S. rubra common names

[BarryRice]

Hey Folks,

Some of our Sarracenia taxa do not have common names. While I do not like most common names (unless they are perverse or really amusing), the public likes them. So in my revision of my FAQ I've been toying with coining common names. If they stick, great. If not, well, that's fine too.

The Sarracenia rubra complex has five entities. The "Schnell" perspective is:

S. rubra Walt.
S. rubra subsp. alabamensis (Case & Case) Schnell
S. rubra subsp. wherryi (Case & Case) Schnell
S. rubra subsp. jonesii (Wherry) Wherry
S. rubra subsp. gulfensis Schnell

The commonly used but competing "Case & Case" perpective is:

S. rubra Walt.
S. alabamensis Case & Case
S. alabamensis subsp. wherryi Case & Case
S. jonesii Wherry

The Cases didn't recognize S. rubra subsp. gulfensis, and instead had a broader view of S. rubra Walt. that included these Gulf Coast plants.

ANYWAY, I don't wish to start a discussion of the validity of these plants. Rather, I want to note that the following plants have "common names."

S. rubra=Sweet pitcher plant
S. alabamensis=cane-brake pitcher plant
S. jonesii=mountain pitcher plant

This leaves three questions.

Q1)What to call S. rubra subsp. wherryi
Q2)What to call S. rubra subsp. gulfensis
Q3)Whether to call S. rubra "sweet pitcher plant" or "Sweet pitcher plant."

A1)For #1, I propose simply "Wherry's pitcher plant". As you know, E.T. Wherry was a botanist who made many contributions to our understanding of Sarracenia.

A2)I am divided on calling #2 either "Schnell's pitcher plant" or "Gulf Coast pitcher plant." The latter may seem sensible, because of the Latin name, however there are so many Sarracenia in the Gulf Coast, I think it seems a little hollow. Calling it Schnell's pitcher plant may seem sensible because Don Schnell's work with the plant.

A3)S. rubra is called the "sweet" pitcher plant, but it is not at all clear whether this name is to commemorate the botanist Sweet, or to note the plant's fragrant flowers. In one case, the name would be uppercase, in the other case, the name would be lowercase. (And this discussion of cases has nothing to do Fred and Roberta!)(A little botany joke). What do you think?

Maybe time for a forum vote?

[Aidan]

Slack refers to the entire S. rubra complex as "The Sweet Trumpet", S. rubra ssp. jonesii as "The Red Pitcher Plant" and S. rubra ssp. alabamensis as the "Alabama Canebrake Pitcher Plant" after F W and R B Case.

[BarryRice]

Hey Aidan,

Yeah, I think I've seen those. But in US publications I've seen that "mountain pitcher plant" has seemed to become more prevalent. I don't particularly like this, because it seems more sensible of a name for S. oreophila.

The USDA Plants database has the names "Jones' pitcher plant", "Gulf pitcher plant", and "Wherry's pitcher plant" for these things, but they just de-Latinize names to create "common" names.

B

[Dave Evans]

Dear Barry,

Considering your comments, I suppose your favorite common name for a pitcher plant species would be the one assigned to Nepenthes campanulata by the local Boreans... The monkey scrotum plant. What would the Latin translation be, I wonder.

Anyway, I am glad to see you want to avoid simply translating the Latin into English, but in some cases it might not make sense. I am pretty sure most locals refer to their CP's as "Fly catcher" and various names along the same vein. Maybe we should find out how the locals refer to these plants instead of just coining new names? Names which are more distinct than variations of 'bug eater' though. I have seen S. alata referred to as the "pale pitcher plant", and it really isn't anywhere near yellow as S. flava, so "pale" really does fit. Maybe "Appalachian pitcher plant" for S. jonesii or for S. oreophila? My knowledge of geography is quite limited so that name might not work...

Or maybe you could simply tell them the plant is so rare, it doesn't have a common name? I know, the truth can be so unsatisfying sometimes...

[BarryRice]

Hey Dave,

The truth is that these plants don't really have a set of common names that reflect our botanical usage. As you note, most are called simply "pitcher plants" or "flycatchers". Folks in Gulfport don't say, "Oh we can't call them flycatchers because those people in South Carolina are calling their plants flycatchers already."

I've tried telling reporters and garden writers that these plants don't have common names, and they've asked me to make them up. Now doesn't that just drive me insane. How can that be common?

Anyway, here is the kernel in my line of thought. Humans DEMAND common names for plants. We can do nothing, and then lament the stupid names that are generated by reporters or database managers, or we can take a proactive stance and guide the creation of common names. In the world of birding, for example, there is an organization that sets the agreed-upon common name for every species. It is quite useful. I'm thinking such a thing would be useful for us, especially in conservation outreach efforts.

[Dave Evans]

Hi Barry,

I see your point, and I have to say there already is such a thing, they refered to as cultivated varieties. All the plants the public is demanding be given common names are in cultivation, so the defacto case is we are being required to make cultivar names for each species that doesn't already have a common name, just these names will not be treated as cultivars in an official capacity by the ICPS cultivar authority.

I think we should then compile a list of names people in the ICPS would like see to used, weed out the least popular and see what sticks to what plant... Then publish the names as common names after this process is finished. Instead of running this through just the website, maybe it ought to go into the CPN as well?

Is there any reason not to include S. alabamensis wherryi under the name canebreak (sp?) along with S. alabamensis? I can't even tell them apart, expect that some populations of S. a. w. are shorter and smaller than S. a. a.... Just like what is seen in S. minor. Oh yeah, here is another common name for a published species, S. minor okefenokeensis is usually refered to as "okefenokee giant" -- a bonified common name which is sort of a cultivar also.

[BarryRice]

Hey Dave,

I've been pondering this for a while; I'm not sure exactly why as I don't use common names unless forced to. It's interesting, though, that as you point out, it would be best if common names were the names that are used locally be people to describe the plants. After all, some common names are just a scream, like "old man's tongue" or "frog's britches".

But most "common" names now are developed by botanists for plants that don't have them. Hmmm.

Anyway, I don't know if I've got time, energy, or inclination to start this project. But in an infinite universe, here's my strawman proposal.

1)ICPS sets up a common name council, about 5 people.

2)Common names are compiled for plants that already have them. Plants without common names are noted.

3)CP societies with regional jurisdiction are identified. So the Australian CP societies would be responsible for Australia, etc etc etc.

4)The societies develop proposed names, send them to the council for approval.

5)The council will be responsible for settling disagreements, with an eye on concensus. There's no reason, for example, that a plant couldn't have more than one common name (I suppose), such as species that occur in wide ranges.

I'd recommend that names be given to plants that are of uncertain taxonomic validity. Give S. rubra subsp. alabamensis and S. rubra subsp. wherryi separate names, and let people decide what they want to use.

This is complicated. Maybe I'll just coin names willy nilly until something is done....

[pinglover]

A1) Wherry's pitcher plant

A2) Gulf Coast pitcher plant

A3) Sweet's pitcher plant

[Clint]

Alabama sweet pitcher plant? I always assumed that's what the common name would be. This is why I hate common names. I had thought S. oreophila was the mountain pitcher plant, or S. purpurea ssp. purpurea var. montana.

[kackybum]

How about: (What is the common name for S. purpurea var. venosa?)
Species                  Common Subspecies          Common Name                     Common Synonym

S. alabamensis        subsp. alabamensis            Cane-brake pitcher plant            S. rubra subsp. alabamensis
                              subsp. wherryi                   Wherry's pitcher plant                S. rubra subsp. wherryi
S. alata                                                           Pale pitcher plant                       S. sledgei
S. flava                                                           Yellow pitcher plant
S. jonesii                                                         Mountain pitcher plant
S. leucophylla                                                   White pitcher plant                     S. drummondii
S. minor                                                          Hooded pitcher plant
S. oreophila                                                     Green pitcher plant
S. psittacina                                                     Parrot pitcher plant
S. purpurea              subsp. purpurea                 Purple pitcher plant
                                subsp. venosa
S. rosea                                                           Burk's southern pitcher plant        S. purpurea subsp. venosa var. burkii
S. rubra                    subsp. gulfensis                Schnell's pitcher plant
                                subsp. rubra                     Sweet's pitcher plant
                                subsp. viatorum