One of the reasons the scientific names of plants are used is because their common names can vary. A gumbo limbo tree in Florida is a red birch on Cayman Brac.
I have a type of Opuntia cactus in my yard that has a common name I simply do not like. Opuntia engelmannii var. linguiformis is a native type of prickly pear cactus characterized by long pads that narrow at the end.
When I first saw this intriguing cactus, I immediately thought it must be called rabbit ears or maybe desert hare ears or even donkey ears. These are the animal comparisons that came to my mind.
I was disappointed when I learned its common name is cow’s tongue. Cow’s tongue?! Instead of the obvious ear shape, someone decided to go with the tongue of a cow.
Rest assured, the linguiformis cactus in my yard will never be called for the muscular organ of a bovine mouth. In my yard, it is honored as my rabbit ear cactus!
Book Note: Are you interested in the flora and fauna of the Sonoran Desert? My humorous science book called How NOT to Photograph a Hummingbird has a ten-page Appendix in the back with photos, common and scientific names, and descriptions of species that survive the Southern Arizona heat. It’s a fun read about how the desert thwarts one man’s efforts to photograph an Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna), but you learn about the desert along the way.
My goal is to make science education fun! Check out all my fun science books here.
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