What’s In A Name? Understanding Scientific and Common Names

Taxonomy and Scientific Names

Our world is a diverse and complex place, populated by an immense variety of living organisms. Taxonomy is the scientific discipline that deals with organizing and classifying all living things in a uniform and systematic way. Within the community of living organisms, scientists estimate that there are approximately 400,000 unique species of plants on earth. In fact, the variety is so great that even professional taxonomists don’t always agree about how to classify a particular specimen!

All organisms are categorized and sorted by their basic biology into specific groups according to shared characteristics; the levels of specificity of these groupings are referred to as a taxonomic rank. The hierarchy of taxonomic rank, from most general to most specific:

(this is often remembered with the handy mnemonic “Kings Play Cards On Fat Green Stools”)

Since scientists work around the world in a variety of languages, Latin is used as a universal language for taxonomy in the interest of standardization. Unless you are a botanist, horticulturist, or work with plants in some other academic capacity, it is unlikely that you will need much information beyond the second most specific taxonomic rank, and should be exclusively paying attention to a plant’s Genus and Species. A plant’s scientific name (also called a botanical name), will usually be expressed as its Genus and Species, in a format known as binomial nomenclature (“two names”). The names will be formatted according to the following:

For example, the scientific name for a Red Maple (genus Acer) would be Acer rubrum. If a cultivar of this species were to be selected (for example, ‘Armstrong’ is commonly selected by landscape designers), this would be written out as Acer rubrum ‘Armstrong’.

In some cases, different varieties of certain plants are selected by designers for a particularly appealing feature they possess. A variety of a plant (also called a “subspecies”, abbreviated either as var. or ssp.) is a slight genetic variant of a species, which can freely interbreed but is distinguished by a distinct attribute or characteristic (form, color, texture, etc.). A common example of this in the nursery trade is the Doublefile Viburnum (Viburnum plicatum) which is commonly available as Viburnum plicatum var. tomentosum, selected for a showier flower and slightly earlier-season bloom period. In some instances, the -var. is dropped from the naming convention altogether, leaving the name formatted as Viburnum plicatum tomentosum, for example. If this all sounds confusing…well, it kind of is! Different nurseries and garden centers will use different conventions, although these are the most commonly accepted.

Common Names

A plant’s common name (or names) may be derived from one of any number of origins, and is generally a more colloquial and less reliable method of identifying plants. In situations where it is important to identify a plant exactly (for instance, when purchasing a specimen from a wholesale nursery or garden center), the scientific name should be used to ensure accuracy. Common names vary widely between regions, and in some cases the same plant may have multiple common names, causing further confusion. Common names will often include the name of the particular cultivar of plant, if a cultivar has been selected, and also often describe the physical characteristics or habit of the plant (i.e. “Creeping Juniper”, “Lo-Gro Sumac”, “Weeping Willow”, etc.). Being familiar with common names of plants can be helpful, but it is often preferable to use a scientific name, if known.

Further Reading:

Bio of founding father of taxonomy, Carolus Linnaeus

A more in-depth overview of the science of taxonomy

Further information on plant naming conventions