Solving the Mystery of Plant Names
By George Graine, Fairfax Master Gardener
Half the interest of a garden is in the constant exercise of the imagination.
—Mrs. C. W. Earle
Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe we take gardening “rules” too seriously? Surely you have heard many words that are currently in vogue and of concern to gardeners such as “save the bay,” “global warming,” “sustainability,” “biodiversity” and “ecological principles.” Can we lighten up and put aside these heavy admonitions for a little while? Take a few steps back and enjoy a lighter moment with a master story teller who does not get caught up with the plant du jour or why it is so important to have a soil test.
About 16 years ago, Linda C. Copeland and Allan M. Armitage (Dr. A for short) teamed up and wrote Legends in the Garden: Who in the World is Nellie Stevens? Dr. A, one of the foremost horticultural giants, self-published a new book (2017) called Of Naked Ladies and Forget-Me-Nots: The Stories Behind the Common Names of Some of Our Favorite Plants. This book is a unique treat as he tells us about interesting and mostly unknown stories about plants, packed into 219 pages. In addition, color photos enhance the identity of these plants. Furthermore, most of the plants discussed include one or more references. The Table of Contents lists almost 100 plants, all with interesting headings and in what appears to be a random order. Even though Dr. A insists on discussing each plant using its common name, the botanical Latin name is included in the text for each plant. If you are searching to see if a particular plant is included in the book, you are in luck. The last section of the book includes two lists. The first is an alphabetical “Index of Common Names,” and the second list is an “Index of Botanical Names and Their Common Names” also in alphabetical order. The plant “titles” in the Table of Contents will make you laugh, and you will quickly realize the humor and history of each plant as you read each story. As an example, here are a few title samples: “Butter and Eggs Anyone?” “Preaching with Jack,” “Can a Plant Really Be Impatient?” and “Love in a Puff.” How can anyone pass on a book with such intriguing plant titles? Trust me, this book is not just a real hoot but a must-read as well. Although the thoughts are humorous and historical, each story is chock full of limited yet important horticultural information.
To further sort out plant name confusion, here is an example of “What in the World is a Wort?” According to Dr. A, “Many plants seem to carry this designation…” Worts have something to do “with parts or ailments of the body.” This is based on Paracelsus’s doctrine as noted in the reference. Several plants illustrated in this section and based on body parts include Lungwort (Pulmonaria), Liverwort (Hepatica), Spleenwort (Asplenium) and Toothwort (Cardamine). Did any of these plants heal parts of the body? Probably not. However, “The Doctrine of Signatures and the common names that resulted are a part of our gardening history.” St. John’s Wort is covered in some detail in another section because this plant is not associated with The Doctrine of Signatures.
Perhaps one might consider Dr. A as a candidate for the local comedy club as his ability to tell a story is way beyond chuckles and guffaws. All of the stories reveal the mystery about each plant based on historical research. Not to be slighted, clues are included on how to encourage your plant to survive and thrive. After all, take note that Dr. A is a plant man of the first order. Naked Ladies is a book for everyone and not just for those with a green thumb. His book goes beyond a garden primer and indeed is a valuable resource for anyone who gardens and wants to learn more about what he or she is growing. This book will inspire you, and he does it in such a way so that those with black thumbs will almost automatically see themselves turn green(ish). To all who venture beyond this article, we should be grateful to have Dr. A contributing his enthusiasm about plants in such a charming and entertaining manner. To quote the good doctor, “Gardening should be fun!” Who is Dr. A? He is definitely not a mystery to those in the green industry. Read the last page of his book as it contains a short autobiography. One can only hope that Dr. A does not wait another 16 years before he delves into the enigma of how other plants got their names.