Names are important elements to handle the diversity of items in daily
life - persons, objects, animals, plants, etc. Without such names, it
would be difficult to attach information to such items and to
communicate information about them, and names are usually used without
giving them much thought. This is not different for plants. When dealing
with plants, however, it soon becomes apparent that the situation is
somewhat more complex. Botanists use Latin names to bring order into the
vast diversity, while everyday usage resorts to vemacular or "popular"
names. As practical as these vernacular names are (it is not suggested
that you should ask your greengrocer for a kilo- gram of Solanum
tuberosum or Musa paradisiaca subsp. sapientum), their most important
draw- back is the fact that they vary widely, not only from one language
to another but also from coun- try to country, even from region to
region within a large country. More importantly, vemacular names in any
given language are usually only available for the plants growing
locally, or for plants of some special importance, such as crops and
vegetables, medicinal plants, or important garden plants. For all other
plants, the Latin names used by botanists and other scientists have to
be employed. Such names often appear complicated or even awkward to the
ears of those not accustomed to them.
