Common name of Palms and confusion....

[Bill H2DB]

I ran across this Craigslist ad this a.m. , and , well.........

I am confused .   Ridden hard and put up wet ?

https://daytona.craigslist.org/grd/d/ridden-palm-tree/6553143713.html

   As I am somewhat known as a Palm person in my circles , I often am asked about variously

named palms... , and often , I can't discern what Palm that they may be asking about .

  Just to get the asking person to describe the fronds , to at least narrow it down to Palmate or

Pinnate is a trial .  I have really backed off a great deal , of late , as I age ..

[Palmsbro]

Cabbage palm is an example of this. Though it usually refers to Sabal palmetto, I have also seen it applied to Livistona australis and even Cordyline australis, which is not even an actual palm.

[Missi]

I think they meant RIBBON palm, Livistona decora.

[frienduvafrond]

"Pindo Palm" drives me crazy. When I say Butia even to the nursery owners they give me a weird look, and say "speak english please". I think pindo is just spanish for jelly, and many palms fit this category, yet pindo is what all the Butia are listed as here.

[PalmatierMeg]

I've learned the Latin binomials and usually use them exclusively, although on PT I will relent and use common monikers like "queen" and "coconut". But it drives me crazy when people who should know better use common names. I was at a native plant nursery recently and a wannabe helpful woman kept steering me toward (non-native) palms by jabbering, "Do you have a Christmas palm?" Yes. "What about a montgomery palm?" Say what? What's the scientific name? "Huh?" So my husband and his smart phone did an internet search. Ah, Veitchia arecina. Got that too. "Oh, can you tell me about it?" Uh, yeah. It really irked me that a nursery employee who deals with the public was so woefully ignorant even though she must contend with even more clueless customers most of the time.

When I found, then joined PT in 2008 I quickly realized I had a steep learning curve to climb. These people knew their palms and palm nomenclature. If I didn't want to sound like a babbling idiot, i.e., "Can anyone tell me about the Happy Palm?" (no such thing) or "See my new Sago Palm?" (that's a cycad - another learning curve to climb), I had to get with the program. So, I bought the Riffle, Craft book, studied, looked up every new Latin binomial I came across and within a few months I could communicate intelligently.

I believe that if you truly interested in palms, you should study and learn as much about them as you can. And that includes becoming familiar with their Latin binomials. They weren't created by ivory tower eggheads to confound the masses. They have a specific purpose and structure that allows every palm discovered to have its unique scientific identity separate from confusing, often silly common names people throw at them. Invest a little time & effort in learning and a new world opens to you. You will no longer be intimidated by all the knowledge available. I suspect that many new PT joiners are so intimidated they don't ever post or post a few times then fade away. The serious palm lovers stick around, learn, make connections and ultimately pass their knowledge on to others. Hear, hear for courage and determination. You don't have to buy an actual book like I did. In the past 10 years so much more has become available on the internet, such as Palmpedia and the PACSOA site. Get out there and do it.

[Silas_Sancona]

 One strange description indeed, typo or not... Id have double checked before listing but, just me.

Have to say that the use of common Vs. the Latin name in the Nursery trade has to be one of my biggest pet peeves, and one that can determine where I will do business.. let alone who I seek advise and further education from. 
 
On that note, I will be the first to admit ( and sometimes apologize for, even though I may not need to..) for butchering the genus or species name of something at times.. Knowing a name, and having repeated it a million times.. then suddenly drawing a blank is the worst, if not slightly embarrassing. 
 
I get that the average person may not have studied botanical Latin to any real depth, and that a common name is easier to remember but, and this is just personal opinion, any nurseryman worth their salt should have a more educated background.. and be willing to teach their customers/ clients how to understand the technical aspects. I personally enjoy explaining, for example, how the "erioloba" aspect of Acacia ( now Vachellia) erioloba refers to the seed pods of the species being "ear"- shaped.. etc. Botanical Latin isn't as hard to learn as some might think. Most people can say Cannibis, Oleander, Eucalyptus, Pistache when pressed.. showing the capability for understanding. Yes, once you really start digging, you ultimately come to much more challenging ( ..and challenging to pronounce) terms but, again, personally.. Learning the harder stuff is kind of a fun challenge, think Johannesteijsmannia.. Anyway,

 With common names, as stated perfectly above, you can several other things "called" such and such, which can become frustrating, which is why listing the Latin "name" is more important ( and informative, imo) A good nursery lists both.. and might emphasize interesting tidbits regarding the Latin in a description to make the experience more entertaining. I also like when a nurseryman isn't afraid of listing any possible Genus/species changes that might come along. Demonstrates an on-going commitment to further study and learning, not just " Now that i'm making money, I can get lazy and not continue educating myself" kind of attitude. 

Frienduvafrond,  If indeed you were told to " speak English" in the experience you had, id have walked out and let them know where my money won't be going in the future.. I've had similar experiences, even among people I worked with in the past, who i'd have thought would be further educated, but have more basic respect. This isn't the attitude of a real plantsman. 
  
-Nathan

[Gonzer]

As Neg alluded to, names like King, Queen, and date palm are more the exception than the rule. Knowing the botanical nomenclature of any genera of plants is first and foremost rule #1. "Learn it, love it, use it".