Flowers and plants

• Introduction
• Classification

Introduction

Plants sometimes have the same identification marks. Because of this we put them is the same plant group. In this way we can divide plants and start to describe and learn them. We expect there are more than a million varieties. By dividing them in groups we bring order in the plant world.
Plants are divided in a hierarchy, which start with the biggest group and will be divided further and further on till the sort. There will be ranks and classes. This is a hierarchic system.

• Plant world (kingdom) Regnum vegetabile
  Section Divisio
• Class Classis
• Order Ordo
• Family Familia
• Genus or Genius Genus
• Species Species
  • Sub species
  • Variety
  • Cultivar

Plants which have the same identification marks are put together in a group. There exist a hierarchy. Each group exists from more small groups. There are with a high rank, smaller groups have a lower rank. In daily practice of the flower trade and floral art we have to do mainly with: family, genus and sort. These gives name on the plant.

Name giving
To keep plants apart and to know what we are talking about, we give each plant a unique name. This is what we called nomenclature. Nomenclature means no more than name giving.

Botanical name giving
The botanical or scientific name giving is done till 1753 by description of the plant in Latin, this we called the Phrase name. This name was very confusing because of the very long description.
Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) found out a very good and practical system of name giving: BINAIRE NOMENCLATURE. Each plant was given two names like Salix matsudana.
Salix = Genus name ( write with a capital).
matsudana = sort (trivial name) (write with a normal letter).

In case of a cultivar the plant will have often a third name, the cultivar name, example. Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa'.

Genus name + sort we call SORT NAME
Advantages of the botanical name are:

1. Complete:1 name for 1 plant.
2. World wide we use the same name.
3. General: Latin as language (dead language -> language of science).
4. Shows relationship: (local names are confusing).
5. Shows often a quality: Lilium longiflorum = with long flowers.

Country names, (local names)
Local names are very confusing and not for all plants available. Because of this we cannot use them in the communication and in international use.

• They are only to use in a country or area.
• There are no rules for local names.
• Often there are more names for the same plant.
• Sometimes there is 1 name for different plants.
• We cannot find a relationship wit other plants from the same group and we cannot determine the rank in a group.
• The name often suggests a relationship there is not.

Wild plants
Plants as they grow in nature we call wild plants. Wild plants are we called Species (in the wild - nature-, but also grown). In the last case the plants are grown, as they are grown in nature, nothing changed on the plant.

• Plants, which we grow, we call culture plants. This can be also wild plants, which are grown and not are different from the wild species. We call these real species, pure species or botanical species.

Cultivar (cultivated variety)

• By men changed plants we call a cultivar.
• Also by men preserved plants of a deviation from a plant in nature we call a cultivar.

The definition of cultivar: a collection culture plants who:
a) Exist and or preserved by men, who,
b) itself clearly distinguish (from other cultivars) this because of specific characteristics, who,
c) these specific characteristics keeps by generative- or vegetative duplication.

Synonymous: If there are 2 or more scientific names for 1 plant we call this a synonymous, example:

• Zantedeschia (syn. Calla)
• Sinningia (syn. Gloxinia)
• Eustoma (Lisianthus)
• Plumbago auriculata (syn. P. capensis)
• XCitrofortunela (syn. xCitrofortunella mitis)

Homonymous: When a name is given on 2 plants we call the last given name a homonymous. The homonymous is not legal.

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Last update of this page 23.05.2004