Common Names: So long, and thanks for all the fish!

Ornamental variety of Imperata cylindrica (aka. kugon, cogon, alang-alang, spear grass, blady grass...ughhhhh!!!!!)

I noticed I completely ignored using common names in the last few posts I have made (especially the botanizing ones), and I find it does not bother me at all.

Maybe I'm just too lazy (yes!), but hunting around for the common names when posting about multiple species during a botanizing trip is just too much work. Plus, some common species have literally a crowd of common names, and it just gets too unwieldy to keep posting them when the scientific names are exact (well, at least until those nefarious taxonomists get into a sadistic mood).

When introducing or focusing on individual species I will likely post the various common names, but I'll probably skip on them from now on in most posts, and da*n the search bots.

I figure if you care enough about something, you learn its proper name. 

Btw, that beautiful (very rare) purple flowerhead of the ornamental variety of I. cylindrica is one reason why I like that species, notwithstanding it is considered one of the top 10 weeds in the world ;-)

How Lawns Might Affect the Perception of Prairies

Many Americans hate lawns, for various reasons. 

Perhaps their belief is based on the notion that lawns are bad for the environment, whether it's because of the chemical runoff inevitably created by their maintenance, the inordinate waste of water to sustain them, or the lack of biodiversity and havens for pollinators. But many other people, perhaps the majority, are either supportive of lawns, or at least apathetic to the social and even legal requirements that homes should maintain a cut clean lawn on their front yards.

I've sometimes wondered whether such viewpoints could be a factor in the way this one segment of society might view prairies. In this case, lawns may have a negative impact because the ideal and perfect lawn in their minds is the complete antithesis of a prairie. Lawns are  basically  human-maintained prairies where all the multitudes of plant and animal species have been stripped away and discarded, leaving behind just a few desirable grasses.

When they see a prairie, this notion of an idealized lawn could (even if subconsciously) blind them to the truth. Instead of seeing the amazing biological diversity contributed by the many forbs and other plants, they see "weeds"; instead of marveling at the animals that make the prairie their home and add to the wonderful complexity of food webs, they see "pests"; and instead of being awed by the tall grasses they see an unmown landscape.

What a tragedy, if this is the case!

Neglecting the natural

This is going to be a short rant, so if you hate rants, please feel free to skip the post.

I am staying in Kissimmee near Orlando in Florida. As some people may know, this city hosts the theme park Walt Disney World. What most may not know is that there is a nearby preserve that is called the Disney Wilderness Preserve, which is maintained by the non-profit Nature Conservancy.   

I visited this preserve and I was amazed at the beauty of the place.

The major part of the preserve is open Pine lands with absolutely gorgeous fields of grasses (dominated by the usual Andropogon and Aristida spp), and sprinkled with multitudes of shrubs and forbs and other plants. Even though it was a scorcher of a day, I barely noticed as I was busy glancing around and taking pictures of the colorful landscape.

The sad part was that there was barely any visitors to the park. A handful of cars dotted the parking lot, and  we did not meet any other hikers in the trails themselves, although a couple followed in our wake for a short while.

Meanwhile, I am sure the nearby theme park was packed with people (or at least semi packed, given the still potent sting of Covid-19), who probably would not give a darn that this preserve exists. We live in a world where artificial pleasures reign supreme; a time when virtual excitement through videogames and other activities far removed from the natural are the norm.

I am not really mad about this. People are free to choose what fulfills their lives. But I am sad that such beautiful places as the Disney Wilderness Preserve barely attract notice in our modern frenetic world.

Update (January 25, 2022): I have had more occasion to visit this place and I am glad to say there are times (especially the weekend) when there are quite a number of people visiting and appreciating the natural beauty of the preserve.

Why I hate common names

Arundo donax

I have a hate-hate relationship with common names, and very little patience for plantsmen and women who insist on using them.

The reason for that is simple, and rather practical.

Scientific names by and large are standard for any one particular species (with the minor point that names can sometimes change over time as the taxonomic placement of the species changes due to new information being uncovered).

Common names, on the other hand, can vary from one country to another, and many times even within one country! This dilutes clarity and introduces the chance for errors in identification. For example, in a single youtube search for videos I found that Arundo donax can be called a multitude of names, including Giant Reed Grass, Arundo Cane, California Bagpipe Cane, Tube Cane, and Giant Cane.

In addition to dispelling confusion about a plant when communicating, the use of scientific nomenclature also has another advantage. It automatically allows people to group similar plants together. This is because a scientific name has two parts to it: The genus name (which is always capitalized), and the specific epithet (which is always in lower case).

Poa pratensis

For example, Kentucky Blue Grass is Poa pratensis, where Poa is the genus name, and pratensis is the specific epithet. Another grass, Poa bulbosa, shares the same genus name, which automatically tells us that the two species are related somehow, and thus have been grouped into the same genus.

In the same way, our own species is Homo sapiens, with Homo being the genus name (meaning 'human being') and sapiens being the specific epithet (meaning 'wise, intelligent'). One of our cousins in the human lineage is Homo erectus, a species related to us from 2 million years ago.

Poa bulbosa spikelets

I do know that some people struggle to remember the latinized nomenclature, but I can tell you now that once you get used to it, you'll wonder why anyone would ever use common names again. Before long you'll be throwing out scientific names like an expert, and rolling your eyes at noobies who have not seen the light ;-)