Scientific Name of Plants

Ornamental Perennials

The following is a list of the common plant names cross referenced to the scientific name of plants. The list represents some of the most popular varieties of perennial plants.

The scientific names of plants is based on taxonomy, the science of plant classification. Each name has two parts, the genus and the specie. This is referred to as the binomial (two names)system founded by Linnaeus, a Swedish botanist. Some species will have a third name, called the subspecies, variety, or form.

You can think of taxonomy as the plant directory of all species. The plant kingdom has over 350,000 species, thus the necessity of an ordered classification system.

• Adder’s Tongue – Erythronium
• Ageratum, Hardy – Conoclinium
• Alexander – Angelica atropurpurea
• Alkanet – Anchusa
• Allegheny Spurge – Pachysandra procumbens
• Alpine Violet – Cyclamen hederifolium
• Alumroot – Heuchera
• American Dream – Coreopsis rosea
• American Feverfew – Parthenium integrifolium
• American Pokeweed – Phytolocca a. ‘Melody’
• American Spikenard – Aralia racemosa
• Anchusa myosotidiflora – Brunnera macrophylla
• Anise Mint – Agastache
• Apache Plume – Fallugia paradoxa
• Apple Blossom Grass – Gaura
• Artic Willow – Salix arctica
• Arrow Broom – Genista sagittalis
• Avens – Geum
• Aztec Indian Berry – Duchesnea
• Baby White Swan – Echinacea ‘Cygnet White’
• Baby’s Breath – Gypsophila
• Bachelor Button – Centaurea
• Ball Cactus – Coryphantha vivipara
• Balloon Flower – Platycodon
• Baneberry – Actaea
• Barren Strawberry – Waldsteinia
• Basket of Gold – Aurinia
• Beardtongue – Penstemon
• Bear’s Breech – Acanthus
• Beautyberry – Callicarpa
• Bee Balm – Monarda
• Bellflower – Campanula
• Bellwort – Uvularia
• Betony – Stachys
• Big Ears – Stachys b. ‘Helene von Stein’
• Birch Double – Geranium h. ‘Plenum’
• Bird-foot Violet – Viola pedata
• Bird’s Foot Trefoil – Lotus corniculatus
• Birthwort – Aristolochia
• Bishop’s Weed – Aegopodium
• Bitter Root – Lewisia
• Blackberry Lily – Belamcanda
• Black Cohosh – Actaea
• Black-Eyed Susan – Rudbeckia
• Black Mondo Grass – Ophiopogon p. ‘Niger’
• Bladder Pod – Alyssoides
• Blanket Flower – Gaillardia
• Blazing Star – Liatris
• Bleeding Heart – Dicentra
• Bloodroot – Sanguinaria
• Bloody Crane’s Bill – Geranium sanguineum
• Blue Cohosh – Caulophyllum
• Blue Indigo – Baptisia australis
• Blue Mist Spirea – Caryopteris
• Blue Pickerel Plant – Pontederia cordata
• Bluebell – Mertensia
• Bluestar – Amsonia
• Boston Ivy – Parthenocissus tricuspidata
• Bouncing Bet – Saponaria officinalis
• Bowman’s Root – Gillenia
• Boxwood – Buxus Bright Star – Echinacea ‘Leuchstern’
• Broom – Genista
• Bugleweed – Ajuga
• Bugloss – Anchusa
• Burnet, Giant – Sanguisorba tenuifolia
• Bush Clover – Lespedeza
• Bush Morning-glory – Ipomoea leptophylla
• Bush Palmeto – Sabal minor
• Bush Pea – Thermopsis
• Butter Bur – Petasites japonicus
• Buttercup – Ranunculus
• Butterfly Bush – Buddleja, Clerodendron ugadensis
• Butterfly Milkweed – Asclepias
• Button Bush, Button Willow – Cephalanthus occidentalis
• Button Snakeroot – Liatris p. ‘Eureka’
• California Fuchsia – Zauschneria garrettii
• Campion – Lychnis, Silene
• Canadian Milkvetch – Astragalus Canadensis
• Candylily – Pardancanda
• Candytuft – Iberis
• Canterbury Bells – Campanula
• Cardinal Flower – Lobelia
• Cardoon – Cynara
• Carnation – Dianthus
• Carolina Moonseed – Cocculus carolinus
• Carpenter Plant – Silphium perfoliatum
• Catchfly – Lychnis, Silene
• Catmint – Nepeta
• Celandine – Chelidonium, Stylophorum
• Chamomile – Matricaria recutita
• Chamomile, False – Chamaemelum
• Checkerbloom – Sidalcea
• Cheddar Pink – Dianthus gratianopolitanus
• Chinese Foxglove – Rehmannia
• Chinese Lantern – Physalis
• Chinese Yam – Dioscorea batatas
• Chocolate Flower – Berlandiera
• Chocolate Vine – Akebia
• Cinnamon Vine – Dioscorea batatas
• Cinquefoil – Potentilla
• Clove pink – Dianthus gratianopolitanus
• Clover – Trifolium
• Cohosh – Cimicifuga, Actaea
• Colorado Rubber Plant – Hymenoxys r. var. richardsonii
• Columbine – Aquilegia
• Compass Plant – Silphium lacinatum
• Comfrey – Symphytum
• Coneflower – Echinacea, Rudbeckia
• Coral Beads – Cocculus carolinus
• Coral Bells – Heuchera
• Cowslip – Caltha
• Crane’s Bill – Geranium
• Creeping Phlox – Phlox subulata
• Crimson Glory Vine – Vitis coignetiae
• Cross Vine – Bignonia capreolata
• Crowsfoot – Ranunculus
• Crown of Snow – Campanula g. ‘Schneekrone’
• Crownvetch – Coronilla
• Culver’s Physic – Veronicastrum
• Cup and Saucer – Campanula med. ‘Calycanthema’
• Cup Plant – Silphium perfoliatum
• Cupid’s Dart – Catananche
• Curly Onion – Allium s. s. glaucum
• Daisy, Mt. Atlas – Anacyclus pyrethrum var. depressus
• Daisy, Ox-Eye – Leucanthemum vulgare
• Daisy, Shasta – Leucanthemum
• Dame’s Rocket – Hesperis
• Daylily – Hemerocallis
• Dead Nettle – Lamium
• Dense Gentian – Liatris microcephala
• Devil’s Paintbrush – Hieracum aurantiacum
• Dittany of Crete – Origanum calcarticum
• Dog-toothed Violet – Erythronium
• Doll’s Eyes – Actaea
• Dong dang gui – Angelica acutiloba
• Double Bird’s Foot Trefoil – Lotus coniculatus
• Double Bubble Mint – Agastache cana
• Double Gloriosa – Rudbeckia h. ‘Tetraploid’
• Double Robin White Breast – Silene ‘Swan Lake’
• Dragonhead – Dracocephalum
• Drumstick Primrose – Primula denticulate
• Dunce Caps – Orostachys
• Dusty Miller (Hardy) – Artemisia stelleriana
• Dutchman’s Pipe – Aristolochia
• Dwarf Blue Rabbitbrush – Ericameria nauseosus
• Dwarf Golden – Linum
• Dwarf Palmetto – Sabal minor
• Dwarf Red – Helenium x ‘Rubinzwerg’
• Edelweiss – Leontopdium
• Elder – Sambucus
• Englemann Daisy – Englemannia pinnatifida
• English Daisy – Bellis
• European Elder – Sambucus
• Evening Primrose – Oenothera
• Evergreen Bittersweet – Euonymus f. ‘Vegeta’
• Everlasting – Anaphalis
• Faassen’s Catnip – Nepeta faassenii (x)
• Fairy Candles – Actaea
• Fairy Lily – Zephyranthes drummondii
• False Dragonhead – Physostegia
• False Indigo – Baptisia, Amorpha fruticosa, A. nana
• False Lupine – Thermopsis
• False Mallow – Sidalcea, Sphaeraicea
• False Miterwort – Tiarella
• False Salvia – Lamium m. ‘Chequers’
• False Solomon’s Seal – Smilacena racemosa
• False Strawberry – Duchesnea
• Fern-leaf – Coreopsis verticillata
• Feverfew – Tanacetum p. ‘Tetra White Wonder’
• Fireball – Geum chiloense ‘Mrs. Bradshaw’
• Firecracker – Penstemon
• Fire Pink – Silene virginica
• Five Finger – Potentilla
• Five-leaf Aralia – Eleutherococcus
• Flag – Iris
• Flax – Linum
• Fleabane – Erigeron
• Fleece Flower – Fallopia
• Fleur-De-Lis – Iris
• Foamflower – Tiarella
• Forget-Me-Not – Myosotis
• Four-winged Saltbush – Atriplex canescens
• Foxglove – Digitalis
• Fraxinella – Dictamnus albus
• Fremont’s Crowfoot – Clematis fremontii
• French Honeysuckle – Hedysarum
• Fringed Finger Poppy Mallow – Callirhoe digitata
• Fringed Sage – Artemisia frigida
• Funkia – Hosta
• Garden Heliotrope – Valeriana officinalis
• Garden Phlox – Phlox paniculata
• Garden Sorrel – Rumex
• Gas Plant – Dictamnus
• Gayfeather – Liatris
• Gentian – Gentiana
• German Garlic – Allium senescens subsp. M.
• German Statice – Goniolimon tataricum
• Germander – Teucrium
• Giant Flowered Salvia – Salvia pachyphylla
• Gilia – Ipomopsis
• Ginger – Asarum
• Globeflower – Trollius
• Globemallow – Sphaeralcea
• Globe Thistle - Echinops
• Gloriosa Daisy – Rudbeckia
• Goatsbeard – Aruncus
• Gold Crown – Hosta f. ‘Aureomarginata’
• Gold Dust – Aurinia
• Gold Net – Lonicera
• Goldball – Geum chiloense ‘Lady Stratheden’
• Golden Alexander – Zizia aurea
• Golden Bells – Clematis tangutica
• Golden Poppy – Stylophorum
• Goldenrod – Solidago
• Golden Star – Chrysogonum
• Golden Strawbwrry – Waldsteinia geoides
• Gooseberry Leafed Globemallow – Sphaeralcea grossulariifolia
• Gooseneck Loosestrife – Lysimachia clethroides
• Goutweed – Aegopodium
• Grape – Vitis
• Great Merrybells – Uvularia grandiflora
• Greater Celandine – Chelidonium majus
• Green-and-Gold – Chrysogonum
• Greenthreads – Thelosperma trifidum
• Greek Valerian – Polemonium
• Ground Elder – Aegopodium
• Ground Plum – Astragulus
• Groundsel, Prairie – Senecio plattenensis
• Gumbo Lily – Oenothera caespitosa
• Hall’s Honeysuckle – Lonicera halliana
• Harebell – Campanula
• Hawkweed – Hieracum
• Heartleaf Alexanders – Zizia aptera
• Helen’s Flower – Helenium
• Heliotrope – Valeriana
• Helmet Flower – Scutellaria
• Hen and Chicks – Sempervivum
• Heron’s-bill – Erodium
• Hibiscus, Russian – Kitaibela
• Hoary Scullcap – Scutellaria incana
• Hollyhock – Alcea
• Honey Bells – Cephalanthus occidentalis
• Honeysuckle – Lonicera
• Hopflower Oregano – Origanmum libanoticum
• Hops – Humulus
• Horehound – Marrubium
• Horsemint – Monarda
• Hummingbird – Agastache cana
• Hyssop – Agastache
• Hyssop Scullcap – Scutellaria incana
• Ice Plant, Hardy – Delosperma, Ruschia
• Indian Physic – Gillenia
• Indian Strawberry – Duchesnea
• Indian Turnip – Arisaema triphyllum
• Indigo – Indigofera pseudotinctoria
• Irish Moss – Minuartia verna
• Ironweed – Vernonia fasciculate
• Italian Bugloss – Anchusa
• Ivy – Hedera
• Jack-In-The-Pulpit – Arisaema triphyllum
• Jacob’s Ladder – Polemonium
• Japanese Parsley – Cryptotaenia j. ‘Atropurpurea’
• Joe-Pye Weed – Eupatorium purpureum
• Joint Fir – Ephedra
• Kalimeris mongolica – Asteromoea mongolica
• Kalm St.-John’s-Wort – Hypericum Kalmianum
• Knapweed – Centaurea dealbata
• Korean Boxwood – Buxus sinica var. insularis
• Lacy Veil – Asparagus officinalis var. pseudoscaber
• Ladies’ Tresses – Spiranthes
• Lady’s Leek – Allium cernuum
• Lady’s Mantle – Alchemilla
• Ladybells – Adenophora
• Lamb’s Ear – Stachys
• Lantern Plant – Physalis
• Lavender Cotton – Santolina
• Lavender Monkey Flower – Mimulus rigens
• Lead Plant – Amorpha
• Leadwort – Ceratostigma
• Lemon Lace Vine – Fallopia
• Lemon Lily – Hemerocallis lilioasphodelus
• Lenten Rose – Helleborus orientalis
• Leopard Plant – Farfugium, Ligularia
• Leopard’s Bane – Doronicum
• Lily – Lilium
• Lily-Of-The-Valley – Convallaria
• Lilyturf – Liriope, Ophiopogon
• Little Pickles – Othonna capensis
• Littleleaf Mock Orange – Philadelphus microphyllus
• Liverleaf – Hepatica
• Lizard Tail – Saururus cernuus
• Locoweed, Lambert’s – Oxytropis lambertii
• Loosestrife – Lysimachia
• Low’s Japanese Creeper – Parthenocissus t. ‘Lowii’
• Lungwort – Pulmonaria, Mertensia
• Lupine – Lupinus
• Magnolia Vine – Schisandra
• Mahogany Plant – Sedum telephium ‘Atropurpureum’
• Maidenhair Tree – Ginkgo biloba
• Mallow – Hibiscus,
• Malva, Sphaeralcea
• Maltese Cross – Lychnis
• Man of the Earth – Ipomoea leptophylla
• Marsh Marigold – Caltha
• Martha Washington’s Plume – Filipendula r. ‘Venusta’
• Masterwort – Angelica atropurpureum
• Matricaria – Tanacetum
• Mayapple – Podophyllum
• Meadow Parsley – Zizia aptera
• Meadow Rue – Thalictrum
• Meadowsweet – Filipendula
• Mexican Hat – Ratibida columnifera ‘Red”
• Mile-A-Minute – Fallopia aubertii
• Milfoil – Achillea
• Milkvetch – Astragalus
• Milkweed – Asclepias
• Mint Shrub – Elcholtzia stauntonii
• Miniature Hen and Chicks – Jovibarba hirta subsp. Arenaria
• Missouri Primrose – Oenothera macrocarpa
• Mist Flower – Conoclinium, Eupatorium
• Mock Orange – Philadelphus
• Mondo Grass – Ophiopogon
• Moneywort – Lysimachia nummularia
• Monkey Flower – Mimulus ringens
• Monkshood – Aconitum
• Monk’s Hood Vine – Ampelopsis
• Moon Carrot – Seseli gummiferum
• Moss Campion – Silene schafta
• Mother of Thyme – Thymus serpyllum
• Mountain Bluet – Centaurea Montana
• Mountain Fringe – Adlumia fungosa
• Mountain Gold – Alyssum m. ‘Berggold’
• Mountain Lady’s Mantle – Alchemilla alpine
• Mountain Mint – Pycnanthemum
• Mt. Atlas Daisy – Anacyclus
• Mullein – Verbascum
• Myrtle – Vinca
• Naples Onion – Allium neapolitanum
• Nettle – Solanum
• New Jersey Tea – Ceanothus americanus
• Nightshade – Salanum N
• ordic Dragonhead – Dracocephalum ruyschiana
• Northern Crepe Myrtle – Heptacodium
• Obedience Plant – Physostegia
• October Daphne – Sedum sieboldii
• Of The Rocks – Erigeron scopalinus
• Old Fashioned Bleeding Heart – Dicentra spectabilis
• Old Man of the Mountain – Hymenoxys grandiflora
• Old Man of the Prairie – Ipomoea leptophylla
• Old Woman – Artemisia stelleriana
• Onion – Allium
• Orris Root – Iris pallida
• Ostrich Plume – Astilbe t. ‘Straussenfeder’
• Our Lady’s Bedstraw – Galium verum
• Ox-Eye Daisy – Leucanthemum vulgare
• Pansy – Viola
• Pasque Flower – Pulsatilla
• Peach-Bells – Campanula persicifolia
• Pearlwort – Sagina
• Pearly Everlasting – Ansphalis margaritacea
• Pennywort – Hydrocotyle
• Peony – Paeonia
• Periwinkle – Vinca
• Persian Stonecrest – Aethionema g. Pulchella Group
• Persian Violet – Cyclamen herderifolium
• Pie Plant – Rheum
• Pincushion Cactus – Coryphantha vivipara
• Pincushion Flower – Scabiosa
• Pink Fleece Flower – Fallopia japonica ‘Reynoutria’
• Pink Prairie Onion – Allium stellatum
• Pinks – Dianthus
• Plumbago – Ceratostigma
• Plume Poppy – Macleaya
• Poker Plant – Kniphofia
• Poppy – Papaver
• Poppy Mallow – Callirhoe
• Porcelain Vine – Ampelopsis brevipedunculata ‘Elegans’
• Prairie Baptisia – Baptisia lacteal
• Prairie Clover – Dalea
• Prairie Coneflower – Ratibida
• Prairie Mallow – Sphaeralcea
• Prairie Smoke – Geum triflorum
• Prairie Spiderwort – Tradescantia bracteata
• Primrose – Primula, Oenothera
• Prince’s Plume – Stanleya pinnata
• Purple Coneflower – Echinacea
• Purple-leaf Wintercreeper – Euonymus f. ‘Coloratus’
• Purple Leaf Japanese Parsley – Cryptotaenia j. ‘Atropurpurea’
• Purple Rockcress – Aubrieta ‘Leichtlinii’
• Quarter Vine – Bignonia capreolata
• Queen Anne’s Lace – Daucus carota var. carota
• Queen of the Meadow – Filipendula ulmaria
• Rainbow – Scutellaria a. Arcobaleno
• Rain Lily – Zephyranthes drummondii
• Rattlesnake Master – Eryngium yuccifolium
• Red False Mallow – Sphaeralcea coccinea
• Red Hot Poker – Kniphofia
• Red Puccoon – Sanguinaria
• Red Valerian – Centranthus
• Rhubarb – Rheum
• Riddell’s Goldenrod – Solidago riddellii
• Robin White Breast – Silene maritime
• Rock Cress – Arabis
• Rock Garden Statice – Limonium minutum
• Rockfoil – Saxifraga
• Rock Rose – Helianthemum, Talinum
• Rose of Sharon – Hypericum calycinum
• Rose of the Rockery – Geum coccineum
• Rose Mallow – Hibiscus
• Rose Sage – Salvia pachyphylla
• Rue – Ruta
• Rue Anemone – Anemonella thalictroides
• Rupturewort – Herniaria
• Russian Hibiscus – Kitaibela
• Russian Sage – Perovskia
• Sage – Salvia
• Sandwort – Arenaria
• Scarlet Rocket – Ipomopsis
• Scotch Bluebells – Campanula rotundifolia
• Sea Holly – Eryngium
• Sea Lavender – Limonium
• Sea Pink – Armeria
• Seaside Daisy – Erigeron
• Self Heal – Prunella
• Seven Son Flower – Heptacodium
• Shasta Daisy – Leucanthemum
• Shining Bluestar – Amsonia illustris
• Shooting Star – Dodecatheon
• Shrub Ice Plant – Ruschia pulvinaris
• Silkweed – Asclepias
• Silver Butterfly Bush – Buddleja a. ‘Argentea’
• Silver Lace Vine – Fallopia aubertii
• Silvervein Creeper – Parthenocissus henryana
• Silvervine – Actinidia polygama
• Silver-leafed Nettle – Solanum eleagnifolium
• Skull Cap – Scutellaria
• Smoke Bush – Cotinus coggygria
• Snail-seed – Cocculus carolinus
• Snakehead – Chelone
• Snakeroot – Actaea, Eupatorium rugosum
• Snapdragon – Antirrhinum
• Sneezeweed – Helenium
• Snow-In-Summer – Cerastium
• Snowdrop – Anemone
• Snowy Tansy – Tanacetum niveum
• Soapweed – Yucca glauca
• Soapwort – Saponaria
• Society Garlic – Tulbaghia
• Solomon’s Seal – Polygonatum
• Spanish Snapdragon – Antirrhinum h. s. roseum
• Speedwell – Veronica
• Spiderwort – Tradescantia
• Spirea – Astilbe
• Spurge – Euphorbia, Pachysandra
• Standing Wine Cups – Callirhoe digitata
• Starburst Ice Plant – Delosperma ‘Stardust’
• Statice – Limonium, Goniolimon
• St. John’s-Wort – Hypericum
• Stoke’s Aster – Stokesia
• Stonecrop – Sedum
• Stork’s Bill – Erodium
• Strawberry – Fragaria, Duchesnea
• Sulphur Flower – Eriogonum umbellatum
• Summer Solstice – Oenothera f. ‘Sonnenwende’
• Sun Daisy – Osteospermum
• Sundrop – Oenothera
• Sunflower, perennial – Helianthus, Heliopsis
• Sunray Flower – Inula ensifolia
• Sun Rose – Helianthemum
• Sunset Hyssop – Agastache rupestris
• Swamp Milkweed – Asclepias incarnate
• Sweet Autumn Clematis – C. terniflora (paniculata)
• Sweet Coneflower – Rudbeckia subtomentosa
• Sweet Flag – Acorus calamus
• Sweet Pea – Lathyrus
• Sweet William – Dianthus
• Sweet Woodruff – Galium odoratum
• Texas Rose – Scutellaria suffrutescens
• Threadleaf Bluestar – Amsonia ciliate
• Thrift – Armeria
• Thriller – Alchemilla mollis
• Thyme – Thymus
• Tickseed – Coreopsis
• Tiger’s Jaws – Chasmatophyllum
• Toadflax – Linaria
• Toad Lily – Tricyrtis
• Torch Lily – Kniphofia
• Tree Mallow – Lavatera
• Tritoma – Kniphofia
• Trout Lily – Erythronium
• Trumpet Creeper – Campsis
• Tufted Ice Plant – Delosperma sphalmanthoides
• Turk’s Cap – Lilium
• Turtlehead – Chelone
• Twinspur – Diascia
• Valerian – Valeriana
• Variegated Ground Ivy – Glechoma h. ‘Variegata’
• Variegated Sweet Marjoram – Origanum m. ‘Variegata’
• Variegated Yellow Rocket – Babrarea v. ‘Variegata’
• Veil of Lace – Asparagus officinalis var. pseudoscaber
• Venitian Sumac – Cotinus coggygria
• Vervain – Verbena
• Vesper Iris – Pardanthopsis dichotoma
• Violet – Viola
• Virginia Creeper – Parthenocissus quinquefolia
• Virgin’s Bower – Clematis virginiana
• Wand Bloom – Penstemon ‘Blue Buckle’
• White Bouquet – Tanacetum niveum
• Wild Ginger – Asarum
• Wild Oats – Uvularia sessilifolia
• Wild Onion – Allium cernuum
• Wild Petunia – Ruellia
• Wils Quinine – Parthenium integrifolium
• Wild Snowball – Ceanothus americanus
• Willow – Salix Willowherb – Epilobium
• Wine Cup – Callirhoe
• Winter Fat – Krascheninnikovia lanata
• Wintercreeper – Euonymus
• Woodbine – Parthenocissus
• Wood Poppy – Stylophorum
• Wood Sunflower – Helianthus ‘Lemon Queen’
• Woodwaxen – Genista
• Wooly Thyme – Thymus p. ‘Pseudolanuginosus’
• Wormwood – Artemisia
• Woundwort – Stachys
• Yarrow – Achillea
• Yellow Archangel – Lamiastrum
• Yellow Flag – Iris pseudacorus
• Yellow Horned Poppy – Glaucium flavum ‘Extra’
• Yellow Storksbill – Erodium chrysanthum