Texas Agricultural Extension Service
Texas A&M University System
College Station, TX

Foliage and Flowering Plants:

Flowering plants can be enjoyed throughout the year, but the most popular gift plants are associated with the holidays. Foliage plants can be used year-round to design a living environment that compliments any decor. In an office, foliage and flowering plants can create a pleasant working atmosphere for both clients and employees.

Plant Names:

Plants are often referred to by a common name. Since these differ widely, horticulturists depend on the Latin or scientific name to correctly identify plants. Scientific names are made up of two parts – the genus and specific epithet. Combined, these constitute the basic unit of classification known as the species. Genus + specific epithet= species.

Genus species:

When these names are written, the genus always begins in upper case, the specific epithet is lower case and the species is underlined or italicized. For example: Dracaena marginata

Varieties:

The term variety refers to a subspecies classification. These plants have a unique characteristic(s) which, when reproduced, retains these characteristics. All cultivars are reproduced from cuttings or some other vegetative means. Cultivar names are always enclosed in single quotes or the abreviation cv. is used as follows: Ficus elastica ‘Decora’ or Ficus elastica cv. Decora.