What’s in a Name?
Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1780) systematically began classifying plants and animals in the 1720’s. He created a general name (genus) and a specific name (species) for each plant and animal. This two word classification was a great improvement from the paragraph long descriptions (in Latin) that had existed before. My articles will explain the meaning of these Latin words in plant names. Plants were and are often named because of their appearance. For example, gladiolus literally means little sword in Latin because the plant does look like a drawn sword. If you have a particular plant name for which you would like an explanation, please email me at dlafon740@gmail.com. I will be happy to do the research and present it in a future newsletter article.
