Nulla consequat. Quandoque vero est idem mihi quaestio factus sum, et nosse potest, si non nomen proprium dicat planta.

They're just names, Rob and I bet you know two latin ones already - potentilla and cotoneaster. The latin handle is the only way to be sure you're talking about the same plant, because common names vary round the country. If you don't know what someone means, type it into Google and it'll show you...

Not sure how we can help you Rob, Bamboo's advice is good though you will need to know how to spell that plant name!

Hi, welcome to GoY, actually GoYhas nothing to do with GQT, so we can't tell them to use the common name as well, Scrumpy, I don't think it being no problem to you, and saying just call it a plant, is much use to Rob, Derek.

I wish there were a way to get people to realise that they aren't Latin names; they are just names.

No-one has trouble calling a Ferrari a Ferrari or pasta pasta.

The botanical names are the only way to be sure of the plant concerned. As Bamboo said, common names vary even within different regions of the same country never mind from country to country.

If you send plants or seeds to another country the names of the plants on the customs declaration must be the botanical name as that would be the name in every country. That way there's no confusion as it's definitive.

I don't know where you live in the British Isles Rob, but what would you think of when they talked about bluebells? In England you would see those wonderfull woodland bulbs. In most of Scotland you would recognise a campanula that would be called a harebell in England. The same applies to many, many plants. The scientific names are specific to a particular plant and used worldwide.

Primula flos est, sed non necessario primula flos.

Hi Myron, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this Esperanto, about primula's flowering, not necessarily floating, Derek.

No, it's Latin for, A Primrose is a flower, but a flower is not necessarily a Primrose.

Well I think it means that Derek, haha.

The trouble is that the names are said quite quickly and if you are totally unfamiliar with them you would have little chance of writing them down to look up later. I think the GQT has info on the BBC website after the programme that lists the plants mentioned. You can then google them and see pictures.

You can tell whether its a tree, shrub etc usually by what the questioner has asked though.

As others have said you don't have to know any Latin, although if you have a little book explaining plant names it is interesting to see why plants are given the names they have - eg rhododendron comes from rhodo=red and dendron=tree. Not many of us on Grows on you are fluent in Latin I assure you.

I too find Latin names fascinating. Words for colours like purpura (purple), Nigra (black) and hyacintho (blue) become obvious.

It's also helpful if I see the Latin word where a particular plant originated from like Chinesis (Chinese), Alpinus (Alpine) or Japonica (Japanese) in the name as it usually denotes that it's a hardy plant.

I had to learn.....and learn to spell.....the latin names of trees and shrubs for a course I was on, after the initial eek!
I loved learning them, a few at a time each week, trees especially are fun!
You look at the common ash tree through different eyes when you find that his sunday name is Fraxinus excelsior!

rob - funny thing is, whenever people are talking about veggies, they tend not to use the latin names, so most of the time, if its in latin, it won't be a vegetable. Exception is probably capsicum - nearly everyone knows that's a pepper, but even on GQT, you don't hear them say Solanum whatever when they're talking about tomatoes or potatoes.

Hi Myron, I get that as; primula est ut flore, sed non oportet quod sit in flore primula, Derek.

Just remembered this website, which might just help

http://www.finegardening.com/pguide/pronunciation-guide-to-botanical-latin.aspx

Ambo rectus Derek.

Lol, Myron, Derek.

Myron I don't really think you are helping...

Why do you think I'm not helping?

Writing in Latin is not going to help Rob! You are just having fun and enjoying yourself… Great! But this person asked for help not some of us showing how clever we are.

MG, I think that the question has already been answered in a helpful, serious way by many members, me included, both in English and with a smattering of Latin. After all, the question was to do with Latin, so why not include examples of the language pertaining to the question?

Furthermore, who are you to say that a bit of humour and light-hearted banter can't be included? What makes this site a cut above the rest is the friendly banter between most members, that's why I joined. It makes it more interesting, and l also think it helps to keep people coming back to what I think is the best, most informative garden website with friendly amusing people.

Have a whiskey or take a pill and chill out.

Hmm, well I won't comment on the chit chat, but I just wanted to say, despite knowing loads of plant names, diseases and medical lingo in Latin, I have not the faintest idea what any of the other Latin displayed here means. I just treat latin names as names, they're just words, but you don't need to know Latin to learn those names.

Its great to have fun and i enjoy it as much as anybody but we need to make sure that we don't make other people feel ignorant. It would have been just as easy to say "We're both right" wouldn't it?

Steragram: I can only assume your response refers to the Latin chit chat contained in this thread, which, of course, I don't understand, lol!