System for identifying plants

I've come across a hybrid or 'x' of Echinacea and Rudbeckia - surprisingly called an Echibeckia - which has pricked my interest in learning to accurately identify plants.

Google tells me that Latin names are used because it is not a spoken language - so it is easier for those who speak different languages to identify specific plants.

I have some 'black eyed Susan's' in my garden - or more accurately, Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm'.

I'm reading the proper name as genus (Rudbeckia); species (fulgida) and variety (sullivantii 'Goldsturm'). It's a variety as opposed to a cultivar because it occurs in nature - it has not been bred by a gardener (is this right?).

So, there is such a plant as a Rudbekia fulgida, from which the Goldsturm variety has been created by nature?

And, the Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii - is simply another variety which has been created by nature?

So, when I say on here, my favourite plant is a Lobelia - it doesn't really make sense as this is the Genus and there are over 400 different species and who knows how many varieties/cultivars .

 

There you go, to me "black eyed Susan" is a Thunbergia

We need latin names to stop confusion, but I can't profess to use them all the time, just when necessary.

 

I assume that this is a man made cultivar - because it doesn't say 'var.'?

Rudbeckia fulgida 'Early Bird Gold'

 

Thunbergia to me as well , Black eyed Susans. One of my favourite plants , very easy to grow from seed ( 80 seeds for £0.99 on ebay ) . Lovely little happy climber , to about 4 feet.

 

Does anyone know - are all cultivars hybrids?

 

This is getting even more confusing.

Rudbeckia fulgida 'Early Bird Gold' - is a cultivar - that was discovered in a nursery full of Goldsturm.

So even if the intention was not to create a 'new' plant - but one is produced as a side effect of human intervention - then it a cultivar.

If this plant was found in the middle of a field - it would be a variety.

Some one help me - I'm finding this stuff quite interesting .

 

NO. Cultivar applies to any plant that is grown/cultivated that produces offspring that bear similar likeness. Hybrid in the matter of plant cultivation is. A plant produced from seed that is the result of two plants via seed pollination, where the pollination has been carried out by hand and not by open pollination as with bees and other insects. F1 Hybrid is when basically the same method of pollination takes place but, for each periods of selective pollination the pollen is collected from the original flowers.
Usually most books about gardening, plants etc contain what is called a, 'Glossary' This will give the meanigs of most of the terms used in the text.

Often it is said that Latin is a dead language. In many universities and places of special educatin, Latin is still taught and often times are spent when most conversation takes place using Latin. In all realms of science, medical and horticultural science included Latin is used. For instance if your GP writes to a consultant outlining your medical problem, body parts etc wil be given their Latin names. Not only is Latin actually an International language that can be readily understood by scientists and the like worldwide, it is good for us gardeners also to have some level of understanding of it. Usually when used in the name of a plant, it also tells us much about the plant. Attending any scientific related meeting seminar etc. One mainly hears only Latin being used. Hope this is of use.

 

I went to Convents and t'other half Jesuit schools so we are very familiar with Latin terms, t'other half also having it on the curriculum. Now living in Portugal, the language is a Romance one containing many Latin terms. Fortunately for us this helps with botanical and medical terms.

 

Interesting replies .

The idea of Latin being a 'dead' language - is that you can say the words - but nobody is alive who knows how they should be spoken - so no one can be sure that they are correctly speaking Latin - it may well be gibberish to a native Latin speaker.

So, a cultivar can be a plant this is created by hybridisation - what other methods are there to produce cultivars?

Does grafting produce a cultivar?

Is a F1 rose a hybrid cultivar?

 

Another question comes to mind....

Surfinia can only be purchased as plugs - seeds are not for sale. Surfinia is cultivated - I should imagine by hybridisation to obtain a trailing and free flowering cultivar. Why not just sell the seeds so that gardeners can grow an F1 hybrid - why bother producing plugs - surely plugs are more expensive to produce?

Is it because you can produce many plugs from a single seed via vegetative propagation - so it's actually more cost effective to produce plugs?

Why are Surfinia called strains?

 

Hi Apple - there is a thread for identifying plants - might be worth asking there?

I'm trying to get my head around the various terminology at the moment - it's quite interesting.

 

This is getting worse - Surfinia look to be genetically modified - so not hybridised. No seeds as Frankenstein plants are produced in the lab - and vegetative propagation takes place - as seeds produced are not true to the original Frankenstein creation.

I've gone off them a bit - tinkering with mother nature.

So this is what is meant by 'strain' - the offspring of the original GM Frankenstein plant.

 

Personally I think you are worrying too much.
Lots of F1 s dont produce seed , or if they do its not true to type.
You can buy F1 seeds.
Man has been tinkering with nature for years, nothing new.

 

Dont even look up Chimera.