Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Find Plant Names
How to Find Plant Names. Plants have many different names. For example, you may know your favorite plant as a jonquil and your friend may know it as a narcissus. Yet another may call it a daffodil. Therefore, it's no wonder that knowing what to call your plants or what names refer to the same plants can be confusing. Use a plant database to help...
Plants have many different names. For example, you may know your favorite plant as a jonquil and your friend may know it as a narcissus. Yet another may call it a daffodil. Therefore, it's no wonder that knowing what to call your plants or what names refer to the same plants can be confusing. Use a plant database to help you find out all the associated names for your plants, including their scientific names, and clear up the confusion. You can do this if you know one of the plant's names or if you just know what the plant looks like.
Find Names Using Plant Characteristics
Write down the characteristics of your plant, such as bloom color, when it blooms and the height of plant. Note whether it grows in full sun, partial shade or in the shade. Observe and record whether it requires a lot of moisture or tolerates dry soil conditions.
Enter the information you gathered into the National Gardening Association plant finder index -- such as bloom color, height of plant, hardiness zone, level of light and other pertinent information -- to identify the plant. Click the names of plants in your results and verify which is your plant. You will see the scientific name and common name(s) for that plant.
Search the USDA image gallery as an alternative to the National Gardening Association website. Select information such as whether the plant you are looking for is a perennial or annual and which state it grows in. Peruse the results and click the plant name or picture to find out more information, including all associated plant names.
Find Other Names Using One Name
Open North Carolina State University's "Index of All Plant Fact Sheets" website. Click the letter of the name you know your plant by and then click on the plant name in the results list. You can search by common name or scientific name.
Find plant names in a gardening book, such as Elsevier's "Dictionary of Plant Names and Their Origin" or "The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture," as recommended by the University of Maryland. Use the index to locate the plant's page by the name you know.
Locate plant names on the "Plants for a Future" database. Search by letter with the common or scientific name or search for plant names based on how the plant is used, such as for medicinal or edible purposes. If you only know part of the name, such as "daf" for daffodil, type in "daf" in the "Search For Name" query box, and a list of plants with those letters will result. Click on the name to learn all the plant names associated with that plant.
