Who says botanical Latin (also known as scientific nomenclature) has to be head-scratchingly hard? We’re all Homo sapiens (“intelligent humans”), so it’s not too much of a leap for us to figure out that Rhododendron macrophyllum (literally “red-tree large-leaf”) is the Pacific rhododendron, the state flower of Washington. This class will cover the basics (who, what, when, where, why and how) of Latin binomial plant names and provide tools for further study to help us make sense of what we grow in our gardens.

Instructor Bio

A third of a century ago Daniel planted himself in Seattle’s Seward Park neighborhood and proceeded to construct a now notorious garden brimming over with thousands of specimens of cosmopolitan origin. He first joined the board of NHS in 2006 and has taught botanical Latin all over the Puget Sound region. Since 2020, Daniel’s more than 60 Horticulturally Yours columns have been archived on the Northwest Horticultural Society’s website.

LIMIT:  15 (MAXIMUM 2 PER REGISTRATION) – FEE IS PER PERSON

Rhododendron macrophyllum

Image(s) courtesy of Wikipedia.