WHY PLANTS CHANGE THEIR NAMES

S. Andrews
“Why, oh why, do botanists keep changing the names of our garden plants?”

This topic is a very emotive issue, and we should be fully aware of the cost to the horticultural and other industries of any name changes. However, emotions must not outweigh serious scientific considerations, and adverse comments are often based on a lack of understanding or incorrect information.

There are many reasons why plants change their names but basically these fall into three main types: taxonomic, misidentification and nomenclatural.

Andrews, S. (1995). WHY PLANTS CHANGE THEIR NAMES. Acta Hortic. 413, 47-48
DOI: 10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.413.9
https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1995.413.9
413_9
47-48

Acta Horticulturae