Many people just hate to use the botanical names of plants, and even if they know them they will seldom use them. They're hard to spell and even harder to pronounce. (But there are as many "correct" ways of pronouncing them as there are people who use them!) There are lots of good reasons to learn the botanical names, or taxa, of plants.

It's easier for everyone to know exactly which plant you're talking about. The same common names are often used for many very different plants, for instance "Lady of the Night," also "La Dama de la Noche" is a name used for an or orchid (Brassovola nodosa) which perfumes a whole room at night; for a cactus (Epiphyllum spp.) with huge white flowers, also fragrant at night; and a shrub (Cestrum nocturnum) that has another common name of "Night Blooming Jasmine." If you know the correct names, everyone will know exactly which plant you are discussing, even if you are speaking in a foreign language. It helps to know the correct identification of a plant so you can learn about its cultural requirements. A vegetable gardener should know the Family names of crops, since crop rotation is an important consideration. If you learn and use a few of these Latin- or (Greek-based names, you might even impress your friends with your horticultural knowledge!

The herb commonly called "Toothed Lavender" is classified and named as follows:

Kingdom Planta

Division Magnoliophyta (or Anthophyta)

Subdivision Magnoliatae (or Angiospermae)

Class Magnoliopsida (or Dicotyledonae)

Subclass Asteridac

Order Lamiales

Family Lamiaceae (Labiatae)

Genus Lavandula

Species L. dentata

Don't worry, gardeners are rarely concerned with anything above the level of Family, so you don't have to learn ALL of the above! I like to think of the Genus and Species as the plant's "first" and "last" name and that's all I usually need to learn.