphasis

When in doubt, go with what sounds pleasing to you. • Clemas: – CLE-ma-s, Cle-MA-s • Cyclamen: – sci-CLA-men, SICK-la-men Pronunciaon

Proper (people or place) names – Ideally, root word is pronounces as in original language • Suffix, as in Lan – Realiscally, in Lan, English, or original language. Depends on name – Fuchsia • Named aer German botanist Leonhart Fuchs – Kniphofia • Named aer German botanist H. Kniphof • K-nip-of-i-a (as pronounced in German) • Ni-FO-fi-a, nip-HO-fe-a (more common by gardeners) Pronunciaon

Proper (people or place) names – Halesia carolina • Named aer English physiologist Reverend Hales • English = HALES-i-a, Lan = Hal-ES-i-a – Paeonia mlokosewitschii • Named aer Polish botanist Ludwik Mlokosiewicz • Molly-the-witch Lan Suffixes

The end of the species name can be informave. Named referencing people: …iae (f), …ii (m), …iana (f), …ianus (m) • Iris danfordiae • Rhododendron menziesii • Picea smithiana Lan Suffixes

The end of the species name can be informave. Named referencing country/place or growth …sis (m),…is (f), …e (n) • Asllbe chinensis • Thuja occidentalis • Cirsium arvense Lan Suffixes The end of the species name can be informave Indicang resemblance …oides, …eum, …opsis • Catalpa bignonioides • Schizophragma hydrangeoides • Sempervivum arachnoideum • Echinopsis Translang Lan

Specific epithets are either nouns (proper names) or adjecves (descripve) Descripve – grandiflora = big flowers – prostrata = prostrate growth – macrophylla = bigleaf – cercidiphyllum = leaf like cercis – rubra = red – officinalis = with herbal uses – arvensis = of the field (oen weedy) – sylvestris = of the woods Plant Idenficaon

• Knowing basic plant morphology is essenal • Some groups of plants have very specific terms – Glossaries are our friends Woody Stem Morphology

A. Terminal/Apical Bud B. Lateral/Axillary Bud C. Node A. D. Internode B.

C. D.

Stern, Introducon to Plant Biology, 11th ed., 2008 Leaf Morphology

• Blade • Midrib • Peole = leaf stalk • Axillary Bud • Margin • Apex

hps://www.flickr.com/photos/71183136@N08/7128074957 Leaf Type Simple Palmately Lobed Pinnately Lobed Compound Leaf Types Palmate Pinnate Bipinnate

By Ninjatacoshell (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons Harriet L. Keeler, via Wikimedia Commons Flower Structure

A. Receptacle B. Sepal (Sepals = Calyx) C. Petal (Petals = Corolla) D. Stamen A B – Anther – Filament: stalk D E. Pisl E – Sgma C – Style: narrow poron of pisl – Ovary: swollen basal part • Contains ovules Flower Types

• Complete: all parts present, calyx, corolla, stamen(s), pisl • Incomplete: one part missing • Perfect: all sexual parts present • Imperfect: unisexual • Monoecious (one house): both sex flowers on same plant. • Dioecious (two houses): imperfect flowers, only one sex per plant Inflorescence Types Inflorescence: groups of flowers aached to a common axis in a specific arrangement Solitary Spike Raceme Inflorescence Types Inflorescence: groups of flowers aached to a common axis in a specific arrangement Panicle Umbel Cyme Plant Idenficaon

Dichotomous keys • The most used method scienfically • Set of two choices, unl you get to an end point Conifer key 7a. Cones have fork scale sticking 1a. Plant deciduous………..…Larix, out...... Pseudotsuga Metaseqouia, Taxodium 7b. Cones not as above….…………8 1b. Plant evergreen……………...…2 8a. Cones hang down, fall 2a. Cone is fleshy…..…….……...... 3 intact………………...…….Tsuga 2b. Cone is dry…………..………...4 8b.Cones sit upright, shatter as fall……………………..……….9 3a. Cone is red.…..Taxus, Podocarpus 3b. Cone is not red….…….Juniperus 9a. Leaves single on new growth, spur like on mature stems……….… 4a. Needles in bundles……...... Pinus Cedrus 4b. Needles not in bundles….…..….5 9b. Leaves not as above……….Abies 5a. Needles scale like…Cupressus, Thuja, Chamaecyparis, Sequoiadendron 5b. Needles singular……….….……6 6a. Needles stiff, 4 angled…….Picea 6b. Needles flat…………………….7 Plant Idenficaon Key Features • Conifer? • Flowering Plant? – Woody? • Leaf arrangement? • Evergreen or deciduous? • Leaf form • Flower • Bark – Herbaceous? • Dicot, or monocot? • Flower • Evergreen or deciduous? • Leaf form? • Size, habit Woody, Flowering

Opposite M: Maple family A: Ash family D: Dogwood family CAP: Caprifoliaceae Alternate • Most everything else Herbaceous Flowering

Dicot (2 cotyledon) Monocot (1cotyledon) • Flower parts in 4,5’s • Flower parts in 3’s • Need veins • Parallel veins Asteraceae

Flowers: many, in Capitulum. Ray and/or disk florets. Fruit: Achene with pappus. Leaves: Every variaon possible. Habit: Herbaceous, shrub, tree Other: Milky sap (somemes). Asteraceae

Anthemis cappadocica Antennaria dioica Centaurea montana Brassicaceae

Flower: Monecious, perfect. Four sepals, four petals. Fruit: Silique Leaves: Alternate or basal rosees. Simple. Habit: Herbaceous, shrubs (some, and are small). Brassicaceae

Alliaria peolata Rosaceae

Flowers: Monecious, perfect, 5 sepals, 5 disnct petals, stamens typically numerous, pisls 1- many. Fruit: various Leaves: Alternate, serrate margins, with spules Habit: Herbaceous, shrubs and trees. Rosaceae

Potenlla atrosanguinea Rosaceae

Aruncus dioicus Rosaceae Prunus Liliaceae

Flowers: Showy, monecious, perfect. 6 tepals (oen marked/spoed), 6 stamens, 1 pisl (with 3 chambers). Nectaries at base of tepals. Fruit: Capsule. Seed flat, not black. Leaves: Alternate or whorled. Simple, enre. Habit: Herbaceous. Bulb or rhizome. Liliaceae Tulipa saxalis Liliaceae

Frillaria michailovskyi Pracce makes Progress

• Pracce as much as possible • Say plant names out loud – Don’t worry if you’re saying it “right” • Look at plant labels – Nurseries and garden centres – Botanic Gardens Resources Lan translaons: • hp://theseedsite.co.uk/lan.html • hp://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames Pronunciaon Informaon • hp://baygardens.tripod.com/botlan.html • hp://anpsa.org.au/APOL33/mar04-2.html Audio Clips • hp://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/ PlantFinder/ • hp://www.finegardening.com/pronunciaon- guide Resources

Some of my favourite books: • The Pronouncing Diconary of Plant Names, by The American Nurseryman Publishing Company, 2006. • Plant Names: A Guide to Botanical Nomenclature, by Lumley, Cross and Spencer, 2007. • The KEW Plant Glossary, by Henk Beentje, 2010. – Also great: Plant Idenficaon Terminology by James Harris and Mielinda Woolf Harris • Photographic Atlas of Botany and Guide to Plant Idenficaon, James L. Castner • Botanical Lan, William H Stearn – not for the faint of heart, mostly relates to wring Botanical Lan • Trees in Canada (aka Trees of Northern USA and Canada), John Farrar • Muenster's Keys to Woody Plants, Edward A Cope • Trees of Vancouver, Gerald B. Straley