Why it's important to know some Latin when choosing plants

When you go to any garden center, or nursery, the plants are always labeled with both the common name and the Latin name. And if you have something very precise in mind, you're gonna need to know a little bit of Latin.

Now calm down there, I'm not saying that you have to recite Latin, or even pronounce it a certain way (no one really knows what Latin sounded like, anyway). And if you're worried that you can't do it, you could probably say "Tyrannosaurus Rex" when you were a little kid. If it matters, you'll do it.

Of course, if it doesn't matter you can simply look at a plant, buy it, and put it in the ground. All of the palm trees, for example, at a garden center look the same in tiny pots, and you would probably just grab the cheapest one, wondering why anyone would pay more? I mean, who in their right mind would pay fifty, or even seventy-five cents in 1905 for a palm tree? My best guess is that you could buy palm trees for a nickel, or even less. But look at the Latin!

These are Phoenix canariensis, also called Canary Island Date Palms, and while they're not terribly expensive nowadays, they do cost more than a common Washingtonia.

Common names of plants usually do just fine, and if you asked for a Canary Island Date palm nowadays, as opposed to a fan palm, you'd probably get the right thing. But you'd still be wise to look at the label, and read the Latin.

Veni, vidi, vici!