Plant Labeling

19 years ago

I am labeling various plants on my condo premises. I would like to know how to correctly label a plant when I only know its Genus. For example, in such case would Liriope sp. be correct ?. If I know the species but not the cultivar would Liriope muscari 'CV' be correct ? Thanks a lot.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

The_Mohave__Kid
19 years ago
Hello Leon ...

Sounds OK to me but it would be a shame to go through all that trouble and not have a complete name ... is there any help in your community you can get .. extension service ect.. it would be worth while I'd wager ... an incomplete name would be better then a incorrect name ...

Sounds like a great idea ...

Good Day ...
Rosa
19 years ago
species = spp. so Liriope spp. would be correct.
I agree with Mohave that if you are going to this trouble it would be nice to complete the label. If you want to just get started for now then just use Liriope, leave some room and add the rest later.
Related Professionals
Mitchellville Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Bethlehem Landscape Contractors · Brentwood Landscape Contractors · Holtsville Landscape Contractors · Kailua Landscape Contractors · Lakewood Landscape Contractors · Munster Landscape Contractors · Oxnard Landscape Contractors · Red Oak Landscape Contractors · Thonotosassa Landscape Contractors · Reisterstown Landscape Contractors · Mesa Fence Contractors · Grandview Fence Contractors · Saint Louis Park Fence Contractors · South San Francisco Fence Contractors
nonmember_gw
19 years ago
spp.=plural
sp.=singular
BradleyQT
19 years ago
Who needs sp. when you have gardenweb? I believe Name That Plant exists to help you ID your plant down to the genus (unless it's Soldiago or Hemerocallis). Happy planting! = )
susi_so_calif
19 years ago
Hi Leon -

You don't mention what you're using to label the plants with. I had great success with labels purchased from Paw Paw Everlast Label Co. (they've got a website). I used their rose markers with stakes 12" or taller. For an easy-to-read label I used a black fine line paint marker pen that I purchased at Michael's craft stores. Almost all so-called permanent garden markers fade in a few months, but this paint pen lasted at least 3 years in full sun. I also used a regular #2 pencil to write the plant name on the back side of the label so if the paint faded I could get the info from the other side. The pencil lasts virtually forever, but is hard to read on the zinc labels, which is why I didn't use it on the front side.

Cheers!
Susi
Rosa
19 years ago
opps, sorry asleep a the wheel...again!!
specie=sp.
species=spp.
TonyfromOz
19 years ago
species - singular
species - plural

check in a dictionary and/or a Latin grammar
garden_witch
19 years ago
Don't forget google, floridata, botany dot com, etc. Some online seed catalogs are good for pinning down hybrids and specific species also.
Or you could go the old fashioned way and use a book =) I picked up the AHA's "Great Plant Guide" last weekend, a very good reference, and portable! It doesn't have everything, but it does have a lot!
dave_worden
19 years ago
IF you are going to augment your plantings with labels; then, being a label reader, this is what I like to see. Informal, even local names AND/OR precisely correct, complete latin designation. AND, planting date. When looking at a plant, knowing the age of the plant has a lot to do with the enjoyment and examination. May I suggest a "Hortus Third". Just about the most comprehensive source available. I am just about wearing ours out. Labels are a lot of work but preparing them is a terrific experience if you like learning. Proper labels, informal and local OR latin along with the planting date will dramatically increase plant enjoyment for the life of the plant. The technical is valuable for obvious reasons. The local perhaps anecdotal labels provide personal and fun insight into particular plants' history.
Great idea!
Dave