| This is the only practical way to identify plants. | | | | modifications. |
| Botanical names are specific, and each plant has its | | | | Unless a plant name is complete (genus plus species - |
| own name which it shares with no other. Popular | | | | plus variety, if any), it is neither capitalized nor italicized. |
| names may be more colorful and easier to remember | | | | (On rock walls clematis, makes a beautiful display.) |
| and pronounce; but they are anything but specific and | | | | Complete botanical names are italicized, but only the |
| exclusive, and they vary widely in different parts of the | | | | generic name has an initial capital letter, even when the |
| country. For instance, if you describe the full-flowering | | | | specific name has been derived from the proper name |
| beauty of your hanging basket overflowing with | | | | of some person or place. (For fall flowering, Clematis |
| Campanula isophylla as "Star of Bethlehem," your | | | | texensis is outstanding.) When you see a plant name in |
| listener may be both incredulous and confused | | | | italics, you will know that this is a recognized botanical |
| because, to him, that name belongs to a | | | | species or one of its varieties, and not a man-made |
| tuberous-rooted, upright-growing ornithogalum. And just | | | | hybrid. |
| look a the long list of "ivies" (including "poison") most in | | | | The names of recognized hybrids, seedlings, and |
| the list of popular plant names are not even distantly | | | | mutations of either or both are not italicized, but are |
| related to the hederas. | | | | capitalized and enclosed in single quotation marks. |
| Principles of capitalizing, italicizing, and otherwise | | | | (Clematis 'Crimson Star') Common or popular names |
| distinguishing plant names in most books and printed | | | | are set in regular type like janet craig compacta plant |
| material are based on the system used in many | | | | with initial capital letters only for proper nouns, when |
| horticultural books and magazines. For spelling, the | | | | they appear in text. In separate listings each word is |
| authority is Hortus II, except for a number of indoor and | | | | capitalized. |
| tropical plants classified since its publication. For these | | | | Hopefully this provides you with a clearer |
| the authority is Exotica, by A. B. Graf. For the sake of | | | | understanding of botanical names and their usage and |
| simplicity and easy pronunciation, the double "i" ending is | | | | allow you to communicate and "speak plants" better. |
| reduced to a single "i". And there are other | | | | |