3/1/2024 0 Comments Old names buttercup plant![]() ![]() But that doesn’t make it ‘false’ in any way it’s just a different kind of buttercup. Formerly, this plant was classified with the ‘true’ buttercups (Ranunculus), but taxonomists decided it deserved its own genus. –Cooley’s false buttercup (Kumlienia cooleyae). One field guide simply calls it ‘rusty Menziesia’, a translation of its Latin name, which at least avoids falsity and foolishness. But the flower color is different (orange vs pinkish), the leaves are quite different, and the fruit of this species is a dry capsule rather than a succulent berry. And they are classified in the same family. The plant does share with real huckleberry two features: both are shrubs and the flower shape is similar. I have no idea what the imagined resemblance to azalea may have been I see none. Sometimes it’s also called false azalea or fool’s huckleberry. –false huckleberry (Menziesia ferruginea). One field guide suggests an alternative name of corn lily, and the tasseled inflorescence vaguely recalls the tops of corn stalks. Then to call it ‘false’ is a double insult. So, to apply that name is inappropriate in the first place. It looks quite unlike the original hellebore (Helleborus) of Eurasia, which has showy flowers, a different growth form, a different leaf shape and venation, and is not even in the same taxonomic family. This is a goofy name for this member of the lily family on two counts. Sometimes this species is called ‘deer heart’, from the shape of the leaves, or mayflower, which is a translation of the genus name either alterative is an improvement over ‘false’ anything. The leaves have a different shape and the tiny flowers are borne on an upright stalk, not dangling like little bells under the curved leaves. This plant does not resemble the real lily of the valley of our gardens. –false lily of the valley (Maianthemum dilatatum). Perhaps the English names that most annoy me are those that are ‘false’. Interesting…how long old mistakes stay with us! This is an ancient misnomer based on a plant growing on Mt Parnassus in Greece, but the mistaken name has apparently petrified in place. And then there’s so-called grass-of-Parnassus its taxonomic classification may be debated but never comes close to real grasses. That’s not the case, however, for scurvy grass, a little member of the mustard family that’s very common in saline meadows it has no grass-like features. At least both of those have narrow leaves with parallel veins-characteristics shared with grasses-so the misnomer is not too wild. There’s cotton-grass, so common in many bogs, and arrow-grass, a much rarer type in wetlands. Other misnomers include several species whose English name included the word ‘grass’, none of which is a true grass or even related to true grasses. At least one is totally misleading: skunk cabbage is not very cabbage-y and not at all skunky in fact, we enjoy its lovely sweet smell that wafts over some of the swampy trails. Some are fanciful (and a bit silly), such as mist-maiden and shy maiden. Accessed on 6.I marvel at some of the English common names that our local plants have acquired. National Assessment: Red List of South African Plants version 2020.1. (eds.), The status and distribution of freshwater biodiversity in southern Africa. ![]() The status and distribution of vascular plants (Magnoliophyta, Lycophyta, Pteridophyta). Mountain flowers, a field guide to the flora of the Drakensberg and Lesotho. A field guide to wild flowers Kwazulu-Natal and the eastern region. The native and naturalised species of Peltocalathos and Ranunculus (Ranunculaceae: Ranunculeae) in southern Africa. Backhuys Publishers, Leiden, The Netherlands. Aquatic and wetland plants of southern Africa.
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