can anyone tell me the latin name for ...

[Amelanchier]

Why are we still using Latin names for things?

 

Learning the latin names akes the learning process so much harder, especailly with fungi.

 

Fistly, learning the latin or botanical names allows you a greater appreciation for the relations of organisms to each other.

 

Secondly, common names change and vary by region. A 'Plane' is not always a Plane, it maybe a Sycamore. (Our Scottish members will put me right if I have that the right way round!) Botanical names do not have that problem.

 

Forestry types have another set of common names altogether. I had a conversation with a forester today who kept going on about 'greenheart' whatever that is...

[Dean Lofthouse]

I find it so much easier to call an Oak an Oak, a Willow a willow and Dog puke Fungus Dog puke Fungus though Tony

 

Phillistine ??

 

What d'you mean, Phillistine ??

[Tommy_B]

It's handy to get the point across if you ever need to speak to someone about trees etc that doesn't speak you language. Thats what we were told when I was a student anyway.

 

I always thought that if I was in a foriegn country and NEEDED to converse with the locals, it probably wouldn't be about trees...

[Peter]

Latin names are really interesting once you get to grips with them.

 

Every plant fits into a structured place in the whole system, so you know which plants are related and how.

 

The names themselves are significant and tell you something about the plant. Some are colour related, like rubra or alba. Other names refer to the person who classifed them, like darwinii. Some refer to the country or region of origin, such as yunnanensis.

 

They may appear confusing to the uninitiated, but they are still by far the best way of attempting to classify a vast and complex network.

[Peter]

I find it so much easier to call an Oak an Oak, a Willow a willow and Dog puke Fungus Dog puke Fungus though Tony

 

 

There is still room for confusion here though, as what you call an oak someone from a different part of the country or world may call something completely different.

Not only that, but they might call another tree oak and really confuse things.

 

And what about willow oaks? Is it an oak or a willow?

[Bundle 2]

 

Forestry types have another set of common names altogether. I had a conversation with a forester today who kept going on about 'greenheart' whatever that is...

 

Ocotea rodiei...

 

http://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/lumber/wood-species-2/greenheart/

 

 

 

aka Chlorocardium rodiei ( sometimes spelt rodieai )

[nuggsy]

the other 24 are as follows

 

western red ceder - thuja plicata

douglas fir - pseudotsuga menziesii

hybrid larch - larix marchlinsii

scots pine - pinus sylvestris

lawsons cypress - chamaecyparis lawsoniana

lodgepole pine - pinus contorta

sitka spruce - picea stitchensis

norway spruce - picea abie

commen yew - taxus baccata

sycamore - acer pseudoplatimus

horse chesnut - aesculus hippocastanum

commen ash - fraxinis ecelsior

sessile oak - quercus petraea

beech - fagus sylvatica

wild cherry - prunus avium

elder - sambucus nigra

rowan - sorbus aucuparia

holly - llex aquafolium

silver birch - betula pendula

commen lime - tila x europaea

hawthorn - crataegus monogyna

commen alder - alnus glutinosa

bird cherry - prunus padus

wych elm - glabra ulmus

 

thats the first lot

got another 25 after the october holidays

[Giles Hill]

Tree nurseries are another good place to brush up on plant id, because all the plants have convenient labels on them.

[Jamie]

why latin??? what is it? a Mountain Ash, a Rowan anyother local terms??

 

(i don't need the answer)

 

A sycamore is stilla sycamore up here, over in teh states it's different however

 

Jamie

[danbrown87]

the other 24 are as follows

 

western red ceder - thuja plicata

douglas fir - pseudotsuga menziesii

hybrid larch - larix marchlinsii

scots pine - pinus sylvestris

lawsons cypress - chamaecyparis lawsoniana

lodgepole pine - pinus contorta

sitka spruce - picea stitchensis

norway spruce - picea abie

commen yew - taxus baccata

sycamore - acer pseudoplatimus

horse chesnut - aesculus hippocastanum

commen ash - fraxinis ecelsior

sessile oak - quercus petraea

beech - fagus sylvatica

wild cherry - prunus avium

elder - sambucus nigra

rowan - sorbus aucuparia

holly - llex aquafolium

silver birch - betula pendula

commen lime - tila x europaea

hawthorn - crataegus monogyna

commen alder - alnus glutinosa

bird cherry - prunus padus

wych elm - glabra ulmus

 

thats the first lot

got another 25 after the october holidays

 

Our lecturer would fail us on the test if we didn't write the latin names properly ie: Capital letter for the first letter of genus, lower case for the speices, eg:

Quercus robur

Fagus sylvatica etc.

 

You might be lucky and have a more lenient lecturer!