Why are there common and scientific names?
A common name can be in any language and is usually picked because of what the flower or plant looks like. A plant can have more than one common name. For example, Botrychium simplex is known as both Common Grapefern and Least Moonwort. The same common name can also be used for more than one plant. For example Calochortus macrocarpus and Calochortus nitidus are both known as Big-Podded Mariposa Lily. Scientific names are written in Latin and are in italics or are underlined. No two plants are allowed to have the same scientific name, so it is less confusing when scientists talk to each other about a plant. These are used by scientists all over the world because the scientific name for a species will always the same Latin name no matter what language you speak.
