Monday, May 17, 2010

Problematic Plant Name: Begonia

People need to stop making up botanical plant names!!!

6 comments:

  1. So we know it needs an "x" between Begonia and tuberhybrida. Maybe that is where they get the Million Kisses?

    xxx, Methyl.

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  2. The practice of giving plants trademarked "names" irks me more, the cultivar name for this Begonia is 'Yadev'...

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  3. Also, isn't it a selection or hybrid of B. boliviensis?

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  4. Trademark and cultivar names are so confusing to so many gardeners, but that's marketing for ya!

    I totally thought Begonia tuberhybrida was some lame-o made up name, but it is, in fact, the name used for the group of tuberous or "non-stop" begonias. However, Methyl was correct to mention that the names needed an "x" in the middle to denote that the original plants were a cross between two species.

    Yes, Bjornar, I think it's a selection of B. boliviensis. Have you had the straight species or 'Bonfire' winter over for you?

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  5. I've never had boliviensis, but I doubt it would survive here... B. pedatifida and grandis did winter over last year, but the former is now very much dead, and it's too early to tell if the latter made it.

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