Day 238: The current trend in taxonomy leans toward naming plants and animals after their discoverers or after researchers who have contributed substantially to the respective disciplines. It is a source of much frustration to me. I far prefer something informative in the nomenclature, such as "Suksdorfia ranunculifolia" (the photo above). It tells me that when I observe the plant, I should see leaves resembling those of the common buttercup (unrelated). Likewise, "latifolia" tells me that the leaves are broad, "rotundifolia" that they are round, "purpurea" that the leaf or flower is purplish. I can equate the terminology with some portion of the plant, and thus the name is easier to remember than (for example) "lyallii" (named after David Lyall, a Scottish botanist) or "hookeri" (a friend of Charles Darwin). It might be different if these botanists' images leapt into my mental vision along with some association to a botanical feature. Surely "einsteini" would call to mind the frizzy hair of that well-known physicist. Yes, I could see a dandelion with the taxonomic designation "Taraxacum einsteini." Makes perfect sense if you think about it.
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