The origins of these plant names are surprisingly fascinating

   Plant names are incredibly diverse: there are those that chain numbers together, such as Salvia splendens, Orychophragmus violaceus, pansy, Osmanthus fragrans, Schisandra chinensis, Abelia biflora, and Paris polyphylla; and there are also fresh, artistic ones like rose and Bryophyllum pinnatum. So do you know where these plant names come from? Let us give you the science behind them, come and expand your knowledge~

Appearance

The roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, and seeds of these plants usually have distinctive features,

so when we hear the name, we can picture a certain aspect of the plant's appearance. Let's call them the "looks-based" group.

Named for leaves

▲Zanthoxylum nitidum:

Both the upper surface and underside of the leaves of Zanthoxylum nitidum have prominent prickles.

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Bauhinia:

The leaf tip is split, shaped like a sheep's hoof. 

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Chinese tulip tree:

Also known as Liriodendron chinense, its leaves resemble a horse jacket.

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Osmanthus:

Its leaf veins form the shape of the character "gui"; adding the wood radical makes "gui" (Osmanthus is also called muxi, because the grain of its wood resembles a rhinoceros horn).

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Monstera:

Leaves like a turtle shell, stems like bamboo.

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Pitcher plant:

The tiny

pitcher

is also part of the leaf.

Named for flowers

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Iris:

Its leaves are flat and shaped like the tail of an iris bird.

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Aspidistra:

Also known as the cast-iron plant, it blooms strangely, like a spider embracing an egg.

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Frangipani:

The petals are pure white and the center is egg-yolk yellow, looking just like egg white wrapped around a yolk.

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Bird of paradise:

The flower colors are vivid, and its form resembles a crane.

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Wintersweet:

Don't assume that because wintersweet blooms in winter it should be written as "lamei"; in fact "lamei" is its official name, given because its petals have a waxy texture.

Named for fruits and seeds

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Przewalskia tangutica:

The fruit inflates and swells up, like a horse's bladder. Some people have mistaken it for "Tianshan snow lotus"; in fact it is highly toxic.

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Podocarpus:

Below the seed is a red or purple fleshy swollen receptacle; the seed on top looks like a head, and the receptacle below looks like a monk's robe.

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Snake fruit:

The seed coat is like snake scales.

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Star anise:

The fruit mostly has eight points. If the fruit has more than 10 segments, it is Illicium anisatum, which is toxic!

Named for roots

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Arrowhead:

Also known as swallowtail grass. "A single root bears twelve offspring each year, like a loving mother nursing her children, hence the name

。

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Bletilla:

"Its root is white and grows in connected clusters, hence it is called baiji."

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Lily:

Its bulb is formed of many white scales wrapped layer upon layer, shaped like a lotus.

Named for stems or branches

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Dragon-claw pagoda tree:

Its branches are like a dragon baring its teeth and claws.

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The internodes are narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, like the belly of Maitreya Buddha.

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Clematis:

The stem is as thin as iron wire, and the flower resembles a lotus.

Color

Mainly based on the color of the plant's flowers and fruits, the names of these plants carry a color.

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The characters in "meigui" both have the jade radical; it originally referred to a kind of gemstone, and because the rose's flower color resembles that gemstone, it got the name.

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St. John's wort:

The flower and stamens are golden yellow, and its form resembles a peach.

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Honeysuckle:

When the flower blooms, it is first white, then turns yellow. 

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Yesterday-today-tomorrow:

When it blooms, the flower is first blue-purple, then white. On the same plant you can see both blue-purple and white flowers at the same time, so it is also called two-colored jasmine.

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Ginkgo:

The seed coat is white, and its form resembles an apricot. (The ginkgo tree is also called the "grandfather-grandson tree" because it grows slowly and lives extremely long; under natural conditions it takes more than 20 years from planting to bearing ginkgo fruit, and only after 40 years can it bear fruit in quantity, "the grandfather plants and the grandson eats.")

Habits

Named based on the plant's seasonal changes through spring, summer, autumn, and winter, the time it flowers and fruits, or its growth method and habits.

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Winter jasmine:

Its flowering period is from February to April, just as spring arrives.

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Azalea:

When the cuckoo calls, it is just when the azalea blooms.

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Globe amaranth:

Its flowering period is long, blooming almost all year round.

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Water lily:

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Mimosa:

As soon as you touch the leaves, they "shyly" fold up.

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