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| Primulina 'Nimbus' grown by Beverly Williams |
Story # 139,
Plants have common names and
botanical names. Common names evolve
over time and have infinitely different origins.
The common names help the casual
observer identify plants and make life simpler, e.g., the burn plant got
associated with Aloe vera because its sap can be used on minor kitchen burns.
Confusion arises when there are
several common names like ‘String of peas’. ‘String of pearls’, ‘Pea vine’ for
Senecio rowleyanus.
Botanical names follow strict nomenclature
rules, such that a particular species can only have one Latin name, described
as Genus and species. Some plants
settled on the botanical name being the common name, e.g., Poinsettia and Chrysanthemum.
The question is what are we going to
call Primulina?
I'm proposing that Primulina is like an African Violet, but better!
Primulina species are native to
China and North Vietnam.
Will they become known as Chinese
Violets, Vietnamese Violets or just Primulina?
I would have voted for Chiritas, the
previous and much cooler Genus name for Primulina. Primulina will get confused with Primrose (Genus: Primula)
My second choice would be Vietnamese
Violets. Vietnam should be known for
something besides a futile war.
The ultimate choice to match up with
African Violets is Asian Violets.
Will the name ‘Asian Violets’ become
common?
I sold several Primulina this year calling them "Asian Violets," but also including their botanical names. I'm amused to see you using that same name!
ReplyDeleteTwoBear.
ReplyDeleteCommon names have a life of their own, so I don’t know what name will become the accepted leader. If Primulina is to become a commercial foliage plant, we need to think big. ‘Asian Violet’ should be the one.
Thank you for reading and commenting.
Gary
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