I'm so proud of our students! We were looking at the Chard (Beta vulgaris subsp. cicia) that they had planted in the Garden and I aksed if anyone knew what the plant was. One of them guessed Beet (Beta vulgaris)! How smart to see the similarity between two plants that we usually eat two completely different parts from. So I was able to explain the importance of the Botanical, or Latin name of a plant - it is how you know what kind of plant it is, and whether you might be able to eat all or part of it. I told the student that the botanical name let us know that they were related - like cousins. In addition, no matter what language you speak, plant people use the same botanical name throughout the world! In the case of beets and chard, the fact that they are related means we can eat the leaves of the beet, as well as the root.
|
Kathleen IrvineCertified Horticulturist, Artist, Teacher Categories
All
|