Understanding Plant Names: Common vs. Botanical

Plant taxonomy—the naming of plants—is essential for getting exactly what you want. Common names like “coneflower” cover many varieties; if you want backward‑curving orange petals, you need the botanical name. Some names are long (Campanula portenschlagiana), others short (Alcea rosea). Both common and botanical names serve to organize the plant world.

Common Names

Easy to pronounce and often descriptive (blackberry lily, bleeding heart, goatsbeard). They can hint at origin (Ozark sundrops) or appearance (rose turtlehead). But they’re confusing: the same plant has different names regionally (Liatris spicata = gayfeather, blazing star, button snakeroot), and unrelated plants can share a name (gayfeather and bugbane both called “snakeroot”).

Botanical Names

A botanical name has two parts: genus (capitalized, italicized) and specific epithet (italicized). Think of genus as a surname—e.g., Sedum. Species within the genus have distinct epithets: Sedum acre, Sedum spurium, Sedum reflexum.

Varieties are naturally occurring variants: Sedum hispanicum var. minus (4″ tall). Cultivars are human‑selected for specific traits: Sedum spurium ‘Dragon’s Blood’ (bronze leaves), ‘Red Carpet’ (red leaves turning burgundy). Cultivar names are capitalized and single‑quoted.

Pronunciation varies (Clematis = KLEM‑uh‑tiss or kluh‑MAT‑iss). Don’t worry—botanical names are the key to buying the right plant.

Name Changes

Taxonomists sometimes reclassify plants. Bugbane moved from Cimicifuga to Actaea. If a catalog lists two names, record both—nurseries may still use older tags.

Plant Name Breakdown

Cultivar name: Assigned by breeder (e.g., ‘Goldsturm’). Genus name: First word, like a surname (Rudbeckia). Species name: Second word, meaningless alone (fulgida); combined = Rudbeckia fulgida. Common name: Variable (rudbeckia vs. black‑eyed Susan).