Click here to look up a wildflower by Botanical Name

By Chy and Ray Allen, Founders, AmericanMeadows.com.

Plants have been classified and named for one very good reason—so we can all clearly distinguish one from another. Common names are wonderful, and fine in your own garden, but when you order a plant or read about one, you’ll find just using the common name doesn’t work very well. For example, what you call Prairie Daisy in your area, may be called by a completely different common name in a another area. Without a mutually agreed on name, confusion is inevitable

This is why plants have been classified using a common language that can be understood worldwide, Latin. And the reason for classification in the first place is simple—to clearly distinguish one from another. With an estimated number of plants in excess of 270,000 on the planet, it’s obvious some system of nomenclature had to be devised in order to keep them straight.

The scientific or botanical name for wildflowers, as with all plants, is made up of two words. The first names the group or the “genus” and the second describes a single individual plant within the group, or a “species.” Centuries ago, when the system was devised, Latin was chosen since it is a language understood worldwide. But to somewhat complicate the issue somewhat, some genus names are Greek.

Whether Latin or Greek, the genus name (the first name) is always capitalized and is usually a noun. The species (or second) name is not capitalized is usually an adjective. The species name is an adjective since it is used to describe a characteristic that separates the plant from other members of the group. This descriptive name always tells you something about the species. It often refers to a color, the shape of the leaf or flower, or the region the plant comes from. A good example of this naming system can be seen in the botanical name for our famous prairie plant, Purple Coneflower, a tough perennial wildflower with purple petals and a bristly golden cone-shaped center. The botanical name for this plant, now famous as a medicinal, is Echinacea purpurea. “Echinacea”, the genus name, means “a bristle”. The species name, “purpurea”, simply means “purple”.

So as you can see, botanical names tell you a lot about the wildflower you’re looking at or looking for. The list below will give you a few really interesting examples, and illustrate many of the main “types” of naming.

By the way, another big issue on this subject with gardeners is pronunciation. Before you worry about it, just forget it, and pronounce the botanical names any way you like. Almost every gardening book ever written gives the same advice. It’s because no one is sure how to pronounce many of the names. What’s more, you’ll find almost every “expert” pronounces them differently. And if the expert is British, almost every pronunciation will be different from how most Americans pronounce the names. Unless you’re making a speech, it just doesn’t make any difference.

The following is a list of recognizable wildflowers with both their Latin or Greek botanical names and their common names with the English derivations. These examples give you a good overview of how to “translate” botanical names.