A whinge: Continous Plant Name Changing & Reclassification

[LemonSwan]

I have been whinging on another thread about the continuous name changes with no centralised list and seemingly tenuous rhyme and reason.

Its as if you just stumble upon these changes and after a brief moment of confusion go 'eugh they did it again'

Who else has feelings on this or am I just a crank?

For info: a brief summary of changes I have stumbled upon:
Aster to Symphotricium (apart from x fikartii monch and its parent plants)
Persicaria split into Bistorta, Koenigia & Persicaria
Anemone to Ericocapitlla
Rosmarinus into Salvia
Some Stachys into Betonica
And I am sure many more..

classifications change as scientific understanding grows. Thats the nature of science

Yes, I find it hard to keep up, but keep reminding myself that it’s being done because knowledge is advancing and not on a whim.

I am reading an article on it now..

www.researchgate.net/publication/250179531_Why_are_Plant_Names_Changing_so_Much

I suppose as I make my way through this I am realising its more of a philospohical question of what is the purpose of nomenclature.

I always thought the fundamental principle of nomenclature is unilateral naming leading to stability, consistency, and effective communication.

Where as now it seems the fundamental principle seems to have shifted to recognising genetic ties of plants.

A fight between the lumpers and the splitters as the author of that article puts it

I am with you, @LemonSwan. My own specialty is cactus and succulents, and the name changes over the years are mind-boggling! I realise the there are a lot more DNA studies being done these days, but many of us cactophiles are getting a bit peeved with some of the new classifications. We label all our plants, and to find that one thing you’ve grown for decades under ‘x’ is now considered to be ‘y’, is quite annoying. I don’t change my labels, because quite often, names revert back to the original, which can be even more puzzling, but it can sometimes lead to problems when exhibiting in certain classes at shows, to know which class to place a plant in.

This isn’t a new problem, it has been going on for decades, and will continue to go on, so plant names will probably continue to change over time.

Man does like to pigeon hole all living species, but those species will always be the same, which ever name we call them.

I'm with you OP, the speed that plants are being reclassified is dizzying now that they are operating on DNA level. It certainly doesn't feel helpful, although I know that I'm probably being the unreasonable one!

Wow thanks both!

I was starting to think I was the crank

Makes me feel slightly better about life.

I trained as an LA, and work with others as a consultant. One of my consultancy jobs is training gardeners of certain organisations about plants, planting design and design through management (some of who are more men with tools background).

So for me to try to explain plants, latin names, varieties etc. is sometimes hard enough. It seems simple but they do struggle let alone with this added layer of confusion.

And on a personal level I like to use plants/ varieties which I think are common in LA design but are still not commonly found in UK nurseries. Its hard enough trying to track down half these plants without the names changing every 5 minutes.

I think these namers need to consider the application of their science!
So yes I despair, and it seems I will continue to do so

Glad to find the fellow whingers

It’s bad at the moment because of all the DNA work. It’ll get better.

I try to balance my irritation about hard learnt names lost, and conceptions about where plants fit and thus what their characters and needs are, by the recognition that it’s all a result of better understanding

You are right of course, Dint. My annoyance is partly (mainly?) because my memory is not what it was.
I used to have these names at my fingertips, and I know this will never happen with the new names. Ah well, I'll sit quietly in a corner and chunter away crossly to myself

Yes, and my particular niggle is that the new names are such tongue twisters - (some) dicentra and sedum becoming lamprocampnos and hylotelephium as a case in point!

@TalesOfDrunkennessAndCruelty

Yes, and my particular niggle is that the new names are such tongue twisters - (some) dicentra and sedum becoming lamprocampnos and hylotelephium as a case in point!

Ah well, they did simplify Echinofossulocactus to Stenocactus.

Of course, swings and roundabouts, but the things that I actually grow have gained a syllable or two!

Ah well, they did simplify Echinofossulocactus to Stenocactus

That was probably one of the better ones!

dicentra and sedum becoming lamprocampnos and hylotelephium

and I had completely forgotten about those two!

@NanTheWiser

Ah well, they did simplify Echinofossulocactus to Stenocactus

That was probably one of the better ones!

Nah. Stenocactus is such an ugly name for a beautiful cactus!

One of the sensible ones recently is taking lesser celandine out of Ranunculus. Ok, it shares the extra layer of transparent cells on the petals, but for so long it’s been languishing there with its multiple petals in a genus noted for its uniformity of 5 pedalled flowers.

Scrophulariaceae is a nuisance to get one’s head around, but it’s been such a ragbag of everything that doesn’t fit elsewhere - it really needed splitting. And I say that as a lumper!

Sounds like the botanical version of the big cupboard in my garage. That also has all sorts stuffed in there waiting to be properly sorted.