Why are the names of plants confusing?
• All plants have two types of names. First, plants have a Latin name, also called the Scientific name. There is supposed to be only one official scientific or latin name for any one plant. But because there are many systematic botanists (plant namers) working around the world, the names of plants tend to evolve. The botanists do research and then propose changes to the scientific names so there can be several scientific name synonyms for the same plant. This is confusing. But it is just a fact of life with which we have to deal. For example, the older and more generally known scientific name for our native grass Bluebunch Wheatgrass is Agropyron spicata, but the newer more correct name for it is Pseudoroegneria spicata. There is no law that we have to use one name or the other, so people pick which name they prefer to use. Therefore, and for various reasons, there are often a few different names for the same plant floating around the industry. The latin name has two parts the first na
