When I attended Merrist wood back in the 80's I rather enjoyed the weekly plant identification tests (known simply as plant idents).
I achieved a 98 percent success rate.
I will never forget having to get my tongue around Metasequoia glyptostroboides or sequoiadendron giganteum.
Mrs Chaplin, I recall, was rather impressed when I called her Swamp Cypress Taxodium distichum. To Mrs Chaplin though, it was just a Swamp Cypress. The first plant name I learnt in Latin was Alyssum saxatile.
I tried hard to impress clients over the years with my library of Latin plant names. For the vast majority though - except for a small amount of purists - Latin had no place in their garden.
Colloquial plant names - variations of common plant names , depending one where you live - were not only more easily memorable but they made it easier for clients to become attached to the plants they had in their garden.
Many of the tyrade plant nurseries I dealt with also quoted the most popular common pant names. Most garden centres certainly use common plant names because they are well aware that most consumers wouldn't know what the Latin name of a plant was, not do they really care.
City & Guilds - on the insistence of LANTRA - have removed Latin from some horticulture modules and this is causing a little cafuffle amongst a few...what's your view, does Latin really have a future in professional, and domestic, horticulture....or is it time to change?
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I feel very strongly about this. When I have been working in other countries (France) maybe you have come across this as well Phil, The common names can become confusing. Certain plants have conflicting names, i have also found this in the uk. Latin is very important and if taught can help identify plants, lets say Parthenocissus tricuspidata. I have taught this to my assistant by saying, how many wheels has a tricycle have and transfered this to the plant. Sorry to sound snobby but if you phone a professional wholesale nursery and quote latin names you will get what you want every time. For the record I loved idents, being the only one in class to get 100% in winter bud id, well I have to be good at something, ive not found much else lol
Also when searching for plant information on the Internet you may be looking at websites from other countries which have different colloquial names.
Latin is not going to appeal to some clients, but might to others. So throwing the baby out with the bath water and removing it completely seems a bit excessive. The important thing is if I don't say the Latin names often enough then I forget them. So sometimes I might say both the botanical name and common name in front of a client (rarely both spring to mind). Saying the Latin so it helps me remember it (use it or lose it) and the common name which is easier for clients to relate to. Perhaps it helps demonstrate what level training I've had too.
Of course if you don't need to use Latin in your job then you don't need to know it.
no need for change - whats it got to do with ~Lantra apart from trying to take 'knowledge/power away from younger generations ?
f*ck them ! :) keep learning folks . ignore the mind-control..
It’s a mixture of languages not just Latin – a mixture of Latin, Greek and others. Don’t have to share with clients but….
Important when delaying with international trade
Also really important to get right ID as for invasive non-native species (INNS). Some unscrupulous or perhaps ignorant suppliers and retailers are selling some plants labelled with “incorrect” common names – Crassula helmsii just being an example. See this site for more information www.nonnativespecies.org/beplantwise/
Also we have just finish Invasive Week (although you’d be forgiven if you missed it – I almost did and it is my line of work!!) https://twitter.com/hashtag/invasivesweek?f=realtime&src=hash
I've had a look at the responses here so far and must say they represent my own views, so I won't repeat what's been said already. Latin is daunting, it can be difficult to learn, and to some it might not be 'cute and fluffy' compared to some common names. It is, however, the language of botany, and is nowhere near as bad as having to learn dozens of common names for each plant.
In Horticulture one of the most important things to learn, it allows cross continent plant purchases, with no confusion. Sorts chaff from the wheat. At 16 years olds it seemed worthless to me. Has your career progresses, you will see the benefits and its need. Latin names another important element that should not be lost. Still learning Latin names 25 years later, even refresh the names already taught. Make the effort !!!!!!!!
Sorry John I think you are wrong and let me explain why before i go off on a rant. May i start by saying that my previous assistant was very dyslexic and it was amazing to see him spell hugely difficult latin words yet struggle with very simple to most four or five letter english words.
When you say our industry, do you mean private customer or commercial or professional wealthy large private gardens. If you turned up at a large garden wanting a design and landscaping service, would you expect someone to quote a vague latin name that refers to 5 plants or a latin name that refers to a single plant. If i was spending i know which i would prefer.
Ok let me take the Asteraceae family for instance. If you were to price for a job and it specified 100 crazy dazy. Crazy dazy could refer to many different daisy within the Asteraceae family. So thets say you quote for 100 x 9cm pots of crazy daisy an annual @ £1.30 a plant but also refers to a perennial @ £1.70 a pot it could go very wrong in a quote worh thousands.
Just my two pence worth, if your way works for you John go with it and ignore the latin spouters like me.
Rob
It wasn't my favourite thing to learn when i was doing my HND but since I have branded out on my own I can greatly see the need for it especially when quoting jobs if your having to plant up or if you have specific trees that need to be pruned in a certain way
Thing is they aren't Latin names. They are Botanical names,which are specific scientific names for each plant. Whilst some of it comes from latin origin, it isn't exclusively so (eg. davidii, lawsonii). You don't need to be able to speak or understand any Latin at all to use Botanical names, you can simply learn them as names. Personally I think they are important, particularly in dealings between professionals. The same plant can have different common names in different areas, and the same common name can refer to different plants, but Botanical names are specific to that plant.
I don't always use Botanical names with clients, for many it would be baffling them with science. I always use botanical names when dealing with nurseries and other professionals though. To be stopping teaching Botanical names on Horticulture courses seems mad. To me it feels like a dumbing down. A case of young students don't like learning them, so rather than pointing out the importance and making them. we'll give in and stop teaching it. I suppose it depends whether to view Horticulture as part of the Botanical sciences or a semi-skilled outdoor job.
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