Memorable Plant Names!

Scientific names of plants are always a mouthful, and are more often than not Latin words, with some so similar it would be easy to mix them up - if you can even get your mouth round the words. Botanists and plant lovers have come up with some funny plant names over the years that are usually pretty accurate and easier to say – red bottlebrush (Callistemon citrinus), looks just like, well, a red bottlebrush and a Sausage Tree (Kigelia Africana) is aptly named because the (poisonous) fruits look just like sausages hanging down.

Really Odd Names

But a few have really weird names that made me smile, so I thought I might share them. While these aren’t scientific names, they’re memorable because they’re silly and are often descriptive of the plant in some way, or have history attached to their names.

Forget Me Not (Myosotis) – the legend goes that this nickname came from a German fable about a knight who died trying to get the flowers for his lover and called out with his last breath, ‘Forget me not!’ (so romance was not dead then!) Myosotis is a Greek word for ‘mouse’s ear’, so named as the oval, furry ears look exactly like them.

Scrambled Eggs (Corydalis aurea) – this wildflower is found throughout the state of Texas, supposed to look like scrambled eggs. It’s yellow anyway.

Stinking hellebore (Helleborus foetidus). Like so many bad-name plants, this semi-evergreen perennial flower is pretty, but has smelly leaves when bruised - but don't try to eat it, as all bits of it are poisonous.

Shaggy Soldier (Galinsoga quadriradiata) This one boasts three other names: Peruvian daisy, hairy galinsoga, and fringed quickweed. This flower is frequently found growing around cities in the UK and has stems and leaves that have a hairy look.

Family Jewels Milkweed (asclepias physocarpus). Love this name! This is a tree-like milkweed from South Africa that grows quickly during the warmer months and forms small mauve and white star-shaped flowers that grow in clusters, which then make way for hairy green round-shaped seedpods (sometimes appropriately called ‘hairy balls’ or the less descriptive ‘balloon plant’).

Mad dog skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora) is a wetland-loving species usually growing near marshes, meadows, lakes, and canals. Apparently, scientists have been studying its extracts, with a hope of one day using it as a mild sleep sedative.

Nits and Lice (Hypericum drummondii) is named after the Scottish-born American naturalist Thomas Drummond (goodness knows where the nickname came from - perhaps he had them?)

Good King Henry (Blitum bonus-henricus). This is a species of goosefoot, also known as poor man's asparagus, perennial goosefoot, Lincolnshire spinach, English mercury, or mercury goosefoot. Used to be grown as a vegetable, but now more likely to be considered a weed.

Pussytoes (Antennaria) Native to South America, it is now considered a weed in North America and Australia. It was so named because its soft, felty flowers resemble the toes of a cat.

Sneezeweed (Helinium) The common name is based on historic use of the crushed dried leaves and heads to make a form of snuff that causes sneezing. In certain cultures and times, sneezing was regarded as desirable to clear congestion, colds or diseases. Real snuff is made from tobacco and is available even today.

Bastard toadflax (Comandra umbellata) Careful talking about this one in public! Years ago, Native Americans would eat the seeds of the bastard toadflax and other parts of the plant to treat colds, canker sores, and eye irritation.

Last on my list is Mother-In-Law’s Tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata). One can guess that it refers to the pointed tips of the leaves, which symbolises perhaps the sharp tongue of the mother-in-law! There are other somewhat rude nicknames for plants that would make you smile, but are just too impolite to mention here!

Marilyn writes regularly for The Portugal News, and has lived in the Algarve for some years. A dog-lover, she has lived in Ireland, UK, Bermuda and the Isle of Man. 

Marilyn Sheridan