GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

10-11-2005, 11:42 PM

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:
In article ,
Pat wrote:

Can someone explain the term 'of gardens' in the naming of some
plants. For
example:

Chrysanthemum maximum of gardens
Buxus harlandii of gardens

These terms are used for some plants and it is unclear what this means.

What it means is that they are names that are used in horticultural
circles that are regarded as improper by botanists. Sometimes they
are older names and the plant has been reclassified; sometimes the
arcane rules for botanical names have rendered the established name
'invalid' and gardeners have ignored the dogma; sometimes the common
"gardening" name is just plain wrong.

Datura suavolens is an example of the first - the genus has been
split, and it is now Brugmansia suavolens.

Viburnum fragrans is an example of the second - botanists call it
V. farrerii, but nobody else does, and there was no good reason for
the change.

I can't think of examples of the third, but I am sure that there are
plenty.

Geranium?

When I was an anklebiter, Viburnum tinus was known as Laurus tinus -
they can move in big leaps...

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Rusty
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