What's In a Name: The Binomial System of Names

Did you ever wonder how a plant gets its scientific name? If you have, then you’ll enjoy reading the Master Gardener Foundation’s discussion of Plant Names. This well written and easy to understand article explains the Binomial System of Names, why we have it, and how it works.

I recently came across this site while I was researching one of the plants in my garden, Timeless Rose. I knew the botanical name was Rosa x JACecond, but it wasn’t until I read this article that I learned that the small ‘x’ between the genus and species name means that this is a hybrid rose.

This article is a great way to get your feet wet in the area of plant names before going on to some of the more complicated references.