In a way I am envious of the discoveries they are going to make, even the enjoyment that sometimes comes from trial and error. Growing plants is an adventure, though sometimes it can be frustrating when your prize plants are ravaged by every type of sap sucking insect, or your waking hours are spent picking up slugs and snails, and wonder whether it is morally right to stamp the slimy life out of them under your heel.
One important aspect of learning about gardening is the naming of plants. At first the task of learning long Latin names seems onerous, and often gardeners can name the contents of their borders with a mixture of Latin and common names. Some plants it would seem are always known by their correct ‘scientific’ name, whilst others are invariably known by a variety of ‘common’ names. And here lies the problem. Common names it would seem are not common to everyone, and regional differences let alone the difference between countries can can cause confusion. As an apprentice working for Leeds Parks Department we were always taught Latin names, and this training has remained very firmly with me.
To give an example of this a bluebell in Scotland is commonly known as a harebell in England. Other examples might be plants that have a range of common names depending on where you live. Pulmonaria is known as Jerusalem Primrose, Jack and Jill, as well as Soldiers and Sailors. I believe that Gaultheria has as many as 32 common names!
Going back centuries each plant was known by long descriptive sentences; an extremely unwieldy way to name a plant. Not until the great Swedish naturalist Linnaeus came along determined to classify the living world “from buffaloes to buttercups” was a dual name system for plants established. So successful was it that it became universally accepted and your common dandelion when correctly named as Taraxacum officinale would be recognised and understood whether you were in Cumbria or Umbria!
In essence the system by which plants are named consists of two names: the first which is like our surname is the generic (genus), or group name. The second, the specific name (species) whilst it is only given to one plant of the same genus, like a christian name in a family, it can occur in many different genera. What I find more interesting than this though is the derivation and meaning of plant names.
Behind every plant name is a history – it is often a mixture of languages too as both Greek and Latin are apparent, and the species name describes the plant in terms of colour, form or habit. The species name can also be derived from the name of a person, or place.
As to pronunciation….I’ll leave this fascinating subject with a quote on ‘cyclamen’ from a very old gardening book.
How shall we sound its mystic name
Of Greek descent and Persian Fame?
Shall ‘y’ be long and ‘a’ be short’
Or will the ‘y’ and ‘a’ retort?
Shall ‘y’ be lightly rippled o’er
Or should we emphasise it more?
Alas! The doctors disagree,
For ‘y’s’ a doubtful quantity.
Some people use it now and then,
As if ’twere written ‘Sickly-men’,
But as it comes from kuklos, Greek,
Why not ‘kick-laymen, so to speak?
The gardener, with his ready wit,
Upon another mode has hit;
He’s terse and brief – long names dislikes,
And so he renders it as ‘Sykes’.
Kwa njia fulani nina wivu wa uvumbuzi ambao watafanya, hata furaha ambayo wakati mwingine hutokana na jaribio na kosa. Kukuza mimea ni jambo la kufurahisha, ingawa wakati mwingine inaweza kuwa ya kukatisha tamaa wakati mimea yako ya tuzo inapoharibiwa na kila aina ya wadudu wanaonyonya juisi, au masaa yako ya kuamka hutumiwa kukusanya punda na konokono, na kujiuliza ikiwa ni haki ya kimaadili kuondoa maisha ya punda chini ya kisigino chako. Sehemu moja muhimu ya kujifunza kuhusu bustani ni jina la mimea. Mwanzoni, kazi ya kujifunza majina marefu ya Kilatini inaonekana kuwa ngumu, na mara nyingi wakulima wanaweza kutaja majina ya mipaka yao kwa mchanganyiko wa majina ya Kilatini na ya kawaida. Inaonekana kwamba mimea fulani hujulikana sikuzote kwa jina lao sahihi la "kisayansi", ilhali nyingine hujulikana sikuzote kwa majina mbalimbali ya "kawaida". Na hapo ndipo tatizo likiwapo. Majina ya kawaida hayawezi kuonekana kwa kila mtu, na tofauti za kikanda, bila kujali tofauti kati ya nchi, zinaweza kusababisha kuchanganyikiwa. Kama mwanafunzi wa kazi katika Idara ya Hifadhi ya Leeds, siku zote tulifundishwa majina ya Kilatini, na mafunzo haya yamebaki sana nami. Kwa kutoa mfano wa hili bluebell katika Scotland ni kawaida inajulikana kama harebell katika Uingereza. Mifano mingine yaweza kuwa mimea ambayo ina majina mbalimbali ya kawaida ikitegemea mahali unapoishi. Pulmonaria inajulikana kama Jerusalem Primrose, Jack na Jill, pamoja na Askari na Mabaharia. "Hata hivyo, ""Gaultheria"" ni jina la kawaida la watu wengi." Kwa karne nyingi kila mmea ulijulikana kwa sentensi ndefu za kuelezea; njia ngumu sana ya kutaja mmea. Ni baada tu ya mwanasayansi mashuhuri wa asili wa Sweden, Linnaeus, ambaye alikuwa ameazimia kuainisha ulimwengu wa viumbe hai - kuanzia nyati hadi vipepeo - ndipo mfumo wa majina mawili ya mimea ulipoanzishwa. "Kama ilivyoelezwa hapo juu, dandelion ya kawaida, ambayo kwa kawaida huitwa ""Taraxacum officinale,"" inaweza kuonekana kama dandelion ya kawaida, na inaweza kuonekana kama dandelion ya kawaida, ikiwa ni pamoja na dandelion ya kawaida." Kwa msingi, mfumo wa majina ya mimea una majina mawili: ya kwanza, ambayo ni kama jina letu la familia, ni jina la jamii (genus), au jina la kikundi. Jina la kipekee (spishi) ni jina la kipekee la mmea mmoja wa jamii moja, lakini linaweza kutokea katika jamii nyingi tofauti. Hata hivyo, jambo ninaloona kuwa lenye kupendeza zaidi kuliko hilo ni chanzo na maana ya majina ya mimea. Nyuma ya kila jina la mmea kuna historia - mara nyingi ni mchanganyiko wa lugha pia kama Kigiriki na Kilatini ni dhahiri, na jina la spishi inaelezea mmea katika suala la rangi, fomu au tabia. Jina la spishi hilo laweza pia kutokana na jina la mtu, au mahali. Kuhusu matamshi....Nitaacha mada hii ya kuvutia na nukuu juu ya <unk>cyclamen<unk> kutoka kitabu cha zamani sana cha bustani. Jinsi gani sisi sauti jina lake fumbo ya asili ya Kigiriki na Persian Famous? Je, <unk>y<unk> kuwa mrefu na <unk>a<unk> kuwa mfupi<unk> Au <unk>y<unk> na <unk>a<unk> kujibu? Je, <unk>y<unk> kuwa upole rippled o<unk>er au tunapaswa kusisitiza zaidi? Kwa kusikitisha! Madaktari hawakubaliani, Kwa <unk>y<unk>s<unk> kiasi cha mashaka. Baadhi ya watu hutumia sasa na kisha, Kama kama <unk>twere imeandikwa <unk>Sickly-men<unk>, Lakini kama inatokana na kuklos, Kigiriki, Kwa nini si <unk>kick-laymen, kwa hivyo kuzungumza? Mkulima, na akili yake tayari, juu ya hali nyingine imepiga; Yeye <unk>s concise na fupi <unk> majina marefu hapendi, Na hivyo yeye renders ni kama <unk>Sykes<unk>.