This is the only practical way to identify plants. Botanical names are specific, and each plant has its own name which it shares with no other. Popular names may be more colorful and easier to remember and pronounce; but they are anything but specific and exclusive, and they vary widely in different parts of the country. For instance, if you describe the full-flowering beauty of your hanging basket overflowing with Campanula isophylla as "Star of Bethlehem," your listener may be both incredulous and confused because, to him, that name belongs to a tuberous-rooted, upright-growing ornithogalum. And just look a the long list of "ivies" (including "poison") most in the list of popular plant names are not even distantly related to the hederas.
Principles of capitalizing, italicizing, and otherwise distinguishing plant names in most books and printed material are based on the system used in many horticultural books and magazines. For spelling, the authority is Hortus II, except for a number of indoor and tropical plants classified since its publication. For these the authority is Exotica, by A. B. Graf. For the sake of simplicity and easy pronunciation, the double "i" ending is reduced to a single "i". And there are other modifications.
Unless a plant name is complete (genus plus species - plus variety, if any), it is neither capitalized nor italicized. (On rock walls clematis, makes a beautiful display.) Complete botanical names are italicized, but only the generic name has an initial capital letter, even when the specific name has been derived from the proper name of some person or place. (For fall flowering, Clematis texensis is outstanding.) When you see a plant name in italics, you will know that this is a recognized botanical species or one of its varieties, and not a man-made hybrid.
The names of recognized hybrids, seedlings, and mutations of either or both are not italicized, but are capitalized and enclosed in single quotation marks. (Clematis 'Crimson Star') Common or popular names are set in regular type like janet craig compacta plant with initial capital letters only for proper nouns, when they appear in text. In separate listings each word is capitalized.
Hopefully this provides you with a clearer understanding of botanical names and their usage and allow you to communicate and "speak plants" better.
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