Non-Botanical Names

In some genuses (or genera), gardeners' naming schemes depart slightly from botanical practice. Within Lilium or Clematis, there are so many hybrids and cultivars, varying so much in their timing, shape and care requirements, that gardeners prefer to denominate the plant type according to its "section" within the species. Our Clematis montana 'Tetra Rose', for example, is labelled Type I by the nurseryman so as to give guidance about its care and habits. In the case of Rhododendron, many gardeners stick closely to botanical practice and use the vernacular names of the eight recognized subgenera, or at least the four most common subgenera: elepidotes, lepidotes, deciduous azaleas and evergreen azaleas. Lepidotes have small leaves with scales on the underside; elepidotes have large leaves without scales on the underside. However this is not terribly useful when hybrids have ancestors from multiple subgenera, nor does it offer the plantsman a huge amount of help when selecting which hybrids to put into a garden.